Go to South Africa with Global Wire!

This fall Global Wire is packing up and going on another excursion with Global Exchange to discover the realities in our world. This time we will be travelling to South Africa. Nearly 12 years after the apartheid officially ended, the rainbow nation is still going through major social and politcal change. The tour will introduce participants to issues most affecting the people there. This includes the AIDS pandemic (over 6,500 people die each day in Africa alone), land reform, sustainable development and grassroots alternatives that South Africans have embraced. We will also learn how the US and the West influence economic policies in the country.

You can join us on this wonderful tour!

Read all the logistics below:


South Africa : Land, Health and Development

October 04, 2006 - October 15, 2006

Join Global Exchange on this in-depth tour that will focus on the continuous HIV/AIDS crisis, current land debate, the pitfalls of neo-liberal development, and what grassroots communities are doing about all of these issues. We will visit with women's groups, youth groups, government officials, and clinics and activists fighting the AIDS pandemic, the Landless Peoples Movement, Non-Governmental Organizations that focus on sustainable development in Southern Africa and economic alternatives like micro-lending programs along with debt relief plans and grassroots community organizers. Most importantly, we will learn about how poverty and the unequal nature of white versus black, fueled by the colonial era and exacerbated by the modern era of globalization, has contributed to the problems Southern Africa faces today. The idea is to come away from this experience with a keen sense of what are the issues affecting South Africa today, who has the power, what are the people at the grassroots level doing and how you can be apart of the change.

Program Highlights:

*Travel to Johannesburg, Pretoria, Umtata, East London and Cape Town, visiting important sites of resistance during apartheid and places of continued hope today.

*Meet with leading women activists and professionals.

*Learn about the history of forced removals by visiting rural areas and townships such as Soweto and District Six.

*Meet with grassroots organizations which have been the building blocks of these communities.

*Meet with grassroots organizations

*Meet with AIDS activists

*Meet with Landless People's Movement

*Learn about sustainable development in Africa

*Meet with activists calling to end the World Bank debt

*Enjoy the natural beauty of Cape Point and Table Mountain, and the cultural beauty of South African music, theater and the arts.

*Meet with members of the former Truth and Reconciliation Commission and hear their perspectives on this unique social process.

*Spend a "typical day" with South African families.

*Learn the people's perspectives on race relations, current politics, and social changes in the New South Africa.

Tour Cost: $2,650 from Johannesburg (price does not include International Airfare) Due to the increasing strength of the Rand, we have been forced to increase our prices for this tour.

Price Includes:

*double room accomodations (single supplement is $350)
*all internal transportation (including 3 domestic flights)
*2 meals per day
*trip leaders
*guides
*all program activities
*all entrance fees
*preparatory reading materials
*personal meetings to suit your particular interest (as available)
*Global Exchange membership
*Price does not include international airfare, lunches, tips and personal expenses. A limited number of partial scholorships are available for low-income applicants. Call us for more information.

How to Register:

We must receive your application and a non-refundable deposit of $200 two months before departure. Deadline is sometimes extended. Call to check status. A late fee of $50 will be applied to late applications. Payments by Mastercard or Visa are welcome.

This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life experiences. We strongly urge people of color to apply. In some cases, a limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.

Make your reservation online now at www.globalexchange.org!

Contact Masumi at masumi@globalexchange.org with any questions about this trip, or call toll-free 1-800-497-1994 ext. 225.

Related issues on this tour:

African Diaspora
Art and Culture
Civil Rights
Environment and Sustainability
Peace and Conflict