Linda-Gail Bekker

"I’m constantly looking for new ways to reach people"

"So we’ve had a youth centre down in Masiphumelele for years. But we realised that we were missing young men aged between 17 and 29. So we have built a health park alongside the youth centre, basically it’s a gym with all the latest equipment."

"So the message now is: ‘get ripped, get prepped.’ You know, if you want to look gorgeous, if you wanna be attractive, build your muscles, but have a healthy penis too."

"And in the middle of the health park, we still have the sexual reproductive health clinic"

"Plus a mental health support component. We are seeing a ton of mental health difficulties post-COVID. So just some basic support. Somebody who can sit next to you and say: ‘I see you, I feel your pain. If you are using substances, can you use less? If you’re smoking, can you smoke less?’ We’re trying to address the non-communicable diseases as well."

"There is an epidemic of obesity now. So we are trying to say to young women: ‘this BMI [Body Mass Index] is going to get you into trouble. What can we do, sister? How can we help you? What’s your diet? Can we advise around the dietary side?’ You know, gentle engagement around non-communicable diseases"

"To be honest, I’m 62, so I kind of feel like my career is – with the lens that the glass is half full – that I am at a career summit somehow. I suppose I’ve been quite reflective in thinking what has been achieved and what still needs to be done."

"I’ve got a lot of thoughts now about ensuring that the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation and the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre are in stable and sustainable spaces. But you’re right, it’s such an exciting time in prevention, particularly antiretroviral-based prevention. I’ve also been looking back on 40 years of the epidemic: What have we done?"