January 2, 2007.

Congratulations to Gerhard Raxendorfer, a dedicated volunteer with PIUMA in Makete District.

Gerhard is HIV+ himself and has used his status and his knowledge of the disease to educate and motivate PLWHAs in Tanzania.

Today, he was recognized as one of the "100 Top Salzburgers" by the large Austrian daily newspaper, Salzburger Fenster.

The paper's citation reads:

Raxendorfer arbeitet engagiert und unter gefährlichen Umständen mit der Organisation "PIUMA" in Tansania, die sich der Probleme von HIV-positiven Menschen in der Region annimmt, die in großer Armut leben und gegen das Verschwinden ihrer Spendengelder in korrupten Kanälen kämpfen.

Gerhard has worked closely with PIUMA leaders and members, spearheading the PIUMA Centre building project.

His blog (also in German) has a number of updates and pictures of the PIUMA Centre's progress:
http://gerhardraxendorfer.blogspot.com/