In Memoriam: Jon Hrusa

Posted by Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
January 6, 2012

As we start a new year at the Foundation, we wanted to take a moment to look back and pay tribute to a friend we lost at the very end of 2011 – the photographer Jon Hrusa.

You’ve probably seen his name in the photo credits below some truly stunning images throughout our website and in our materials.

Based in South Africa, Jon worked with the Foundation for almost a decade documenting the impact of our HIV prevention and treatment programs in the region. Whether he was covering events like AIDS Walk Africa in Swaziland, or our innovative pony delivery system in Lesotho, he had a unique gift to capture the essence of our work with sensitivity and humanity.

His photos convey a sense of hope and optimism, communicating to a wider audience around the world that it is possible to create an AIDS-free generation.

Each photo tells a larger story of the people he encountered – children, mothers, fathers, and whole families – who are affected by the AIDS pandemic.

In tribute to Jon, we’ve collected ten of our favorite photos from him, with links to some of the stories behind them.

Looking through them reminds us of the great work that has already been accomplished, and of the many people around the world who are still in need.

While Jon is no longer with us, a piece of him will always remain in these images.

Robert Yule is the Foundation’s Senior Media Relations Manager in Washington, D.C.

Lesotho, 2010: A pregnant woman wrapped in a traditional Basotho blanket in a maternity clinic. Lesotho is a small, mountainous kingdom within the borders of South Africa, with a high HIV prevalence rate and often hard-to-reach communities.

Lesotho, 2010: Potso Seoete, one of the Foundation’s Horse Riders for Health, with his pony. Potso delivers blood samples, test results, and medicines on horseback to remote clinics in the mountains of Lesotho.

Swaziland, 2009: A mother waits with her baby at a clinic. Swaziland is another small kingdom within the borders of South Africa, but it has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, with women and children particularly affected.

Swaziland, 2009: A baby gets her temperature taken at Mkhulamini Clinic.

Swaziland, 2009: Mfanzile Dlamini holds his infant daughter Phiwa in a field near his home in rural Swaziland. Phiwa was born HIV-negative because of PMTCT services she received from the Foundation.

Swaziland, 2009: Phiwa walks ahead of her mother, Zanele. After the death of her husband Mfanzile from AIDS in 2010, Zanele moved back in with her family, and is now raising two healthy, HIV-negative children. Read her story here.