Lex van den Berghe - May 20, 2002

Here are some of the highlights from the Interview.

Tommy: What have you been up to since Survivor Africa?

Lex van den Berghe: I’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling and trying to do as much charity work as possible. One of the things I really wanted to dedicate a lot of my time to was to try to give something back. I felt like having had the privilege of doing Survivor and playing the game and everything else that’s come of it afterwards. All the good stuff. I wanted to be able to give back so I’ve been doing work with the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS foundation. Working right now on an event for Camp Heartland, which is a getaway camp for kids who have AIDS or HIV. I’ve been doing work with my local AIDS charity and just a whole bunch of other stuff. A lot of environmental stuff. just anything that I can dedicate some time to.

Tommy: That’s really interesting since part of Survivor you were involved delivering stuff, and you saw the need in another country.

Lex van den Berghe: That’s right, and I mean, which was really the whole experiencing AIDS on the other side of the globe especially in Africa was just a huge wake-up call for me and I think for all of us that were out there. Because most of us didn’t realize that basically two thirds of the worlds population who are afflicted with AIDS and HIV happen to live in sub Sahara Africa and that’s an enormous percentage of the population who’s sick with AIDS and HIV. So over there It’s such a huge problem over there it’s almost and ordinary part of life which obviously it shouldn’t be. But um I think it’s import to remember that and to think about that because Africa in a way can almost be a way of looking through a window of tomorrow of what it might be for us here if we don’t take care of the problem and if we don’t dedicate and devote a lot of time and attention and resources to fighting the AIDS problem here in our own backyard.

Tommy: Do you actually plan on going back there at all?

Lex van den Berghe: I do, I’m actually in the process right now of planning a trip back. I’d like to actually go back to that small village called Wamba, which is where the hospital was that I was able to deliver the AIDS medication and the medical supplies to that hospital out there. I’m actually planning a trip back to that very hospital. And right now I’m starting to lobby and look for maybe some networks that might be interested in doing a short maybe one hour documentary on the hospital cause I think it’s a story that needs to be told and I think it’s really actually a fascinating story and a very entertaining one as well.

Tommy: That’s great how you’re like using something that came to you in your life on the show and it it effected you so much that you’re using the celebrity status you have now to help those people out.

Lex van den Berghe: Absolutely and I think that’s the least any of us could do I feel that it’s my obligation and duty to do that, like I said I was given a gift by being able to participate in Survivor and gain that celebrity and the celebrity could be used, obviously I already have and will probably get more good from it. But I think it’s important to not forget that with that voice and with that platform that it allows me to have a voice and help out with some causes that could really use the help.