The single most important issue facing the country, however, is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is estimated that, at present rates, AIDS will claim the lives of between five and seven million South Africans by 2010, leaving millions of children orphaned.

Our work in South Africa

We have been working in South Africa since 2000, and together with three partner projects, are identifying the most vulnerable families and those in greatest need of help. Generally our support focuses on families headed by children or grandparents, and those which are headed by one parent who has HIV/AIDS.

The main objective of our support is to enable these families to stay together. To address their short term needs we give families food parcels, household equipment and ensure they have access to healthcare. We also help repair homes, pay school fees and provide uniforms and books so that children can return to education. Our aim is to help families become independent and we support them with vocational training and setting up small business enterprise initiatives once they are ready.

This programme of support is not intended to be long-term, since our aim is to enable these families to become self-reliant. Social workers and local volunteers give support, advice and encouragement, helping members of these families to access government grants and benefits. Children are given education and training, so that they can make a living from their land, or set up a small enterprise to support themselves.

An important part of this programme in South Africa has been the establishment of Community Hubs. These drop-in centres are focal points for each community, and are in almost constant use. Young children, who would be left at home during the day whilst older siblings or carers are at school or at work, spend their days at the Hub, where they play, draw or sing, and the older children visit in the afternoons. There are regular visits by a nurse, and the children are given nutritious meals, often the only one they will get that day. Some of these centres also run enterprise groups for adults, where they can learn skills such as beading or glass cutting.

We believe that by empowering vulnerable children and their families, communities will be strengthened. Our support is flexible and can be adapted by the projects themselves. This enables individual communities to develop their own solutions to the challenges they face.

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