June - July 2009
1. Khuphuka Project Quarterly Activity Reports
At the beginning of July the Khuphuka Project conducted a quarterly analysis of its work (April to June 2009) in its Community Care Programme and its Information and Advocacy Programme. The findings of this analysis are included below:
Community Care Programme
165 households were provided with home based care during this period. It is noteworthy that the vast majority of our clients are female and that 77% are unemployed. Of our clients who know their status, 70% are HIV positive yet 66% of clients do not know their status, highlighting the urgent need for local Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) services. In response to this our Community Care Co-ordinator will attend certified VCT training in Durban in early September to enable her to administer local VCT services.
There are over 100 children who are in an orphaned or vulnerable situation and 70% of clients report food insecurity. Community Care Workers are actively engaged in providing HIV / AIDS counseling information and prevention, nutrition and health promotion to 86% of households for this period.
The number of HIV related deaths for this period was three and 32 people were successfully discharged from our service as they were able to get treatment from the local clinic. There are more than 20 people attending our People Living with HIV and Aids (PLWHA) support groups and monthly meetings are well attended with the initiation of an income generating project for group members.
Information and Advocacy Programme
There were 76 people served during this period with the vast majority of clients female. Over 85% of people did not have any documentation such as ID cards or birth certificates which is essential to applying for any grant support from the government.
A high number of people are unemployed and only 38% are in receipt of some form of grant support such as child income support, despite having an entitlement to a state grant. It is a common trend that there is grant support in a household but because the number of people in a household is so high (average number in households is 8 people) it meant that the impact of that grant on food security is minimal.
During this period people needed information and support on applying for or progressing grant applications in particular with regard to foster care grant and disability grant and requests for emergency food parcels were high. In July the Khuphuka Project held a meeting with the Department of Social Development (DSD) who administer food parcels in cases of serious deprivation as we had been informed that food parcels have been stopped until further notice. DSD have agreed to accept referrals from the Khuphuka Project of families in uMqatsheni in need of temporary food parcels.
Please log onto the Advocacy page of www.khuphuka.org where you can read case studies as examples of our advocacy work to date.
Youth Awareness and Empowerment Programme
Our youth co-ordinator held four HIV and AIDS awareness workshops in both the High School and Primary School of uMqatsheni. The attendance was high in each workshop. Nine volunteer youth leaders from each of the nine tribal wards will be recruited by the end of July and trained by our youth co-ordinator to organize youth awareness activities in their area.
On the 3rd of August there will be a meeting between the Department of Agriculture, Kwa Sani municipality, WITS University in Johannesburg and the Khuphuka Project regarding the initiation of an action research project into sustainable livelihood options for the youth of uMqatsheni in agriculture.
2. Department of Home Affairs Mobile Unit to Visit uMqatsheni
Over 85% of people that Khuphuka deals with do not have any documentation such as ID cards or birth certificates which is essential to applying for any grant support from the government. In response to this high number, the Khuphuka Project requested the Department of Home Affairs to send its Mobile Unit to the community of uMqatsheni in August so that people have an opportunity to sort out their documentation problems. The nearest DHA office to the community is in Ixopo which is a two hour drive and people do not have the funds for transport. The DHA office have given us four dates in August when they will come to visit and Khuphuka hopes that this will result in regular visits by the Mobile Unit to this area.
3. Khuphuka to participate in NACCW Volunteer Mentor Project
The Khuphuka Project will soon initiate a programme to deal with the high level of children in the community who are orphaned or in a vulnerable situation. We have recently been accepted as a partner organization onto a Volunteer Mentor Project for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children with the National Association of Childcare Workers (NACCW) to provide volunteer services to children affected by HIV / AIDS pandemic.
The Volunteer Mentor Project will engage 80 non-profit organizations as partners to deliver mentorship services to orphans and vulnerable children and especially those living in child headed households. This will mean that our Community Care team will receive accredited training in childcare, and our OVC worker will gain valuable experience and networking opportunities as a result. This will be an excellent way to kick start our OVC programme. For more information log onto www.naccw.org.za
4. Community Conversations Completed
In June the Khuphuka Project began an assessment of the strength and needs of the community of uMqatsheni with support from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal. Community conversations were held in each of the nine tribal wards, facilitated by our Community Care Co-ordinator and Youth Co-ordinator. All public meetings were very well attended and highly participatory.
Initial findings indicate that food security is a huge issue with people requesting assistance with the creation of food gardens and support with the purchasing of seeds in order to have access to healthy nutritious food. A priority concern was the need for a local VCT site so that people know their status and the availability of treatment locally as many people cannot afford the transport costs into Underberg clinic. It was highlighted that there needs to be organized activities for the youth with access to skills training, and education opportunities as a bridge to employment. People wanted ease of access to government departments that provide essential services like the Department of Social Development and Department of Home Affairs. It was strongly recommended that these services be available in the community because transport and money is such an issue for people most in need of these services.
People also recommended the initiation of income generation projects to create job opportunities within the community. The results of these community conversations will guide our work in the community over the next three years and we aim to have a report available by the end of August which will be made available to all interested parties.
5. Site visit by US Consultate to Khuphuka Project
In early July Ms. Chalone Savant, HIV / AIDS Community Grants Co-ordinator with the US Consulate in Durban visited the community of uMqatsheni and met with the staff of the Khuphuka Project. She was impressed by what she termed as a pioneering project in this area of Kwa Zulu Natal. She invited Khuphuka to make an application to the US Consulate fund for the purchase of essential equipment for the proposed community outreach centre.
6. Khuphuka Project record fundraising music CD
As part of a fundraising strategy to raise money for our community outreach centre, the staff of the Khuphuka Project had been busy exercising their vocal chords in May and June to record a music CD of traditional Zulu songs. The recording took place in mid-July which was co-ordinated by Lydia Van Vureen and the finished version will be available for sale by the end of August. If you are interested in purchasing the CD or selling copies at a fundraising event, please email office@khuphuka.org
7. Fundraising Appeal
The Khuphuka Project is based temporarily in the container of the tribal court. This container has no doors, electricity, water or telephone. We have been allocated a beautiful plot of land upon which we will be building the Khuphuka Community Outreach Centre. This will allow us to co-ordinate our services from an office, provide support groups, education, public meetings, training, HIV testing and counselling, youth groups and income generating projects. .
We need to raise about $100,000 to fully complete the building project. We can do it! Be it a coffee morning, sponsored walk or bike ride, pub quiz, office collection or sponsored bungee jump (!) you can help us to reach our goal.
We want to help you to help us so if you can feel the motivation arising in you then please email matt@khuphuka.org leaving a contact number and Matt will call you and offer advice on organising an event and any further support you may need.
Please note that Thanissara from Dharmagiri will do a benefit night for the Khuphuka Project on Friday 28th of August in the Samadhi Yoga Studio, Temple Bar, Dublin (www.samadhi.ie) . For more information on this event email Siobhan Twomey at siobhan.mlt@gmail.com
Thank You!
Many thanks to London Insight Meditation for organising a benefit night for Khuphuka in London in early June. London Insight will hold a sponsored ‘Walk for Khuphuka’ on Saturday 5th of September. More information can be found on their website at www.londoninsightmeditation.org.uk.
Also, a big thank you to the Mandala Trust, a UK based charity who have just made a generous donation towards the building of our Community Outreach Centre and are working as partners with London Insight to collect sponsorship from the above sponsored walk, see www.mandala-trust.co.uk
Heartfelt thanks goes to the many individual donors who gave so generously to our project over the past two months. The management and staff of the Khuphuka Project are extremely grateful for these expressions of generosity.