News

March 2010 - What is happening ?

ACHIVA member Eleanor Williamson is currently working in the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, South Africa, to assist in the setting up of the "Botshelo Life Link" in Taung - the peer education centre funded chiefly by people living in their link diocese of Oxford. Eleanor also hopes to report on progress in our other programmes in the North West.

In January, Kathryn Ellis revisited the North West Province and Northern Cape of South Africa, and spent some time in Johannesburg with "Tsa Botsogo", a local HIV/AIDS community centre in Soweto, and the Mercy AIDS Foundation, which pioneers community progammes in many parts of South Africa. Kathryn works through the diocesan link and the parish link between Kidlington with Hampton Poyle and Montshiwa, and in her research also visited the National AIDS Consortium and provincial and municipal offices, to appeal for help.

During her visit she organised the coming distribution of the 220 promised footballs for "Fund a Football", to bring fun to the most deprived children in these provinces during the World Cup period, when the schools will be on holiday for two months. As the fund continued to bring in donations from individuals, clubs, churches and schools, future plans are to introduce football coaching. This will be integrated into a health campaign, using the opportunity to pass on essential lessons aimed at preventing the spread of HIV.

The Mercy AIDS Foundation, led by Masi Makhalemele (Cowper), has now begun introducing HIV and Life Skills Education with youth in the Mafikeng area, and is piloting a support scheme for the deprived schoolchildren in the surrounding rural area, based in local schools, where the average number of orphans due to AIDS hovers around 50%.

If you would like to make a financial contribution to any of this work please contact us. At present we are supporting these programmes by funding experienced experts to work in the area.