Friday, August 20, 2010

August 20th, 2010

The prevention team's activities have slowed down a bit, with the finals for our soccer tournament finishing up the 7th and 8th of August and the school awareness days on hold until the striking stops.
The finals was a huge success. A team from England came the week before, participating in various events scheduled for them, such as site seeing, friendly matches, and time on the beach. The tournament drew a huge crowd of hundreds of people, the HIV testing tents were up and utilized (150 in two days), dramas done and health education spread over the two fields. 800 male condoms were passed out, 300 female condoms and 150 brochures on ARV treatment.
Today the prevention team is doing a community awareness day. This came from an invitation by two American social workers in the area to come and teach HIV awareness in this particular area of Malungeni. Malungeni is not in Ward 23, which we are working in from July-Dec, however the need was great and the people resourceful.
On the 25th will be another community awareness day, however this one within Ward 23.

Monday, August 2, 2010

minutes of HIV General Meeting July 2010

Present: Vukile, Phindani, Olwethu, Bongiwe, Luzuko, Caroline, Lindelwa, Gracie

Prevention:

Soccer tournaments:
One soccer tournament in July.
Prevention team will do an STI drama and then the new drama on the weekend of the soccer finals.

Community Awareness Day:
One community awareness day in July, however it hasn’t happened as of yet. Is planned for the 30th, in combination with Philisa’s opening day of their office.

School Awareness Day:
Schools were closed until the 14th this month. Bongiwe made dates, however the principal postponed the dates. Maybe the schools are striking? Bongiwe will keep trying. The days we missed in July will be make up in August.

Support:

Children’s Support Group:
90 kids in July.
Still an issue of space with all the kids.
Caroline wrote a proposal for the children’s trip and will distribute the proposals to donors.
The children’s support day is being split into two days because of the size. The first group will be on Monday, the second group on Thursday. Phindani and Bongiwe will cook for the group on Thursday.
There will also be toys available for the kids to play with, but they must go back at the end of the day to the doctors.
Next support day is Aug. 12th.

Adult Support Groups:
Visited a couple of support groups. Have found a few members present, looked at gardens, and heard what they are doing in their group.
Still need to take material from Nolita and Kwaza.
Gave 2 support groups catering money for Aug. Will resume giving catering money to all groups next month.
Gracie will ask Hyman if there is money for trainings for support group members.

Home Based Care:

Social Development is changing their program. They are now requiring groups to do awareness campaigns in the churches and schools.
Philisa is having their opening day on the 30th. We are combining the community awareness day with this HBC opening day.
Mdumbi is facing challenges with the project leader’s son passing away.
4 people from Siyakhula, 4 from Philisa, and 4 from Mdumbi went to the Temba training the 26th through the 30th.
Siyakhula will start receiving funding from NACOSA. They will get 40,000 rand per year and must write business plans on the ways they will spend that money.
Social Development still hasn’t approved Philisa or Mdumbi’s funding. They say there are lots of HBC groups in their data base and they are still deciding.

Treatment

Going well.
Now LSA is running the clinics, so they want the patient prepared at the ARV unit and then they go to the clinic to get their ARVs.

August 2, 2010

The prevention team wrapped up July with an awareness day combined with an opening day for one of Transcape's home based care groups. The day went really well. All the governement sectors that were invited came and gave a speech. There was Sarafina dance group, an OVC dance group, student choir, speeches, dramas and a candlelight.
Over 500 people came to this event. 70 people were tested for HIV at our portable tents, 300 male condoms and 200 female condoms given out, as well as everyone served lunch.
The crowd was very responsive to the combined event with prevention and home based care. It was the first time for these two sides of Transcape to have an event together and the event was a smash! We'll plan more combined events for the future.