THE PROGRAMMES WE RUN
VICTIM EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (V.E.P)
This Programme deals with issues and challenges related to violence including Domestic and Gender Based Violence (G.B.V), availability of psycho-social support services, access to services, advocacy for such services and external services that are readily available to the local community. Other challenges includes femicide, abusive behaviors directly inflicted by intimate partners, friends and families. These challenges also include the abuse of older persons, people living with disabilities as well as the members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Intervention measures at the Organization entails, direct provision of individual counselling services, and/or providing referrals to the South African Police Service Points so that clients may be assisted with laying charges of assault where such cases are reported; and application of interim protection orders issued under the Domestic Violence Act (116 of 1998) ,and linking cases to other services and advocating for services on behalf of clients, support groups and community based intervention aimed at empowering community members to self-sustain and be independent.
With the support received from the Organization: adults, community members, and their wider families’ targets groups are able to deal with the challenges in their family relationships as well as in their family dynamics. Individuals have since become aware of the negative impact of Domestic and Gender Based Violence (G.B.V) in their communities, and the role of community members to prevent violence against women, children, people living with disabilities as well as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, respectively. They are more conscious of the services that are available within the community, openly share with helpers during counselling what they have experienced, and their efforts in dealing with their challenges, as well as the importance of dealing with challenges of this nature.
ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN (AGYW)
The objective of this programme is to empower Adolescent Girls and Young Women and helping them deal with everyday life issues and challenges. It helps link young women to PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) to help curb the spread of HIV/Aids within the age group of 15-24 years. It also teaches the young girls about self love, self value, positive self-talk and self acceptance. It teaches them about HTS ( HIV Testing Services) at their disposal and how to access these services. This programme also offers counseling and support to the AGYWs as well as sexual and personal hygiene.
We also utilize social media platforms for engagements with the AGYWs– Facebook is mostly used for Social Behavior Change among AGYWs. A WhatsApp group was created for the AGYWs to engage and share a link to the Facebook page where engagements are held on HIV prevention, in relation to PrEP among Adolescent Girls and Young Women.
We saw a need to foster more engagements and activity on our Facebook page as well as the different WhatsApp groups, to engage these young girls on issues of sexual health as well as self-esteem.
The programme Empowered young Women to be in a better position to take care of themselves and make informed life decisions.
Some have gained courage to go for regular HIV testing.
SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL CHANGE PROGRAMME
You Only Live Once Programme: We identified the need to engage with young boys and girls of age 14-24 as a result of HIV awareness campaigns that are conducted at the schools, clinics, and communities. We have realised that most of these young people are in need of emotional support and are going through a lot in their lives on a daily basis. Teachers are also conflicted and confused as to how they can intervene. HIV/AIDS is a growing concern in these age groups and needs urgent attention. We needed a programme that will help us bring awareness, offer preventative measures, help promote adherence for those who have already tested positive and offer ongoing support to those who need it. To work very hard to help reduce stigma and discrimination that People Living with HIV (PLHIV) are subjected to on a daily basis in the communities they live in. We have identified the need to educate our youth about HIV/AIDS, to provide them with the right information, encourage them to test on a regular and continuous basis, to practice the A,B,C,D,E and also screen for male circumcision.
Community Capacity Enhancement: As an Organisation that works closely with the communities, we have identified the need to empower men and women who are victims of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), who are financially dependent on the other partner because of unemployment. Most of the people in the communities are living below the poverty line and need to be economically emancipated to help fight the imbalance of power in relationships, and liberate the abused partner.
Families Matter Programme: Parents and children have drifted apart because of age and generational differences, we have identified the need to bridge the gap between them. In other instances we have encountered young dysfunctional families that needs intervention and education about family matters and/or units. Families need to be reconnected, reunited and reconciled for better functioning and development of the family and children. Parenting skills workshops will be conducted in this programme.
Men Championing Change Programme: We have identified that fathers and their children have drifted apart, the relationship has been broken either by absenteeism of the fathers, broken families, lack of interaction between fathers and their children and death.
HER VOICE FUND
This programme is fundamentally implemented by the Global Network of Young People Living with H.I.V, as such, the Organization identified a need to implement the programme locally as way of giving a support to the Adolescent Girls and Young Women, and to also motivate and encourage them to have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their lives.
Through this programme the Organization is able to give the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYWs) a voice, through the outreach initiatives as well as the advocacy groups that caters for
This programme has also Empowered young Women to be in a better position to take care of themselves and make informed life decisions.
EXPANDED PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME (EPWP)
After realizing rife how poverty and unemployment is in the rural communities, the Organization undertook to implement the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), (which is a social development programme) that is facilitated by the Independent Development Trust (IDT); in our communities in an effort to bring the much needed skills and income generating initiatives and knowledge to our people so as to help them create employment that will help them sustain themselves and while eradicating poverty and feeding their families.
COVID-19 TESTING, SCREENING AND AWARENESS
The global spread of this virus has overwhelmed the health system and has also resulted in widespread social and economic disruptions. We have identified a need to do mass screening and awareness creation campaigns, to assist and educate community members to adhere to Covid-19 regulations. This intervention has assisted in curbing and reducing the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
We were targeting people who were not knowledgeable about the symptoms of Covid-19 and we were also doing contact tracing, because it has come to our attention that some people wish to monitor their body temperature but do not have the relevant tools, while others seem to confuse Covid-19 screening, for Covid-19 testing.
As a result of the Organizations’ intervention the target group started understanding how Covid-19 spreads and some were able to change their behaviors. They started observing the three basic rules of Covid-19 i.e. Sanitize regularly, Social distancing and Wearing their masks, always.
With regards to testing, our duties involve:
- Swab Collection
- TB screening and Referrals
- HIV Screening and referrals