HIV and AIDS TESTING

Currently, we are performing HIV/AIDS testing in the community.  This year our target is 10 000 people and we need to ensure that 90 % of these people are tested, 90 % of the people who tested positive must be on treatment and the other 90 % of people who tested positive need to adhere to the treatment to ensure their viral load is suppressed.  The programme is called 90.90.90

 

 

We are going door to door, house to house and family to family.  So far there is success, our numbers are increasing exceedingly each day and we are hoping to reach our target quite soon. 

 

 

Community Care Project has taken the initiative to motivate people to test and know their HIV status.  We aim to communicate, to all those who are uneducated about HIV/AIDS, knowledge and understanding of the virus and all relevant information that is necessary and important for them to know. 

Community Care Project member testing a child from one of the communities we are working in. 

COMMUNITY CARE PROJECT TEAM/ MEMBERS

Picture of members of the Community Care Project taken on the 21st of July 2015.  The picture includes our Director, Dr Benson Oyere-Manu; managers, staff and support personnel.  

Community Care Project

Company profile

Footprints

Community Care Project is a holistic community based HIV and Aids project working with and meeting the needs of children, adults and families infected and affected through HIV and Aids.  From our inception in 1999 we have been at the forefront of working with children orphaned and made vulnerable through HIV and Aids, supporting and empowering families infected and affected through HIV and Aids and working with communities and community churches in developing sustainable responses to those in need of support. Education Prevention is a key component of our work and we see HIV Counseling and testing as an integral aspect of this work. Through community development principles we empower families and individuals to be involved in economic strengthening activities and have active roles in dealing with the health and emotional needs of their families.

 Mission

Seeing every individual as having physical, emotional and spiritual needs, the Community Care Project seeks to provide community and family based Interventions of Training; Holistic Care; and tools for empowerment and management in HIV/AIDS and associated development needs.

A future that demands our help

Our children and youth are most at risk with most not being able to enjoy the nurturing environment of parents to look after them.  According the Lucy Holborn 2011 ‘First steps to healing the South African Family’ (South African Institute Race Relations) of the 9.1 million double orphans in Sub Saharan Africa 60% had lost at least one parent to HIV/Aids in 2005.  In South Africa in 2007 the United Nation Children's fund (UNICEF) indicated that some 2,500,000 children had lost one of both parents due to all causes with at least being HIV related.  By 2015 the South African Research Council estimates that 5,700,000 children would have lost one or both parents to HIV and or Aids.  The research concludes that although the HIV pandemic has stabilized and new infection declining the number of orphans will continue to grow or at least remain high for years.  Mentoring, teaching and helping to grow our children and youth will be a priority.  ‘Coaching’ a fatherless generation to be free of HIV, making informed life choices and building back into family and community is critical.

What we can do to help the situation reflecting on what we have done before

We have worked with families, children and communities infected and affected by HIV for over a decade and our flexibility and ability to adapt to change and meet has been key to our success in assisting families and individuals.  We rely on community development principles of empowering and up-skilling whilst also influencing change at community level.  We have strong links with local and provincial Government that has afforded us opportunity to develop our home to home based HIV Counseling and Testing and our work into High School delivering Life Orientation to Grade 8 & 9 allowing us opportunity to identify those orphans and vulnerable children most at risk

Activities

Working through Schools, Churches and community structure we aim to empower local leadership to strategically plan for HIV related programmes to support and empower the community they serve.  Orphaned and Vulnerable children are identified through schools with support structures and personnel identified through local community churches to do follow up. Those needing to access Education, HIV counseling and testing, grants, ID documents, Household Economic Strengthening activities are supported. Through these process vulnerable children, youth and adults are identified as well as those who are HIV+ or who test HIV+.  Working with families, individuals and communities is imperative in supporting sustainable HIV infected and affected families.

School based work and follow up

Community Care Project uses the School as an environment that allows an opportunity to facilitate Education Prevention as well as identifying those children orphaned or made vulnerable to HIV and Aids. Education Prevention is a key component of our work and we see HIV Counseling and testing as an integral aspect of this work. Through community development principles we empower families and individuals to be involved in economic strengthening activities and have active roles in dealing with the health and emotional needs of their families. Activities include:

• Prevention Education in small groups facilitating a minimum of ten hours contact time.
• 8 session school based small group Bereavement Counselling for bereaved learners
• After schools Tuition programme concentrating on English language
• School based motivation for male medical circumcision coordinated through our local hospitals and clinic.
• HIV Counselling and Testing motivation in Schools
• HIV Counselling and Testing in School ( we stopped in August 2010 when the Minister for Basic Education stopped all schools based testing awaiting national guidelines)
• Home based HIV Counselling and Testing
• Community follow up and referral for general health screening for those who test HIV+
• Community based support for HIV+ clients in accessing CD4 screening, and ART training where applicable
• Household Economic Strengthening (HES) by following orphaned and vulnerable children into their homes and inviting caregivers for training. Those who attend and prepare their gardens are further supported with Seedlings
• Partnering with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and motivate our learner’s in preparation for DHA mobile unit to come and take details for ID documents.
• Partner with University KZN School of Agriculture in doing Clinical Nutritional Assessment (CNA) with the crèches we work with and some High Schools

Conclusion and contact

Community Care Project is committed to working with individuals, families and communities infected and affected through HIV and Aids.  We have a proven record of excellence and accountability and are proud to be involved in envisioning and supporting those children and families most at risk and vulnerable to the HIV, stigma, discrimination and a lack of hope.  If you require any more information please feel free to contact us. 

 For more information, kindly visit our website.  Link attached bellow. 

 http://www.communitycareproject.co.za/

http://www.communitycareproject.co.za/