Starfish quotes and photos for NSACGD charity social updates About us Starfish Greathearts Foundation exists to change the lives of children who have been made vulnerable or orphaned by HIV and poverty in South Africa. We do this by providing holistic care that spans health, education and child protection services reaching over 17,000 children. Our brand new mobile clinic is able to bring live-­‐saving healthcare to those who need it most and is just one part of our Wellbeing Programme: we run crèches for toddlers, after school groups for teenagers and train care workers who keep these children safe and well cared for. Starfish is making an investment in the future of these children so that they can grow into happy and independent young adults. Our aim is to see a future where more and more vulnerable children receive the life, hope and opportunities they deserve. Where we work The income from the Golf Day will be used to fund our brand new wellness wagon, bring life saving healthcare to rural communities. Wellness Wagon The end of July 2014 saw the launch of our brand new mobile health clinic–The Wellness Wagon. This highly anticipated venture provides essential primary healthcare, nutritional support and prevention activities to rural and poverty stricken communities. The Wellness Wagon is just one component of our holistic Wellness Programme that will also see care workers providing child care services (e.g. ART uptake and adherence support, travel access to school, school fee exemptions and counseling). Additionally, the distribution of material goods (blankets, food parcels, school uniforms, educational resource packs) and complementary programmes (food gardens and nutrition education) will ensure the sustainability of the programme. So far in the pilot phase, the Wellness Wagon has seen over 2,000 children at 5 community based organisations. Services offered include screening for HIV, TB and malaria, general health checks and raising awareness about HIV and caring for HIV+ children in the community. The Wellness Programme ensures the holistic wellbeing of the children and communities we support and as such we ensure that they are HIV tested and CD4 counts tracked. This best practice ensures that people are supported through the process and no one that tests positive will be lost to follow up. Starfish strives to be a partner in health to the community based organisations that we support. The new flagship “Wellness Wagon” currently supports people through the mobile clinic in KwaZulu-­‐
Natal to access healthcare services – with your support we hope to extend this service to the rest of South Africa. Starfish records every single service delivered. Here are some statistics from 2014 Please see below for a number of individual case studies and quotes from beneficiaries and partners. Relevant short quotes for each of the intervention areas: Health An hour’s wage could provide a monthly food parcel containing maize, rice, beans, peanut butter, tea, oil, salt, and sugar, to help children survive following the death of their parents due to HIV/AIDS. “When our mum died we had no food. With help from Starfish we’re not hungry anymore” Seilo, age 8 Good nutrition is vital in combating HIV, so we teach families how to grow their own vegetables, which go a long way in helping them live a long and healthy life. “Receiving food, uniforms, medical/toiletries from Starfish over the last three months has brought back self-­‐esteem and hope in these families. You can see how happy they are when you are doing visits and how thank full they are. Starfish has made such a big difference in the community and even the name of the organization of Community Outreach Centre is bigger than before. The children are so happy and thankful.” Community Outreach Centre Education Our educational projects are not limited to just making education more accessible, but also about improving the quality of education that children and young people receive. “For the very first time, we will be able to go to school in our uniforms and look just like the children who still have parents” Lerato, age 10 “I feel I fit in now. Before we did not have money for school shoes, because my grandmother is very poor and has to look after many children. Sometimes, the other pupils used to laugh and make fun of me but now I feel proud and like going to school. I am not the only one and have a lot of my friends who also get new uniforms from Starfish.” Themba “I have realised that my background doesn’t and won’t determine my future and that I can be anything in life. My aim is to do any career that involves tourism and giving back to the community” Nombulelo Daweti, grade 11, United Church School, Yeoville “I am very grateful for the opportunity that you have provided for me. Education is the best gift that one can ask for” Nombulelo Daweti, grade 11, United Church School, Yeoville “When we were taken into Ikageng organization care we never thought we would end up in such a warm, welcoming and loving family. When we arrived we felt welcomed into Ikageng team and we are so grateful for everything you have done for us” Nthabiseng, Mohlouwa and family. Child Protection Last year Starfish provided child protection services for 7,165 children through home visits. “Starfish you make me feel better, you make me cry lesser, you make me dream bigger” Thomas Chauke, Ikageng “You support me like any parents. Those blankets are so softly smooth like a sponge. And the school bag that you have given me, it helps me put my books safely. The uniform you have given me, it help me change not to have the one pair to wash and wash.” Zitha, Grade 9 “What is done by Starfish’s support to the project is like a heart pumping blood through veins in the human body” (….) “Starfish Greathearts is an important advocate for South Africa's most vulnerable children, giving those affected by HIV/AIDS the real possibility of leading decent and dignified lives. I wholeheartedly support this organisation’s work and encourage you to do the same." Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu “No child should go to bed hungry” Archbishop Desmond Tutu Longer Case Studies by intervention area 1. Education Thabo Maphiri from Starfish funded project Ikageng Thabo Maphiri is a young man who is studying at the University of Johannesburg currently pursuing post graduate Degree. Thabo enrolled for the first year at the University of Johannesburg in January 2010 through the help of Ikageng. He was introduced to the organization when he was still a young 12 year old boy and living with his younger brother, cousin sister and grandmother. He and his younger brother grew up under Ikageng care receiving education, nutrition, health and psychosocial support. As he put it in his own words “knowing that my family basic needs like food were provided for my family afforded me an opportunity to focus better towards my studies, and my family’s situation became the zeal I needed to push myself harder at school”. It was sad though for the two young men as their grandmother, in his words “my source of inspiration” sadly passed on in February 2013. It was so hard for this young man doing his last semester and being so close and yet so far to pull through and overcome this challenge. However, he managed through the Ikageng support to remain strong and complete his Degree. After his grandmother passed on Thabo was left as the head of the household looking after two of his younger siblings, his brother who is in a special school and his deceased aunt’s daughter who is now in grade 10. Thabo’s family is one of the Youth Headed Household under Ikageng programme. Lesego, age 19 I came to Ikageng in 2012 with the referral of mom Carol’s sister who is a teacher in my former School where I matriculated. I am good at Public speaking and debating hence I have represented Gauteng twice for these disciplines. I lost my mom when I was 16 years old and she was buried on her birthday. Ikageng has helped me with food parcels as well as psychological support, I don't blame anyone for the very things that happened to me therefore I see them as learning curve for my life. I am self-­‐taught pianist being able to learn from YouTube and now playing the piano is a form of therapy for me. I want to pursue Family Law in the future and also want to teach music to disadvantaged children and young people. Vannesa, age 17 I want to study Family Law to help child and women who are abused and make them feel equally supported in South Africa. I love fashion very much and as such that I want to use it as a tool to empower young girls who were affected by social issues. I am very talkative person and like to motivate girls like myself who have been disadvantaged by curcumstances. Ikageng has helped me after my Parents died with food parcels, put me into good schools and helped me to see the confidence I have to stand tall regardless of my curcumstances around me. It’s the small things that make a world of difference Lerato is 13 years old and stays in an informal settlement in the Free State. She is in grade 6 and attending school at Leralla Farm School. As the family are reliant on a social grant of government, her mother is so grateful for Starfish helping to pay their school transport of hundred and fifty Rand (R150) every month 2. Health care Access to medication-­‐ Sethani, KwaZulu Natal Starfish supports Sethani, a community based organisation in KwaZulu Natal where the population is 120,000 and around 57% are under the age of 19. In KwaZulu Natal an estimated 31% of the population is unemployed and almost half live below the official poverty line. Sethani responds to the emotional and physical needs of the children by offering services such as; counselling, Kidz Club and assistance with applications for social grants and supporting legal documents. A significant element of their work has been to offer a peer education programme that is specifically designed to create an AIDS-­‐free generation and to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Sethani works with clinics to ensure that children have access to HIV tests and that they benefit from access to Anti-­‐Retroviral treatment. They monitor the progress of these children and the supportive role they play often makes a difference between life and death: “A 14 year old girl who was born HIV positive suddenly started to become weaker and thinner after being quite healthy. Staying with an aged granny with dementia who has lost most of her own children, there was no one to take her to the clinic. We took the step of taking her ourselves which involved a long time spent waiting in queues in the coldest, wettest weather. We were able to get her treatment for TB as well as the ARV classes. We were alarmed that her CD4 count was 10! It was amazing that she was alive. Her CD4 count is now 54 and she is still in the hospital, where we have visited her. She is in Grade 7 this year and we are hoping that she will be able to return to school next year and resume her life.” 3. Nutrition Sowing the Seeds of Hope, Sethani, KwaZulu Natal Feeding seventeen mouths can be a challenging prospect, but a reality that Sbonbile Chamane faces every day as she supports and cares for her five children and twelve grand-­‐children. All five of the adults are unemployed because they are either too ill to work (suffering from TB) or are spending their time caring for their children. With such little money around, everyday necessities such as school books and uniforms are a luxury. With unemployment rates in South Africa at nearly 30% this way of life is not uncommon. A Community Health Worker from one of our local partners, Sethani, visited the family and found that they were on the verge of starvation and struggling financially. Sbongile and her family were given a set of garden tools and some seeds which proved to be invaluable in providing a sustainable food source for the family. Food security is a major problem within many of the communities that we serve. Having enough to eat is vital, especially for those living with HIV. Even if they are fortunate enough to have access to antiretroviral therapy, without the right nutrition, they cannot fully adhere to treatment programmes. Through the support of Sethani, Sbongile and her family now have the means to produce their own food by providing the necessary advice and tools to help in the upkeep of their very own vegetable garden. This small, but fundamental assistance now means that the family are not only better fed and more financially stable; but that some of the grandchildren can even go to school. £210 can provide the seeds and fertiliser for a Community Organisation’s vegetable garden start-­‐
up. Food gardens promote sustainable living, allowing centres to grow food for the children they care for whilst also giving the children the chance to learn practical skills. 4. Holistic Care Zisize -­‐ ‘The River of Life’ Zisize means 'help yourself'. This Zulu word was chosen as it is a true reflection of the ethos and the sustainable nature of this community project in KwaZulu Natal. It encourages those who use the organisation to no longer be part of the problems that face this impoverished area, but rather to be part of the solution towards a brighter future. With the support of Starfish, Zisize is able to use a holistic model to deliver teacher training and education programmes. Zisize provides counselling, nutritional meals, a safe place to play and an adult to talk to. Zisize currently works with 9 schools and over 2000 children benefit from the support centres. Leonard’ story – a careworker from Swa Vana Leonard is the only child to his parents. He grew up with them and he was happy and able to receive anything he needed, as long as his parents could afford it. Above all they were there for him and they loved him very much. In 1997, when he was eight years old, both his parents died and he stayed with his grandmother. His life changed, there was no parental love and any other basic necessities. He didn’t even have school uniforms by then. In 2004, when he was 15 years, Swavana opened and he was one of the first beneficiaries. He continued until he became one of the volunteers at the project. He gives so much loving to the children and he knows all of them. It is interesting how much people give what they would like to receive. He gives all the children so much attention because that’s what he longed for as a child. When was nominated by the children last year in December, as the Care worker of the year, the project gave him an award. When he received the award he said “children know when they are accepted, loved and listened to. I do that to these children, not only when I am at work but even when I meet them after working hours because that’s what I longed for as a child”. Emmy’s Story This story is about 13 year old orphan who is HIV positive. With the mother's passing the child had been taken in by the grandmother, but unfortunately the child did not have a birth certificate or a clinic card. As a result the child was not able to receive health treatment or benefit from government grants. Through the support of Starfish a care worker at Ethembeni HIV/Aids Ministry was able to facilitate the necessary processes for the child to obtain a birth certificate, this took six months. The child is now able to receive treatment and is healthy, while the granny accesses the child support grant. Ethembeni had also continued to provide psycho-­‐social and material support until it was no longer necessary. The granny is very grateful for the support of Starfish and Ethembeni as she and her grandchild are now proudly independent. Phumi’s Story I came to Ikageng in 2005 after my dad was killed by my mother and my mother was jailed for murder. I was very suicidal but through Mom Carol's intervention by showing me how precious life is, she gave me spiritual guidance. Ikageng helped with food parcels, psychosocial support and by playing a parental role. (age 17) Ibo’s Story After losing his parents to HIV, Ibo moved in with his aunt in a one room shack. Now aged 13, he was suffering from poor health and malnutrition, and was referred to our local partner Ikageng. Ibo is receiving practical support including money for accommodation, food parcels, and healthcare. Ibo’s health and wellbeing has improved drastically. He has completed his TB treatment, regained weight, and kept to his anti retro-­‐viral treatment. His care worker told us it is “an honor working with such a brave young man.” Ikageng Welfare Centre, Soweto Andile’s Story Andile’s story is one of tremendous neglect. He was abandoned by his mother when he was only a month old, and his grandmother was left taking care of him after. She is an alcoholic without the resources to look after him properly. Andile has been very sick for most of his young life, and his little body was covered in terrible sores. The children at school refused to play with him, or have anything to do with him, and Andile eventually stopped going to school for fear of ridicule. The school referred Andile to a Starfish Community Organization in KwaZulu-­‐Natal, whose nurse took him to the local hospital. It was difficult to have the boy treated and tested for HIV, as his mother was not present. Andile was eventually tested and found to be HIV positive. Meanwhile, the Starfish social worker conducted a home visit, where she found that living conditions were truly terrible. The social worker suggested that Andile be removed from his grandmother’s care and placed in the Starfish Community Organization’s children’s foster care. The grandmother agreed to release the boy saying, “He’s going to die soon anyway.” Since arriving at the home, a nurse has been caring for Andile, providing HIV treatment, proper nutrition and treating the sores on his body. He is gaining weight and most of his sores have disappeared. He is attending school again and is filled with hope for his future. The nurse said: “It is good to know that those who most need care are being caught in our net – and if we weren’t there it would have dire consequences for those that we have helped.”