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January 22nd, 2008 posting

Update by Jim and Chris Newton, Executive Directors

Financial Statements and Issues

We expect to need approximately $22,500 to complete the budget year through 30 April. Because of travel plans in April, and the possibility of exchange fluctuations, we would appreciate a cash transfer by the middle of February. Also, to have a balance to begin the new budget year, we are requesting $35,000 at that time

Travel Plans

One or both of us will travel to Canada in April to take care of personal business and attend the Changing Lives fundraiser. Chris will then need to return to Underberg in late May to manage the audit, so if she goes to Canada in April she will not be able to be present for the AGM or a fundraiser in June or July. If she doesn’t go in April, then she hopes to be in Canada from the early part of June through most of July.

Health

As previously reported, the Ndawana clinic has been designated an official clinic and down-referral site for anti-retroviral treatment (ART). The implications for Edzimkulu are that an increasing portion of our health programs are funded by the Department of Health (DoH). Beginning on January 28th we will be providing complete ARV service for people with AIDS. This will greatly decrease our trips to St. Apollinaris Hospital so that by the next budget year we will not require funding for taxi transport. However, we probably will require one of our vehicles to continue to go to St. Apollinaris each week for the foreseeable future, because of TB or other critical conditions/situations. All invoices submitted to DoH have been paid. We are meeting with the district next week – they have indicated that our contract will be renewed.

There have been several other highlights in the last couple of months. We held a hugely successful AIDS awareness day in Mangeni attended by close to 1000 people and resulting in requests from the entire district for our HIV support group to perform at other functions. We are working with area farmers to provide voluntary counseling and testing as well as access to treatment strategies for farm workers. In early December a five day DOT (direct observation treatment) support TB workshop was held for our 10 new home based carers and four Underberg DoH employees at our headquarters. At the end of the week the community health workers joined them for a one day update on TB issues and then stayed overnight for a Xmas party – 24 young (and not so young) women had a great time.

Education

Our school year starts on January 21, with one pre-school (creche, 3-4 year olds) and one kindergarten (grade R, 5-6 year olds) class in the new education building (old library) and one pre-school in the Pote neighborhood. We expect a total enrolment of 120 children. We will offer the following program:

For children:

• employ 3 teachers (one of these currently is to be paid by Social Development)
• provide access to early English acquisition in the creches,
• offer balanced nutrition,
• employ evaluation instruments to determine program effectiveness,
• conduct a monthly consultation with all creche teachers in Ndawana (there are 2 creches in Ndawana in addition to those we will offer),
• provide supplies not only to the crèches we operate, but to the others as well
• in subsequent years we want to extend this program to the other Ndawana creches

For parents we will offer:

• a series of weekly workshops following the recognized family literacy approach,
• include topics on the integrated management of childhood illnesses,
• work in other ways to prepare parents to support their children in their education,
• help them to provide a healthier home environment,
• promote nutrition, safety and nurture,
• provide a forum for community conversations about HIV AIDS prevention, treatment and stigma, and most important, long term behaviour change that will lead to a reduction in the prevalence rate
• at the end of the year the parents completing the program will graduate with their children

Orphan Support

We currently feed 140 orphans each month. We will continue to advocate for grants for all the orphans in Ndawana.

Permaculture

The large garden area, which extends from the community centre buildings north to the fence, is fully planted with many varieties of vegetables. We currently are completing a hail-protection structure in this garden, which will cover tomatoes and peppers, which are the most vulnerable vegetable plants to hail. Builders of the hail structure have learned new building techniques. The circle garden area is fully planted.

Some 100 gardeners currently work in the gardens. We provide seeds and water, garden areas are allocated to families, and the produce is used by the families. Every day we see people walking around eating carrots, or taking their other vegetables home.

Vehicles

At the moment, the two four wheel drive vehicles are in the shop for major repairs. This makes traveling to the other villages more difficult, or even impossible, because of road conditions when it rains. The Isuzu continues to wheeze along, we are grateful that the Kombi was recovered and not sold because we need its services at the moment, and the new (2003) Toyota is a dream. We will consider whether to retain all the vehicles instead of selling one for a meager amount, because it seems at least one vehicle is in the shop a good part of the time.

Power Outages and Rain

We currently experience from one to three power outages a day, each lasting at least two hours. This is not the expected power blackouts from lightning, all of which still occur with regularity, but load shedding which occurs because South Africa hasn’t built enough electrical capacity to keep up with demand, resulting in planned (but frequently unannounced) outages. These tend to occur at 6 PM, when we are trying to prepare supper, or at 6 AM, both times when we normally are trying to communicate with Canada and other contacts. As this is written we expect the power to go off at any minute.

Also, this has been the rainiest and coldest spring and summer on record. You may have heard about the flooding in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. We are nearly at that stage in SA.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim and Chris

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