The Sakhelwe Trust

The Sakhelwe Trust

The Sakhelwe Trust Newsletter, No.1 - March 2005 “From the Horses’ Mouth”
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter. On behalf of the trustees and Susan Solesbury, we would like to say a big thank you to all those people who contributed both time and money towards our charity, in 2004. We have introduced this newsletter as a means of keeping you all in the picture, not only with what the Trust is doing but what FAMSA in Northern Mpumalanga (hereafter referred to as NM:FAMSA) is up to too (our article titled ‘From the horses’ mouth’).

Sakhelwe Trust update:

Three grants each of £500 were made last year, and a further £500 grant in March this year to provide core funding for NM:FAMSA’s ongoing training activities in Northern Mpumalanga. NM:FAMSA has been able to report encouraging progress as can be seen below. These activities involve much travelling by their unpaid Coordinator, often on rough roads. The Trust’s grants have contributed to these travelling costs and to the provision of training materials and equipment. A specific donation of £88 covered the cost of printing the Trust’s publicity literature.

NM:FAMSA is now planning, as part of their charitable work, to build and run a small hospice for AIDS sufferers in Sakhelwe. In addition to its primary purpose of the relief of suffering, the hospice would certainly provide an additional facility for training. The Trust is keen to contribute towards the building of this hospice and the running thereof, but first needs to establish from the Charity Commission whether it is able to in terms of the Trust’s objectives, which focus on training. A letter has been written to the Commission and the Trustees now await their response.

From the horses’ mouth:
(By Susan Solesbury, co-coordinator)

A Report back on what has been happening from September 2004 to February 2005.

TRAINING :
· Four HOME-BASED CARE groups from Sakhelwe, Siyathuthuka, Waterval Boven and Machadodorp (56) were trained in AIDS Counselling, Nursing Care and Nutrition. These groups will continue to meet monthly for supervision and ongoing training in dealing with Sexual abuse, Domestic violence, and Trauma counselling.
· A second Primary School group of 11 learners completed a fifteen-week programme in Peer Counselling.
· Two more groups, one from Mpilonhle and one from High School, will start at the beginning of 2005. The programme will be ongoing.
· Employees at Long Meadow (Anglo American) farm attended an HIV/AIDS awareness programme, which will continue this year.
· Further community and Mine employee programmes have been planned for 2005.
· 4 SOCIAL AUXILIARY WORK STUDENTS are studying through SACSSP under FAMSA Northern Mpumalanga and will complete their first course in March 2005.

EMAKHAZENI LOCAL AIDS COUNCIL :
· We continue to attend monthly meetings, providing consultation and training as required.
· We celebrated AIDS Day at Waterval Boven, marching down the hill to the stadium together with many home-based care groups from throughout Mpumalanga - a total of 6000 people were invited.

DRAMA GROUP :
Our group "Mayibuye I-Afrika" launched their first HIV/AIDS play, originally produced in Namibia and translated into Zulu for local audiences, at our AGM in September. The performance made a big impact on the 60 people attending.

MEDIA:
We now publish a fortnightly column on our activities and services provided in a new local newspaper"Our News" which is delivered to Badplaas, Belfast, Dullstroom, Carolina, Lydenburg, Machadodorp, Morgenzon, Waterval Boven, Roossenekal, and Stoffberg.

COUNSELLING AND GROUP WORK:
We provide individual and couple counselling when requested, but plan to commence training (followed by ongoing supervision) for lay counsellors to meet this community need, as our major focus has to be on capacity building of the many rural people.

HIV/AIDS
Many people are dying as a result of the AIDS pandemic, but antiretrovirals are still not generally available (for private patients the cost is R600 per month)
There is still widespread denial and fear of AIDS, although more people are now going for HIV testing. We have an HIV+ support group, and are in the process of establishing a Hospice in Sakhelwe to meet urgent community needs for palliative care.

This newsletter is sent on behalf of the Trustees to their supporters by Jane Stuart, 8 Ashley Grove, Staples Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 1HS, to whom any enquiries or donations should be sent