By Nicola Atherstone | Executive Director
In the past few months since our last report, Starfish has supported a total of 8,435 children left orphaned or vulnerable by AIDS, in 30 community organizations throughout South Africa, thanks to your generous donations. The greatest number of supported children was in Mpumalanga followed by Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal respectively. Child Protection was the highest accessed intervention (67%), followed by education (60%) and healthcare (60%). The highest recorded services relate to home visits, followed by after school care, material support and food provision.
The number of children receiving HIV testing and TB screening has improved. Your contributions were also used to fund the disbursement of nutritional and material support, including school shoes and winter clothes. Childcare training for 11 caseworkers was conducted, with further training scheduled for the upcoming months.
Our Wellness Wagon program has progressed steadily and 1,263 children have been screened and tested in our mobile clinic. A number of health promoting campaigns have been conducted, for example health education, prevention of TB and STDs, and the promotion of male medical circumcision. Here is what some of the receipents of your support have said:
“Receiving food, uniforms, medical supplies and toiletries, as Starfish had started to give these items in these 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 thankful they are. Starfish has made such a big difference in the community and the children are so happy and thankful.” - Community Outreach Centre
“I have 15 years living with HIV, I was born with it and I have accepted that I will die with it. My mother passed away when I was 11 years. It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I receive support from community health workers from Starfish. They have taught my aunt and me so much about living with HIV. Thank you Starfish for the food parcels.” - Tshokolo
“Things start to become better when I met the Starfish caregivers who are providing us with more health talks, which had made our lives better. Today we are living a happy life and accepted and moved on. We have joined the support group that helps us a lot. We all take our medications if one seems to forget one will remind them. Living with HIV it’s not a nightmare, it only needs us to accept and do what you been told to do by doctors.”- Hendrick
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