HIV and AIDS is one of the biggest challenges facing South Africa. According to UNAIDS, some 5.5 million people, including 240,000 children (less than 15 years if age), are infected with the virus (end of 2005 estimation).
Oxfam in South Africa
Oxfam Ireland participates in the Joint Oxfam HIV and AIDS Programme (JOHAP) in South Africa. The programme is managed by Oxfam Australia and funded by Oxfam Ireland, Oxfam Novib, Oxfam Germany, Oxfam Hong Kong and Oxfam Australia. The programme aims to support integrated community-based services for HIV prevention and care. Gender and sexuality, and the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS, are our focus. JOHAP involves more than 25 partner organisations that deliver a wide range of projects in the provinces of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.
Some of our partners in South Africa
The Centre for Positive Care
The Centre for Positive Care supports education programmes where peer educators use dance and song to promote awareness about HIV and AIDS. The centre also provides home-based care to people living with HIV and AIDS.
Targeted AIDS Interventions (TAI) and Programmes
Actively involving young men in HIV education helps reduce the spread of HIV and violence against women. Targeted AIDS Inventions (TAI) is an organisation working to influence attitudes and behaviour in relation to sexual practices and the treatment of women. TAI also uses soccer programs to train young men as ‘peer educators’ to educate their friends about sexuality and HIV prevention.
Lawyers for Human Rights
Lawyers for Human Rights is an organisation that seeks out and helps grandparents, often poor and illiterate, who are now caring for orphaned and HIV positive grandchildren. One way of helping them is ensuring that they get the assistance they need from the relevant South African government bodies.
Grandmother, Elina Chinkani with her grand daughters - Yamho and Talandira
€59/£47 can provide for a Supergranny from Oxfam Unwrapped. In South Africa, a generation of men and women has been devastated by the impact of HIV and AIDS. When children lose both their parents, it is often their grandmother who comes to the rescue to care for the children. The gift of a Supergranny helps these amazing women to secure food for their family, send their grandchildren to school and gain access to state support that may be available to them.
