Kwazulu Natal
Cotlands – KwaZulu Natal:
Contact number: (035) 838 1948
Postal address: PO Box 757, Hlabisa, 3937
E-mail address: kzn@cotlands.org
Proposals
Projects
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=spacer}
Toy Library
Background information about the Toy Library
Cotlands Hlabisa conducted a small scale community needs assessment in January. Findings were, most of the orphans, vulnerable and sick children in our case load attend the local Early Childhood Development Centers (ECD). All this centers are under resourced without tables and chairs and even the educational toys. Teachers are not trained to do home made toys. Children go to these sites to sleep and play though even playing equipment is a dream for them. ECDs are the government priority for 2008/09. In support of this government’s priority, the idea of toy Library came into existence.
Functioning system
The toys will be lent out for one month period. Only sites teachers will be able to lend the toys, it is therefore important that even the sites that are not in the Municipal data base to be on the Cotlands data base and they must have traceable address. Card system will be used for issuing and returning of the toys. Same teachers will thereafter form a Cotlands child care forum where all issues relating to children will be discussed on monthly bases. We‘ll firstly conduct a meeting/workshop and issue/return the toys thereafter. Manager will be responsible for the toy Library with the assistance of the home work coordinator.
Target group
Cotlands will use the municipal data base for all the crèches in the area. Presently there are fifteen ECD sites with an understanding that some are not registered on the data base but they will be considered for this project as long as they have traceable addresses.
Requirements
- Shelves
- Cards
- Educational Toys
Motivation
Educational theorist believes that if there is a strong foundation in the early stages of development, the performance of the children in senior phases improves drastically. It is for this reason that this project is of grate importance especially for the community of Hlabisa.
Recommendation
It is recommended that should we get cash to support this, the toys to be purchased in KZN
Proposals
Home Based Care Project
COTLANDS HOME BASED CARE PROJECT – KWA ZULU NATAL
Background
Cotlands’ Home Based Care (HBC) project began as a research project initiated by Cotlands on behalf of the National Department of Health in 1999. The Department commissioned Cotlands to develop palliative care guidelines for children living with HIV/AIDS. HBC was a component of this exercise, using Soweto, Alexandra and Thembisa as our urban sites and Hlabisa, a remote district in Kwa Zulu/Natal, as our rural site. After the research was completed, Cotlands management felt it could not simply extract this critically needed service from the community and decided to continue with the HBC programme as a long-term organisational project.
It is estimated that some six-million South Africans are currently infected with HIV and more than 250 000 children are living with HIV/AIDS. The latest HIV survey indicates a 29% HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women in 2006, up from 27.9% in 2003. KwaZulu-Natal tops the list at 49% HIV prevalence among pregnant women, followed by Gauteng at 31%.
Project Description
Our involvement in the Hlabisa district has proved that these statistics are a reality in this community, which is struggling to cope with the challenges brought about by the AIDS epidemic. In an attempt to address these challenges, Cotlands has continually included additional components to the original programme.
Although palliative care services for children infected with HIV remain a core focus, we realised these services alone were not enough to help children holistically. In addition, an increasing number of orphans, not all of them HIV positive, were being referred to our programme, requiring the project to adjust to meet the specific needs of two distinct groups of vulnerable children – those infected with HIV and those orphaned as a result of the disease.
The first level of intervention - ensuring medical care - has also changed a great deal over the past few years with the introduction of antiretroviral treatment (ART). Whereas the initial focus was pain and symptom management, today a more aggressive treatment programme is followed to help children become well enough to begin ART. To facilitate this process, Cotlands has secured the services of a medical doctor to run a weekly clinic at the centre.
However, ART alone is not enough to ensure good health, so Cotlands has introduced material aid in the form of basic food supplies provided to families in need. Without regular nutritional meals, it is impossible for children to comply with the ART regime - and compliance is critical to avoid resistance to the drugs.
Later, after discovering that many of the orphans, particularly those living in child-headed households, were still not getting sufficient food, we initiated a feeding scheme. Every afternoon, some 90 primary school children are collected from their school and brought to the centre, where they receive a well balanced, cooked meal. High school pupils receive sandwiches and juice for lunch on week days. Since the children were already at Cotlands’ centre, we decided to establish a homework supervision programme, as most of them live in environments not conducive to learning. During this time, a nurse checks them for any new health problems, care workers bath the younger children and wash their clothing if required and follow up with home visits if any of the children are missing.
School uniforms and stationery are purchased for the children in the HBC programme and school fees are covered wherever necessary, as it is essential that all obstacles to education are removed.
To further assist the families – parents, grandparents, older siblings or other relatives – Cotlands has introduced an income generating project. Orders are obtained for woven baskets made locally, which are then transported to Johannesburg for sale. This project is going well, but the extent of poverty in this region, as well as the remoteness of the district, has made us consider introducing additional projects. At present we are establishing a food garden and negotiating with a company in Durban interested in purchasing T-shirts sewn by our beneficiaries.
In addition to physical, medical, educational and emotional support, Cotlands assists families with applying for the documentation required to receive social grants.
The HBC programme strives to fulfil Cotlands mission – to provide exceptional models of care to children and their families by empowering them to improve their quality of life through specialised interventions and sustainability projects. However, with increased core funding we could help many more children and families in the area.
At present the programme operates from rented accommodation which is too small to allow for any more expansion. However, the municipality has recently agreed to allocate a portion of land to us and with sufficient funding, we would be able to build a facility that can comfortably accommodate more children, as well as the income generating projects, the clinic and a much-needed larger kitchen.
Staffing
This programme is staffed by a project manager who is also a social worker, two professional nurses, one social worker, one auxiliary social worker, an orphan care coordinator, an educare practitioner, an office assistant, a cook, a driver and nine community care givers. There are also some community members who volunteer their services and assist with caring for the children.
Statistics
-
* Monthly averageActivity
Total*
Total number of children seen
324
Referred to clinic
28
Referred to hospital
8
On Antiretroviral treatment
45
Orphans
170
These statistics do not reflect the full scope of services as presently it only records the number of direct beneficiaries. However, stats has been identified as a quality improvement issue for 2008, so more detailed and accurate information will be collated as from 01 April.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal. Should it meet your corporate social investment requirements and you would like further information, the following addendums can be forwarded to you:
Addendum 1 - Activity Plan
Addendum 2 - Organisational Profile
Addendum 3 - Project Budget
On behalf of the children we have cared for, those we are caring for now – and those we are still to encounter, we thank you.
Tom Boardman's message on the Nedbank website
