Report from BHW South Africa Partnership Facilitator

Recent Events

Activities

As regularly as funds allow the eMasoyi community team goes out visiting. This is mainly to follow up on existing clients who have been laid low by HIV/AIDS. As they move around they continue to find more people who are left by themselves in houses by family members who go off to work or forage for whatever they can find to sustain their families.  

The Covid pandemic has made it more difficult to find employment and as well, has meant that there are more vulnerable people in the community as those with compromised immunity are very likely to be badly affected. 

Most days they go out they will find more new people to care for. This constantly stretches them, and they cannot cope with the numbers. 

The team regularly run HIV/AIDS testing events at schools, sports festivals, and other places where people gather. This gives them opportunity to meet people and engage with those brave enough to be tested. 

Because of their influence in the community, government agencies engaged them to become involved in testing and vaccinating for Covid. This had benefits for those needing care, but it stretched the team to the max. Also, agencies shifted funding from HIV/AIDS to Covid as it was the pressing need, but it affected their ability to deliver to their long-term clients. 

During the height of the pandemic the eMasoyi team were delivering up to 100 food parcels a week to the vulnerable families in their community. 

Personal Stories

Please bear in mind that for privacy reasons we cannot show photos of clients and names have been changed.  

Story 1  

Tobia is a 53 year old mother of five children. She is on treatment for blood pressure and diabetes. She has suffered from a stroke and has memory loss. This woman was traumatised after her husband was killed in front of her in their house.

This affects Tobia and her children as she forgets things like her children’s names and other important things. Tobia takes medication for her condition which her children say helps her cope but without the children's supervision she is quite vulnerable.

No one in the family has employment or regular work; some of the children sometimes get odd jobs in the community to support the family and their mother. This family gets regular visits from the team and from time to time they get food parcels to help them. They are very grateful to receive it as many days they would eat nothing without the assistance.  

Story 2 

Malika is 39 years old and she lives in the area of Swalala in her two room house with three young children. She has been on ARV treatment for many years. She is committed to her treatment and because of this she is strong and healthy. If only all of them would be like her. 

Because she has three children Malika is not able to work. She doesn't have identity documents which have been lost somewhere. The family is struggling and because she has lost her papers, the children cannot register to receive child social grants as they do not have birth certificates.

eMasoyi HBC took the matter to the social workers who took the matter to the Department of Home Affairs to try and help get her an identity document so her children could register for birth certificates. The Department of Home Affairs says that she doesn't exist and in fact, she has died. So, she and her family are stuck.

The matter is still ongoing in the hands of the social workers and the Department of Home Affairs who say they will work to try and help her but who knows how long that might take. eMHBC has promised to stay involved until the matter is resolved.

Malika receives some food parcels to help her and her children to have food on the table. She says that she is happy to receive the food parcels and the help from the care workers who assisted her by referring her matter to social workers. 

Partnership's Influence within the Community

EMHBC's influence is huge for those who they care for. Life is cheap in the communities they serve and there are no government social services to help. Sick people are usually left at home as the rest of the family goes off to school or to find something to feed the family. The sick members are a burden to the family and are not cared for or looked after. 

As well as Home Based Care which BHW is partnering with, eMasoyi Community has:
- orphans and vulnerable children programmes (OVC)
- two early childhood development centres (ECDs)
- an after-school programme
- youth peer education programmes
- community system strengthening: religious & traditional leaders
- a youth life skills centre.

Current Issues and Challenges

They are constantly applying for funding from various agencies, but this is an increasing struggle. Home Based Care is not a popular work to be involved in and few agencies or NGOs are interested in it. Many follow the major trends and divert their funds to those areas as it is possible to raise funds more easily if it's something that's currently trending in the media. 

The organisation is currently doing well in terms of implementing the Home Based Care Programme. However, there are many challenges within the wider organisation and some of the other programmes they operate. Two main funders' contracts ended in March 2022, which has left a very big gap in other parts of the organisation, mainly on the administration staff. They have applied to other agencies for funding and are continuing to do so, with the hope that something positive will come up. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the organisation greatly as it was not easy for them to fundraise as their usual supporters redirected their funding to activities related to the pandemic. The pandemic has also made it impossible for many of their supporters to come to the organisation as usual. They are planning to put more effort into their fundraising. 

Prayer and Praise Points 

1) They are in a difficult position as several regular donors have left and they are struggling to have enough funding to keep all their programmes operating.
2) They need prayer for their beneficiaries as there is little hope for them to be able to get out of poverty. The majority of their clients are chronic and there are limited employment or economic options available to them.  

Comments

We remain committed to these people and the Home Based Care Programme. We do need to get there and visit to reassess it and will do so as soon as possible now we are able to travel again.  

In April 2022 BHW sent an extra US$3,000 to assist in the areas where they are struggling financially so they are able to continue delivering care.