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The Orphans of AIDS Trust
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The Orphans of AIDS Trust was established to provide for the hundreds of thousands of children expected to be orphaned by AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal in the next few years.
The Orphans of AIDS Trust Fund was initiated by Independent Newspapers, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, Edison Corporation, and the European Union Consular Corps. Its mission is to urge the public, corporate sector and representatives of the European Union to support the Trust and to gather funds urgently needed to provide resources and support to the growing numbers of children being orphaned by AIDS.
The Deputy President of South Africa, Dr Jacob Zuma, and His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini, are patrons of the Fund.
The Trust intends to distribute funds to organisations and agencies providing relief and support to orphans of AIDS with the urgency that is demanded by the impending crisis. It is estimated that there are already about 150 000 children who have lost their parents to AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal. The figure could grow to 500 000 by the end of the decade if current infection rates are not curbed.
The trustees will consider requests for funding from organisations that provide social welfare and support services to orphans of AIDS.
TRUSTEES
The Orphans of AIDS Trust Fund is a partnership between the media, government and business. The Trust Fund aims to provide a sustainable resource for the growing numbers of children expected to be left orphaned by AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal by lobbying national, corporate and international sponsors.
The trustees are:
Dr Zweli Mkhize, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Minister of Health
Mr Vivian Reddy, Chairman of Edison Corporation
Mr Graeme King, Managing Director of Independent Newspapers KZN
Mr Per Bjorvig, Consul of the Royal Danish Consulate (representing the European Union Consular Corps)
Prof Hoosen Coovadia - Victor Daitz Professor of HIV/AIDS Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
Mr Thomas Naidoo, KZN Provincial Director at Standard Bank
CORE BUSINESS AREAS
We want to centre our involvement around three broad areas:
1. SPREADING AWARENESS: Publishing information that educates people in lifestyle choices in association with organisations who are producing valid material.
2. PROMOTING TESTING: Airing social debates around testing and promoting voluntary testing within an approved context of pre- and post-counselling, and within a broader "know-your-status" campaign followed by positive action.
3. SOCIAL ACTION: Using the communication and publicity capacity of our five titles to establish, promote and jointly administer a Trust Fund for orphans of AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal. One of the elements of this campaign will be the front-page publication of a barometer indicating the total sum collected. In addition, this campaign will be supported by the inclusion of the AIDS ribbon in the mastheads of all titles.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Orphans of AIDS Trust has appointed an Advisory Committee to assist the Trustees with the assessment of application forms. The Advisory Committee will present recommendations to the Trustees regarding funding proposals, with the final decision being made by the Trustees.
The Advisory Committee is comprised of members working in the field of children's rights, the care of children and HIV/AIDS infected children. The Advisory Committee includes organisations such as the AIDS Foundation, Childline, Durban Children's Society, Children First, and Children's Rights Centre.
FORENSIC AUDITING
Forensic auditing on the organisations being funded by the Trust will be done by one of South Africa's leading accounting firms, KPMG. KPMG will be performing integrity checks on the organisations being funded by the Trust, as well as on the people running these organisations. Background checks will be done on officebearers, staff of applicants, bank signatories of applicants.
To ensure the integrity of the Trust itself, integrity checks will also be performed on the Trustees, members of the Advisory Committee as well as the field officers.
CONTACT DETAILS
Should you require any further information on the Orphans of AIDS Trust, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Soraya Khan on:
Tel: (031) 308 2160
Fax: (031) 308 2361
E-mail: [email protected] |
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