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Working for and with the community - an Eastern Cape NGO focus
Nicola Stanley. HIVAN Networking Team. 16 July 2003.
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"Please don't lose your temper here, I have no time looking for it".The slogan on the office wall speaks for itself. Veliswa Ndidi is an auxiliary social worker at the Afrikaanse Christelike Vroue Vereeniging (ACVV) Community Centre at Kleinskool, in the northern areas of Nelson Mandela Bay. The ACVV, subsidised in bulk though the Department for Social Development, is an NGO operating seven branches in the Bay.
Otherwise known as "Belinda" to the Afrikaans locals, Veliswa has an intimate grasp of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the local community, many of whom are unemployed and hungry. She offers a variety of services that interact to reduce this impact on the community.
Foster grants for orphans of HIV/AIDS
As the only auxiliary worker at the Centre, much of the work she does involves assisting foster parents to access relevant grants from the Department of Social Development for orphans of HIV/AIDS. By acting as a link between the social worker for the area and the applicant, Veliswa investigates the history of the application and records applicants' details on standardised forms, which are forwarded to the social worker. Veliswa also educates applicants on court procedures and often accompanies foster parents to the Children's Court, where the magistrate makes a formal determination.
Food parcels and a soup kitchen
One of the main challenges Veliswa faces is the length of the grant application process. Court orders can take almost a year to finalise, so Veliswa assists needy families who are waiting for their grants by providing food parcels through the ACVV projects' budget. The warm soup kitchen in at the Centre is a supplementary free service to these and other families. Many children in the area flock to the kitchen for lunch during the cold July school holidays.
Knitting project for People Living with AIDS (PLWAs)
Veliswa reaches into the hearts of many local women, who rely on her dedication to identify relevant projects through the ACVV for their skills-training and income. Working in partnership with a fellow ANC Youth League member, Lulama Mtsi, Veliswa recently started a support group for persons living with AIDS in the area. The support group, comprising unemployed women in their early twenties, meets once a week on Tuesdays to share ideas. The group has decided to kick-start its income-generating focus with a knitting project, including jerseys and scarves, which will assist in staving off the cold July weather. The ACVV has sponsored the wool, beadwork and ribbons required for this small project. Members will be responsible for the marketing of their woolly products to the local community. The group is also planning to start a vegetable garden with seeds funded by the ACVV.
Sewing project for unemployed women
Of further note is the sewing project attached to the Centre, which provides many schools in the loca area with designer track-suits. The first recruits of this project were trained by the East Cape Training Centre, and the group also has a specialist leatherwork team marketing a variety of belts.
Other projects
The ACVV has also sourced funding for training of local community members in caregiving and catering. Through the assistance of her supervisor, Veliswa facilitated internships for the caregiving trainees at a local old age home. Those completing practical examinations in catering were assisted with the compilation of resumés which have been forwarded to prospective employers.
As I left this Centre, I noted that the women in Kleinskool regard Veliswa as more than their friend. Trusting her with their intimate hopes and ambitions, they view her as their political voice to recognised leaders who have the mandate and resources to uplift the quality of their lives.
For further information on activities linked to the ACVV Community Centre in Kleinskool, or to make contributions to the various projects, please contact Veliswa Ndidi on 083 992 9725 or Annemarie Botha on (041) 360 2106. |
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Lulama Mtsi and Veliswa Ndidi of the ACVV
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Eastern Cape - Nelson Mandela Metro-P.E.
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