MRC AIDS FORUM - CINDI Network Presentatation

The guest Speaker at the MRC's March 2002 AIDS Forum was Yvonne Spain, Co-ordinator of the CINDI Network. Formed in 1996, Children in Distress (CINDI) is a network of 68 organisations in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands concerned about the impact of HIV/AIDS on children in the region, and seeking to respond effectively to the growing numbers of children affected by HIV/AIDS in Pietermaritzburg and its surrounds.

CINDI?’s vision is to be a multi-sectoral, well-resourced network of civil society and government agencies, capable of implementing diverse and sustainable care and preventative programmes for children affected of orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

CINDI is a registered non-profit organisation (Ref 011-496 NPO) and can be contacted c/o Youth for Christ Office, YMCA, 1 Durban Road, PMB, or at :
P O Box 1659 Pietermaritzburg 3200
Tel: 033 345 2970
Fax: 033 345 1563
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cindi.org.za
(Note ?– see the full list of CINDI partners via their website)

The structure of the partnership allows for two membership options:
a)an active voting member (must attend meetings every two weeks)
b)an affiliate member (receive emails only)

CINDI partners:
· acknowledge that the AIDS epidemic is a problem too large for any single individual, agency or government department to solve;
· have found a working framework for their alliance;
· believe that children need protection but fare best within their own families, communities and circles of friends;
· understand that extended families, caregivers and communities need external help if they are to be responsible for meeting the needs of orphans
· emphasise development, not charity.

As a collection of independent initiatives, CINDI partners retain their unique profile, flexibility and the ability of individuals to respond to individual children, but are strengthened and guided by their link to the Network. Their aim is to identify and help children in distress. The scale of the epidemic and the poverty surrounding it is overwhelming and financial support is negligible, yet the innovative elements of CINDI?’s work are valuable to the struggle in serving affected children, in a manner that is acceptable to communities and sustainable for all the years it will take to raise the orphan generation.

Cohesion of the Network has been possible through adherence to a single guiding principle: putting the interests of the child first.

Useful publications:
2) Department of Health HIV/AIDS and STD Directorate?’s ?“Best Practice Series?” No. 2, ?“Children in Distress ?– Guidelines for Care and Support.
3) ?“How AIDS Affects Me ?– Children Speak?”: publication of essay competition entries giving voice to children in KZN
4) CHIP ?– (in English and isiZulu) ?– The Child Intervention Panel ?– pamphlet on how to report delays and problems experienced by children within the child care system

Presentation by Yvonne Spain:

Referring to the ?“How AIDS Affects Me?” publication (a joint venture sponsored by Independent Newspapers), Yvonne Spain summarised the fears of children around HIV/AIDS as being: fear of rape, fear of being killed, fear of discrimination and rejection. Children had also confirmed that the ?“virgin cure?” myth is highly prevalent in communities, and that this was one of the origins of the high incidence of child rape, in their experience.

She urged church leaders and FBOs to start talking openly, not only about sex, but specifically about masturbation as a healthy alternative to coitus.

To download the complete write-up of the CINDI Network presentation, including its projects and priorities, click on the hyperlink in the righthand column.