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Send a Child to School, South Africa
NextAid is working with the well-respected South African organization loveLife, and their goGogetters program, to “Send a Child to School.” The lack of a school uniform should not hinder a child from receiving an education, but some children have been refused admittance and many drop out because of it. Something so simple should not be an adversity that an orphaned or vulnerable child faces when it costs just $50 to provide a child with a complete uniform (bottom, 2 shirts, shoes, socks, pullover and backpack), and an additional $25 for books/stationary.
The amazing elderly women who believe that “they still can” are part of a national social network of grandmothers (affectionately termed Gogos). loveLife launched the goGogetters program in May 2008 to further empower Gogos as they lead a grassroots movement doing simply what they have always done – care for children who need their love and support. They have mobilized around raising HIV awareness and advocacy for education, taking on the role as both parent and state for a generation losing touch with familial norms.
Join NextAid supporters such as Love Fatigues, Louie and Anane Vega, DJ Rap, D:Fuse, Colette, Amon, Samantha James, Ultra Nate, Nickodemus and Ben Gleib in raising awareness and funds for this innovative program benefiting 5,000+ children and youth across South Africa. Donate Now!
The Problem...
"Approximately one in six adults in South Africa has HIV. By 2005, one in six South Africans between 2 and 18 years of age had lost a parent. 2% of children < 18 years were double orphans. These estimates translate into at least 370,000 double orphans, close to a million maternal orphans and nearly two million children without a father."
Shisana O. et al (2005). Nelson Mandela Foundation/ HSRC Survey of HIV/AIDS in South Africa: AIDS prevalence, incidence, behaviour and communication
Typically, we think of orphans as toddlers desperate for food, attention and love, frequently forgetting that they grow up and still have the same exact needs (plus more). Child care grants terminate when they reach the age of 16, leaving youth at the brink of adulthood with limited options and often no support.
Hope in the face of an uncertain future, the Gogos...
The influence grandmothers have on the development of young people in South African culture has always been important, but the role in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has even greater importance. These inspiring women have assumed the role of both parent and state, dedicating their senior years to the wellbeing of orphaned and vulnerable children. To further empower these Gogos as they fight to protect a social fabric left vulnerable, loveLife created the goGogetters program. The nationwide support network has mobilized around HIV awareness and advocacy for education in an attempt to create sustainable change within communities and for the 5,000+ children who participate in the innovative program.
A Gogo’s Story: Gogo Emily Philimon
Beatrice Madlebe (70) is a ‘bible woman’ for her church in Mbekweni near the town of Paarl. Her task is to go house to house as an evangelist, speaking about Jesus. But she soon realized that there was no food in many of the homes she visited…Near the farms surrounding Mbekweni, Ma Madlebe found children of seasonal workers who would go without food for a day or even two. With money provided by her working husband, she ran a soup kitchen for them for several years until he died.…Eventually, she found herself caring for seven grandchildren from her husband’s three surviving children as well. Although each child receives a child care grant, Ma Madlebe doesn’t see a cent of the money, as it is paid directly to the parents. None of them pass it on to her. She supports all seven children on a monthly pension of R940…But her concerns are not for herself. She weeps as she talks about the children she can no longer support through her soup kitchen. She still goes house to house, although “all I have to offer is love”. Read the rest of Gogo Beatrice’s Story.
Education, creating confidence in the face of uncertainty..
“Education is the most powerful tool in the fight against the AIDS epidemic. We can help these children create a better and brighter future for their generation and the generations that follow.”
-DJ Colette
Unfortunately, accessing primary education is not the easiest feat; some schools still refuse to accept children who cannot afford school fees, supplies and/or uniforms. Furthermore, many children drop out of school due to the embarrassment of not having new or properly fitting uniforms. There is an indisputable link between drop-out rates and increased risk for HIV. School not only offers children and youth the basis for a brighter future, but it serves as a protective factor against HIV – whether it be through raising awareness or keeping them out of at-risk situations. In the long-term, education serves as means to fighting the cyclical nature of the HIV/AIDS pandemic; and right now the lack of a simple school uniform is hindering this.
Who is loveLife?
loveLife is South Africa’s national HIV prevention programme for youth. loveLife has brought together a broad based coalition of international foundations working in HIV/AIDS prevention, major South African media organizations and private corporations, the government of South Africa, and leading South African non-government organizations with one shared goal – to turn back the epidemic of HIV/AIDS, and related epidemics of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, among South Africa’s young people.
Launched in September 1999, loveLife seeks to substantially reduce the HIV infection rate among young South Africans – and to establish at the same time a new model for effective HIV prevention among young people. www.lovelife.org.za
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