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Take a look at the latest photos of the Community and Business Development Center in Uta, South Africa. They broke ground in late December and now the center is well on the way!
Posted by Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Fellows
There are walls!
Construction is moving along. The community hall has walls, and we are thrilled. We even spent the afternoon sitting inside the new building just getting used to it!
Azaph Sithole is the senior member of our committee. He is an Elder and therefore is well respected by the community. The group of Elders in Uta work to help the local traditional leadership to guide the community. He has worked his life to support his 14 children, all of whom have successes that their father can brag about. He has a reputation across Uta of being able to provide excellent life advice, some of which we’ve had the opportunity to witness. As an Elder, Azaph has helped us bridge the gap between traditional leadership and Uta’s future leaders. When the planning committee needed to secure permission-to-occupy from the local chief for the land, his role allowed him to help the group navigate this system and made that process possible.
Azaph announced at our last committee meeting that he would take it upon himself to survey the building site at 5am Friday morning in order to begin construction on the community hall fence. Azaph has been getting price quotes for fence materials from local hardware stores.
The original and most basic purposes of the community hall are to hold meetings and facilitate pension distribution. Azaph is an example of a member of the community who collects pension from the government but is currently is unable to do so in a comfortable environment where he and others can be protected from sun or rain. The government will be able to use the community hall as a pension site so that mothers and the elderly will be able to collect every month in a secure location. Azaph’s leadership in the community and in the planning committee is a blessing and his commitment to the project has been an inspiration to the rest of the committee as well as to us.
By Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Global Development Fellows
The depth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is at the same time palpable and hidden in the rural communities. People often die for unexplained reasons at too young of an age, and the signs and symptoms of the disease are visible even in friends and family members who refuse to acknowledge their presence. And yet those who conquer the stigma of the disease face long distances to even find a testing facility. The nearest treatment—after expensive transport and the unreliability of the country’s ARV supplies—seems unreachable. It is estimated that one in four people in Uta are HIV-positive, and there is not a single member of this community who is unaffected.
The South African government was not only slow to address the issue of HIV/AIDS, it led the way in perpetuating myths and feeding social stigma. Under political pressure in 2002, the government finally appointed a task team to address the epidemic and committed to improving the provision of antiretroviral treatment. While promise from the government is a sign of hope, it is difficult to recognize how this commitment translates into action in rural areas far out of sight from the minds of city officials. Much of the struggle against the epidemic in these areas, therefore, is committed to education and awareness. In a sad reality, testing, counseling, and treatment take a backseat.
With international recognition of the hold that HIV/AIDS has on this country, it seems now that only local commitment and action that will generate forward progress in the fight against the epidemic. As Think Impact Fellows, we have the opportunity to see this take root in rural communities. As we finalize the details of constructing a community hall, we are able to look to the future and see how this will be so much more than a physical structure. The members of the Project Steering Committee, directing the planning and development for the Uta Community Centre, see the affects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on their community, and are searching tirelessly for ways to reverse the damage and stop the spread. Excellent, Lucky, and Rames—local leaders all under the age of 25—have committed the past few months to attending community health worker courses in HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. They envision using the hall to share what they learn with their community. There is excitement surrounding conversations of future health workshops and testing opportunities. Furthermore, Angie and Forget—a single mother and a grade 12 student—share a vision of leading learners who will gather at the community hall to watch dramas and participate in after-school activities that will among their various benefits, serve to educate kids and teens about health issues vital to their growth and success.
We are completely inspired by the people we work with here in Uta. Everyday we see the goals of the struggle against HIV/AIDS in South Africa manifested in the visions of our committee members. Each conversation and every new idea are encouragement for the success of the Uta Centre and the immense of potential in the community for future.
Posted by Saul Garlick, Executive Director
What a trip! We led 8 individuals to South Africa for a week, and we learned more, saw more, and met with more people that offered us insights into our development work in the community. Libraries, sports fields, classrooms, and more have been built there, but only when we see them in full use can we be sure they are becoming the sustainable development projects we hope to see. Here are some pictures from our visit, courtesy of Jessica Schwartz.
Posted by Saul Garlick, Executive Director
In 48 hours a team of 9 individuals will be joining SMRC on our Global Development Ambassadors (GDA) trip to Manyeleti South Africa. The following post was taken from an internal memo regarding our plans and goals. Enjoy, and we hope you will join us next time!
GOALS: The GDA is a special opportunity for SMRC to lead supporters and potential supporters to the community and its surrounding areas to understand the work that the organization has done, to learn about the future direction of our work in the community and to help guide our vision for local partnerships. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Julie Walz, Fellow
The key to any project is collaboration. I am happy to report that the Mundzuku Foundation is on track with its projected goals; we have raised the minimum amount to fund one student for four years, including all incidental costs, and are currently working to fundraise and find grants in order to make the scholarship sustainable. All the information for the resource booklet has been compiled and a completed draft is currently being revised and formatted into a more eye-catching and easily readable format. Read the rest of this entry »
