Saturday, January 31, 2009

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF ORGANISATION


G.I.M.R.F (Grace International Ministry For Revival of Faith) help center is a non-profitable organisation (NPO) which takes its name from the church organization of the same name. G.I.M.R.F’s current founder and director pastor Jacob Khumalo moved from Johannesburg and came to kzn in 2002 hoping to start a new ministry. He came to settle in Dambuza (kzn) South Africa and started his ministry with just a few community members, after consulting with local leadership and his ministry leaders pastor Jacob saw the need to open a help center for community members to turn to in times of need. G.I.M.R.F help center was than officially and legally established in 2003 as the help center for ward 22. G.I.M.R.F help center originally started of by creating a day-care center for members of the church who worked and couldn’t look after their children, eventually however the news spread and community members started leaving their children with us as well. As time went on G.I.M.R.F help center had to change its focus as a community based organization and so once again with the assistance of community leaders and members the following was established as areas of concern in ward 22:
Our organisation therefore renders services to people living in Dambuza and surrounding areas.
Gimrf Help Centre is an organisation offering comprehensive programme in the Msunduzi District and Mlalazi Municipality. Services are rended by a team of high committed, fully trained and experienced caregivers, all of which have successfully completed an intensive home –based care training programme which meet the specifications of the Gauteng Department Of health curriculum. They have also all receive training in counseling and are qualified lay counselors.
Gimrf help Centre recognises the crucial role that community Based Organisaion play in serving poor, venerable, orphans, less privilege and marginalised communities.
These organizations are most frequently formed as part a community response to real developmental challenges, more especially in the HIV/Aids arena.

HIV/Aids (The lack of information and education has lead to a very high rate of HIV/Aids in Dambuza, community members are still having unprotected sex due to public opinion being divided as to how and when the disease can be contracted)

Unemployment (The high rate of unemployment is further intensifying the HIV/Aids rate as youth and adults who do not work engage in unprotected sex frequently and young ladys are using their bodies as means of getting an income)

Poverty (Unemployment leads to poverty which worsens when the person gets sick due to lack of nutrition)

With this in mind G.I.M.R.F made its main objective HIV/Aids with the secondary objectives being poverty and unemployment. The organizations main goal is to reduce the number of people being infected through information dissemination and support those who are affected through programmes aimed at making their lives better.
Since its inception in 2003 G.I.M.R.F has established 5 programmes which are firmly guided by our objectives, the programmes are aimed at children, youth and adults as we try to deal with this stigma using a holistic approach.

Below are some of the programmes we run in our centre:
Day-Care- Center for orphaned and vulnerable children providing shelter, food and education to +-40-50 children aged 0-6 yrs.

Share-Care- Feeding scheme for community members who are hungry we provide 2 meals a day to +60 people who are referred to us by Project Gateway volunteers.

Garden Project- A project encouraging people to grow their own vegetable gardens especially those who have no food to eat, we work alongside Dep. Of Agriculture in providing training and seeds to community members.
After-School- A center for community children to safely do their school work under the supervision of local teenagers who assist them whenever possible, the children also receive a meal.
Referral Service- community members come to us for assistance and we refer them to the relevant organization or government institution.
Home-based Care- We work in partnership with Project Gateway and conduct home-based visits to terminally ill community members and reports are compiled and written monthly.
Art & Cultural Projects- It deals with teaching the youth to realize their potential and to be professional artist, also the Art & Cultural deals not only with performing Art but with visual arts such as Dancing, Drama, Singing, Choreography, Graphics Designing e.t.c.

Partnership Programmes
· Department of health
· Department of welfare


They give us great support and assistance in our growth process as we also assist
them achieve their goals and objectives. We also work hand in hand with other
Organizations such as:

· Cindi Network
· Community Chest
· Project Gateway
· Woolworths

We are constantly growing as an organisation and coming up with new and
Innovative strategies to achieve our goals. Our main goal is to reduce the number
of people being infected and ensure that at least 7 out 10 people living with the
Virus gets access to treatment ensuring that they live longer. In Dambuza many parents are dying of HIV/Aids related sicknesses and leaving more orphans who have no one to take care of them. This shows that Dambuza has got many people who have contracted the disease as we have had to turn some children away due to lack of space.

2. Statement Of Need

South Africa is currently experiencing one of the most severer HIV epidemics in the world. By the end of 2005, there were five and half a million people living with HIV in South Africa, and almost 1,000 Aids death occurring everyday according to UNAIDS estimates. A survey published in 2004 found that South Africans spent more time at funerals than they did having their hair cut, shopping or having barbecues. It also found that twice as people had been to a funeral in the past month than been a wedding (AVERT.ORG 2006).

South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world despite significant and celebrate democratic gains. A number of highly significant socio-economic factors continue to affect millions of South Africans living in township as well as peri-urban and rural areas.

Inequalities and poverty are most stark in rural communities, such as in the Msunduzi District and Mlalazi Municipality, were the Gimrf Help Centre operates. It is therefore logical to direct interventions to communities such as these, where the needs are greatest.
Msunduzi District and Mlalazi Municipality are predominately peri-urban to rural area with a lack of services, few employment opportunities and high level of poverty. South Africa’s Department of Health estimate HIV/Aids prevalence in the Kzn stand around 32.4%. This is above the national average rate 30.2% (2005). It has been highly accepted that South African HIV/Aids epidemic is one of the fastest growing in the world and that this country accounts for the highest HIV incident in the world.

Some disturbing figures with regards to HIV/Aids in South Africa:
It is estimated that between 1,800 and 2,000 men, women, children and youth are newly infected each day
The national doubling time for new infection is between 20 and 24 months
Estimated also indicate that between 9% and 12% - some 3.6 to 4.8 million South African children under the age of 15 years will be orphans by 2010 (Department of Social Development).

In developing countries, such as South Africa, the risk of contracting HIV/Aids is higher and a greater proportion of the population is at high risk.
Primary underlying contributing factor of the pandemic in South Africa as in other African countries includes:
· Continual migration from rural to urban areas
· The trekking of people from
neighbourhood countries, including the influx of seasonal workers from neighbouring countries.
· The extent of untreated sexually transmitted infections.
· The disempowerment of women (making it more difficult for women to negotiate safe sex)
· The high rate of sexual partner change, often as a result of dislocated relationships
· They very low usage of condoms and
· Women and young girls resorting to prostitution
Most of these factors have a strong rural and peri-urban axis that cannot be ignored if the most economically productivity age group. HIV/Aids challenge is to be addressed hospitably.

The group most affected by HIV/Aids (young people between the ages of 15 and 35) is the most economically productive age group. HIV/ Aids related illnesses therefore directly influence productivity in the workplace and the global competitiveness of South Africa’s economy. This, in turn, has a devastating impact on South African communities and families.

In the face of the HIV/ Aids pandemic, children and young people are undoubtedly the most vulnerable and the following are in effect:
Household incomes decline as HIV/Aids affected family members becomes less productive, loss jobs or have to stay at home to care for sick family members.
Family units, the foundation of society, fragment and disintegrate
The number of child-headed households has increased dramatically
School attendance declines as a result of children being sent out to work and contribute financially to be maintenance of the household or stay at home to care for the sick.
Children and young people, more especially those at risk or who are marginalised, are left directionless with no families of their own, little or no education, no careers and minimal income, if any
Quality of life and the quality of dying is severely compromised. HIV/Aids affected people struggle to come to terms with quality of life, degrading fact such as lowered life expectancy, care for their sick and dying, the stigma of HIV/Aids infection, and social rejection in their communities
All the above factors often lead to crime, lawlessness, short –term perspectives, and even increased promiscuity among youth.

We are constantly growing as an organisation and coming up with new and
Innovative strategies to achieve our goals. Our main goal is to reduce the number
Of people being infected and ensure that at least 7 out 10 people living with the
Virus get access to treatment ensuring that they live longer. In Dambuza many
Parents are dying of HIV/Aids related sicknesses and leaving more orphans
Who have no one to take care of them. This shows that Dambuza has got many people who have contracted the disease as we have had to turn some children away due to lack
Of space:


OUR MAIN OBJECTIVES

A. -To reduce the number of children dying living with HIV / AIDS and make them live long lives by at least 60% by the year 2009 in our community.

HOW TO ACHIEVE
1.Ensuring that proper treatment is being given to the children.
-Making sure that every child with HIV /AIDS gets the desired treatment.
-Constant checks are done frequently to check if they’re healthy
-All children should have proper medicine, which will help to alleviate their status

2.All the children are having enough food with the right nutrition to revive their body
tissues.
-Ensuring that the children are getting nutritious food.
-Food with vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and all energy nutriance
-More of fruit food is needed and vegetables as they have more impact on human lives
-With the help of doctors’ prescription we are able to know the type of food to give them

3.making sure that the is no discrimination amongst the children
-All children should have same treatment as to the ones without HIV / AIDS
-Ensuring that the children continue to live a positive life without segregation
-All the children should have same attitude of mind when they are to together
4.checking if there are problem within the children on high-risk areas.
- Constant checks will be made to see if the children are gaining weight.
- Keeping a record of each child every month for details on healthy.
- Are there any improvements to be done to achieve our target?
- Constant observation on their attitudes and actions
- Any lack of improvement should be noticed at each child, and then extra care is put in place for such children, as it will mean they will need special care for them to meet the status of a pleasing healthy.

5. Maintaining a good future for the children
- As our main concern is safeguarding the little children to prepare them for grade one,
it means where they go from us we need also to educate those who will be in charge
of them to exercise good care on them so that they will not feel inferior as to others.
- Proper treatment should be exercised to all children and this will create a conducive
Atmosphere to the one with HIV / AIDS

B. -Helping communities play a role in the preventing of HIV / AIDS. As we have seen that these children are not getting this pandemic disease own their own but adults who are giving birth to these children are the ones who are infected .We then need to educate the parents on how to safeguard themselves from this disease and for them to get tested to know there status.

HOW TO ACHIEVE
-Adults are educated on how bad aids affects themselves and their families
-How many people are dying everyday, a week, per month and per year.
-Train them how to protect themselves using the approved methods.
- Keep them on constant HIV tests so that they know exactly how important it is.
- People are getting full packages of treatment and care.
-Encouraging that couples are tested for HIV before having their first child.
- Taking special care of pregnant women not to transmit the infection to their child.


C. -We are working with pupils from different schools to help us teach the pupils of our
activities.
· Currently we are working with schools like
1.Nyonithwele,
2.Bongundungu,
3.Georgetown,
4. Fundokuhle
5.Zamokuhle.
We also have a team working with clinics and hospitals, which are respectively,
Imbalehle clinic
Edendale hospital
At PMB Prisons we are working with the spiritually workers

From school every week we attend to +/-90 to 100 pupils and in the community we attend to +/-40 to 80 families, in which we also include a feeding scheme of giving rolls and bread to eat, as we have seen that there are other children without parents but are not affected and no one can give them help as their parents have died from AIDS.

HOW TO ACHIEVE
1-Every Monday of the week, we sit down as committee and discuss our progress on
how the community is accepting our work.
-We ensure that at least 3 out of 5 families have access to many services that will help
them live longer and healthier lives.
-Checking on the problems they might be facing to get our services.
-What issues we are facing that are making drawbacks.
-Is the community having all the knowledge to understand what we teach them?
-Checking the number of families who are illiterate and see what measures can be
taken
to overcome the barriers to make them understand.
-Checking and see if there are significant improvements from the families
-This is done by asking simple questions from the mothers as well as the fathers if
they are using condoms if they are already infected to reduce the damage in their
bodies.
-Taking note of every new born babies and check their cards from clinics or hospitals
to notice if the parent is safe or not from the HIV /AIDS pandemic
2-Making sure that newborn babies are taken care of
-they are tested for HIV early sot hat they can get the treatment and medical support
they need to keep them healthy and curb the infection.
-growth monitoring is also of the child should be taken care of especially at the
young
age.
-Making sure that mothers are trained of the safest feeding options for their babies.
-Right treatment should be ensured to the children who have tested HIV.

D. -Making sure that the community has a decrease on the impact of HIV / AIDS
-Checking on individuals healthy status
-making sure that parents and other caregivers who are HIV-positive get good
treatment, care, and nutrition to support their lives.
-ensuring good policies to protect orphans and make sure that these established
policies really have any impact on the children and the community.
-making notice and check if the community based health care coordinators are
informing the community to know about available services and use them
effectively.
-periodical checks are examined to see if all precaution are being followed in order
to get the results in targeted areas noticed to be of high- risk.
-Checking the availability of help and time needed to meet certain demands if they
arise.
-measuring how affect the current method being applied and check any significant
impact which they have to the community especially to the children affected as
well as their parents.
-monitoring if control measures are being used to reduce the impact of the disease.

E. - MONITORING AND RESEARCH
These activities are important in that, they make sure that HIV / AIDS programmes are yielding results and are well funded. They also help to notice if the best responses are being achieved from a targeted group of people, community, area, age group and sex. These also help to identify whether to have long or short term plans for different goals in terms of funding. We can be able to identify better way of teaching people effectively

1-These are key points to be able to make reports with true picture of how the community is responding.
-Effective thoroughness should be emphasized on these activities for us to achieve good results and turnover of children in the year 2009
-Focus on the need of people in the community who are deprived of their rights
-ensuring that policies do not unfairly discriminates against the girl child and boy
who both have HIV / AIDS.
-reviewing of strategies is necessary to know which are no longer effective and come
up with better method which get along with the modern world .
-evaluations are more likely to be carried in areas which are of greater importance to
achieve our goals
-for example our main goal is that, by the year 2009 we should have a healthier
group of children living with HIV /AIDS.
-AT least we should achieve a greater reduction of their parents from continuing to
be affected by HIV / AIDS.

2- Continuing to educate the community not to discriminate children living with HIV.
-Making sure that people know the laws and rights of people living with HIV / AIDS.
-Making sure those children living with HIV / AIDS are not unfairly treated when they are getting place for schools after grade 0.
-They can exercise all their human rights when they go in to the world whether
locally or abroad
-Educating communities on the realities of how dangerous it is to continue spreading
the stigma and how good it is to take the control measures as people.
-getting into discussions with the parents of children affected will help them to feel
comfortable and live a positive life


3-Here we have to engage our self’s to co-operate together with the local government to
a full scale to be able to achieve our goals.
-Local government will assist in new developments that the government had to put in
place concerning other developments that can help us in terms of getting funding.
-As NGOs works together with the government, it is more of concern for us to also get
funding from them .
-This will improve the cash flow movement within our organization so that they will
be no constrains in term of cash as we are involved with a lot of food ,medicine
transport, and wages payments every week .

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

THE FOUNDER


Founder Background

I am Pastor Jacob Khumalo from a small village called Vukuzakhe (meaning build yourself) I struggle in life, growing up without the help of my parents. Life was very hard for me and then I started to work in a very young age helping myself and my granny with eight children in a home. I was studying and supporting my family until I got my Junior Certificate. With my certificate I started to teach pupil in my locality, out of my Junior Certificate I created leaders that some of them are Teachers, Doctors e.t.c.
After which a farmer chased me away because I was educated and was trying to educate my less privilege brothers and sisters in my community, it was in the apartheid time and people were not allowed to be educated.

Apparently I made my way to Johannesburg were life was not promising but with the favour of the lord I was able to secure a job after 6 months of unemployment.
In the earliest 1990’s when I was transformed and received Christ as my personal savior, I was in a congregation with people from all sought of world like Brazil, Canada e.t.c. were we were able to save more souls for Christ.
As days draws closer, I realize my vision so I made my way out and tried follow up my vision and my vision was to help the poor, the needy and the orphans so I came to settle in a rural area in KZN called Dambuza were I planted a church called G.I.M.R.F (Grace International Ministry For Revival of Faith) I started his ministering with just a few community members, after consulting with local leadership and his ministry leaders I saw the need to open a help center for community members to turn to in times of need. G.I.M.R.F help center was than officially and legally established in 2003 as the help center for ward 22. G.I.M.R.F help center originally started of by creating a day-care center for members of the church who worked and couldn’t look after their children, eventually however the news spread and community members started leaving their children with us as well. As time went on G.I.M.R.F help center had to change its focus as a community based organization and so once again with the assistance of community leaders and members the following was established as areas of concern in ward 22:

HIV/Aids (The lack of information and education has lead to a very high rate of HIV/Aids in Dambuza, community members are still having unprotected sex due to public opinion being divided as to how and when the disease can be contracted)

Unemployment (The high rate of unemployment is further intensifying the HIV/Aids rate as youth and adults who do not work engage in unprotected sex frequently and young ladys are using their bodies as means of getting an income)


Poverty (Unemployment leads to poverty which worsens when the person gets sick due to lack of nutrition)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009