 |
 Home Overseas Projects Southern Africa Projects
2008-2009 Missionvale: Report to Donors
Union Aid Abroad- APHEDA is pleased to have been able to assist with the community initiative to raise funds in Australia for Missionvale, since late 2006. Between then and now we have transferred over $45,000 to Missionvale Care Centre, to be used for costs of training and other developmental projects.
Recycling wood to make garden furniture for sale.
|
Report to donors
June 2009
Missionvale Care Centre, Port Elizabeth,
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Eastern Cape, South Africa
In the Australian financial year 2008-09, APHEDA has sent donated funds of $17,000 to the project.
Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Sr Ethel and everyone at the Care Centre, the overall situation of the people living in Missionvale community is getting more dire, with angry protests at the failure of government to deliver basic services.
The community in Missionvale
In 1988 when Sr Ethel came, there were about 7,000 people living in an informal settlement in Missionvale, now there are 130,000 people. Missionvale is on a salt pan, between Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage. People have no sewerage or electricity, and only 16 taps. People have mainly come from rural areas, and most adults are illiterate, unemployed and HIV positive. There are around 30 funerals each week.
The Care Centre has used a multi-facetted model for community development, bringing people together to work on a range of services:
Work, food security and nutrition: Hundreds of people work in the compound, by gathering recyclables, cleaning the community, in income generating projects, in providing home care for the disabled and people with AIDS, or in the Care Centre's organic vegetable garden. On average, 35 people were working in the garden each week in 2008. Rainwater is stored on site for the garden and for the centre. In 2008, on average each day the nutrition unit provided 739 families with food (bread and soup) and food parcels were given each week to 768 vulnerable households.
Income generation: Including craft, tailoring and carpentry/recycling. Twenty-three women work in a tailoring workshop. Women and men work on recycling crates to make wooden furniture, which is sold on site, and in a larger recycling area, people can get enough materials to build or extend their own houses.
Counselling and social work: Sr Ethel has been providing counselling since she got to Missionvale in 1988. Now counsellors assist community members, often in relation to gender violence and HIV. On average in 2008, 250 people received material support from the Social Assistance Office each week.
Clothing depot: There is a large storage and sorting centre for donated second-hand clothing and blankets, sorely needed particularly in the cold winters and in the rainy seasons. With few adults earning incomes, a young and growing population, new people arriving every week, and frequent shack fires, clothing is always useful. In 2008 1,340 households were given clothing parcels.
Primary health care clinic A clinic was built by Missionvale, but has been handed over to the provincial government for operation. There are three nurses and sometimes volunteer doctors. Although the large Dora Ngizina hospital is nearby, more than half of the new hospital is closed, due to lack of staff. At Missionvale the clinic waiting room here is full; they treat 70-120 people per day with TB. They provide voluntary counselling and testing for HIV each week. They are not able to directly provide anti-retroviral (ARVs) medications for HIV. Possibly 2% of those who need them are on ARVs from Zwide clinic. There is no local access to nevirapine to minimise maternal-to-child-transmission in labour. Staff are trying to prevent infant deaths because of uneven use of milk formula, for example, diluting too much, or breastfeeding when the mother can't afford or get formula, or using bad water. Both staff and medicines are in short supply in relation to the expanding need. For example, in 2008 they had only 1/8 of the antibiotics required. In 2008 an eye clinic was established, which assisted 645 people.
HIV outreach and Home Based Care teams These are each headed by a nurse. There are 19 active in the home care team, with three months training. In 2008 they provided on average care to 28 households each week. The HIV outreach provides education on HIV and reproductive health.
The Library The Library has mainly donated English language books, and some older women come in to read each day. With additional resources, the library can be expanded, both in terms of more systematic acquisition of appropriate books and also more capacity to deliver adult basic education.
Child development - primary and pre-school: The pre-school has four classes, for 4-7 year olds, and is additional to the government school. 173 children go to Missionvale's primary school. Many children don't have birth or ID documents, making it difficult for them to enrol in the government school. 1,000 children attend the local government primary school out of a community of well over 100,000, so many children are not accessing school. Missionvale classrooms are very tidy and bright and well-equipped. There is a new tennis and netball court. In 2008, on average, 668 children were taking part in the Missionvale child support and development program each day. This may involve after-school learning activities, nutrition, or counselling. At Christmas the Care Centre gave out 7800 presents to children, sorted by age group.
Community hall and church: The church is Catholic, with Mass served by a local priest each week, but very few in the community are Catholic, and all the facilities in the Missionvale Care Centre are for community members regardless of religion. Each Saturday 15-20 funerals are held, mainly AIDS-related. The hall is used for a variety of community meetings and activities.
Volunteer support: The centre relies on the efforts of hundreds of volunteers from the community, and supporters from Port Elizabeth. In addition, scores of volunteers from Ireland have stayed in groups at the centre, getting to know local people, providing services and constructing community buildings.
Donations from Australia assist the Missionvale Care Centre to maintain and expand its community development programs, and are received with much gratitude.
Please visit the website for Missionvale Australia at: http://www.missionvale.com.au
and the website for Missionvale South Africa is at: http://www.missionvale.co.za
You can help the people of Missionvale
Support the projects that support Missionvale. Download the donation form below. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
THANK YOU
Download full report:
Make a donation to Missionvale [ doc ]
|
