The problems needing to be addressed are sickness, unemployment, lack of education, and poverty. High rates of HIV/AIDS affect the health of the entire community and this reduces the number of adult people able to be economically productive. The pandemic has also led to a high number of orphans, and child-headed households.
Mrs Salaphi is a gifted motivator and encourager of the Volunteers within the project. At present the capacity to expand and support work through Home-Based Care Volunteers is developing. There is currently a young woman- Vatiswa Zofuku with an active interest in development, who has worked with MidaCare in the past, in an administrative capacity.
The project has 34 volunteers, these people make this scheme run smoothly because they are based in the areas that they serve. This means that they are on the spot to identify and assess needs in their communities. Each volunteer works with about ten patients with different HIV/AIDS status. Currently there are 340 patients allocated to volunteers and 33 patients who come into the centre on their own. MidaCare also has 632 families that are supported that are made up of orphans, Child-headed families and patients.
Already this vital scheme is over subscribed and further funding is needed to expand this project. Please donate to expand this essential work by going to the donations link on the left hand menu bar on this page.
Krishni Nair of AIDS Training and Information Counselling Centre, KwaZulu-Natal
People in the communities need to be cared for, educated, and empowered to raise themselves out of poverty. The fact that our volunteers are based in the areas they serve means they are on the spot to identify, and assess needs in their communities. Also local stakeholders and beneficiaries have been consulted about the work of MidaCare.
MidaCare’s Objectives are:
1. To identify victims of disease and poverty in their own homes and other institutions
2. To give counselling and education to communities, families, parents and children affected by disease or poverty
3. To help improve the sufferers’ quality of life, by encouraging them to engage in positive activities of a physical, mental, and spiritual kind
4. To empower communities to be self- reliant and self-sufficient
5. To promote self-employment within the community as a means of alleviating poverty through the development of income-generating projects
