Mzomgwana is a large rural location made up of many villages in the mountains that divide the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa with Lesotho. This extremely remote location is made up of multiple villages which have very limited access to government services. This area is suffering greatly from the burden of HIV AIDS and the numbers of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children is growing daily.
At a Mission station Friends in Ireland have constructed a Day Care/Drop in Centre. With the assistance of our volunteers 60 Orphans many of whom live in child-headed households in the area receive two meals daily in the morning and after school. A community based organisation called “Mzomgwana Multi-Purpose Project” has been developed. This organisation partners Friends in Ireland in all of its work in the area and represents the concerns and requirements of the community along with taking responsibility for the daily running of the centre. The community received their Non Profit Organisation Number in July 2007. To assist the Nutrition Programme a garden has been started and vegetables are being successfully grown.
Friends in Ireland are bringing the needs of these orphan and vulnerable children to the attention of the Dept of Social Development to guarantee that the government grant assistance that they desperately need is allocated to them. This process is initiated with official registration, which requires a birth certificate. Many children who have lost their parents would not have this documentation, complicating even further their circumstances. Friends in Ireland are advocating, on behalf of these children, to ensure their full, official social and civic registration. Following this the process of registration, grant and social support applications can begin. |
