ARV Workshop Gaining Momentum

In July 2010, 31 children met at VMS to learn about living with HIV and AIDS, their medication, and the importance of adhering to the drug regimen. This past winter we learned that 80 children and teens are now part of this flourishing ARV Workshop. Special workshops and discussions focusing on healthy diets, protected sex, teenage pregnancies etc. are all well attended and becoming increasingly popular among the young adult population. HFL is heartened to hear of the success of this developing program since social stigma related to HIV and AIDS, ensuing secrecy, and lack of adherence to medication schedules have long been stumbling blocks to managing the spread of this disease. HFL is committed to helping VMS continue this positive approach to HIV/AIDS awareness among the youth of South Africa.

Sue-Anne reports that representatives from the Children’s Rights Center who were conducting a survey for the National Strategic Plan for HIV & AIDS joined them on a recent camping trip. Our students’ responses to their queries included a desire for more doctors during their monthly hospital visits so they don’t have to waste entire days waiting to be checked. Access to a television to while away the boring hours was also high on their request list. Perhaps a generous HFL supporter can help them out with this appeal!

2012 presents us with an exciting possibility of helping to set up skills training opportunities to teach our ARV workshop students basic courses in carpentry, confectionary, baking, sewing, farming etc. in an effort to prepare these youngsters to be productive, employable young adults. 

JCGeever, Inc./Segal Family Foundation, Inc. Grantwriting and Research Webinar

Segal Family Foundation has offered HFL an amazing opportunity to broaden our fund raising capacity. SFF has introduced us to Jane Geever, Chairman and founder of J.C. Geever, Inc., a consulting firm that seeks to assist “not-for-profit institutions (in) assessing and mastering fundraising challenges” by guiding us through the grant writing maze.

SFF is generously sponsoring us in a ten week fully interactive program which will cover the grantwriting and research processes. We have been given access to a limited subscription to the Foundation Directory Online Professional which allows us to access over 2 million records in their Grants database.

Although Jo Ann and I have a great deal of work ahead of us, we are grateful for the opportunity to increase our knowledge and the potential to bring financial gains to our HFL charities without having to spend a penny of your hard earned donations. Thank you, Segal Family, for absorbing these costs!

For our first proposal, we have chosen to research and write a grant for TVEP’s ‘Youth Perpetrator Program’. Currently there is no remedial program in South Africa for young boys who have committed sexual offenses. Hope for Limpopo, Inc would like to find and write a grant that would support an 8 week pilot program to teach and redirect these young 13-17 yr old offenders. SFF and Jane Geever will lead us through this lengthy process.

Keep your fingers crossed for a profitable return on our efforts and we will keep you posted.

SFF Annual Meeting

Thanks to Segal Family Foundation, we enjoyed another well-planned, stimulating meeting in NYC last month. While Nancy was contemplating nature in the Grand Canyon, Jo Ann and Tricia spent the day listening to and learning from well over 100 partners who were invited to attend this revitalizing event. We heard speakers Cheryl Dorsey (introduced by Barbara Bush) encourage us to “invest in people not projects”, experts in the field discussing innovative strategies in reproductive health, passionate Africans providing insight for NGO’s working on their continent, and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Leymah Gbowee of the Gbowee Peace Foundation whose presence alone is enough to move mountains.

Leymah Gbowee is an African peace activist who was a key figure in organizing the movement to bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War. In 2002 Gbowee began the peace movement by organizing women to pray for peace through non-violent protest and prayers. She was one of three women who were awarded the prize for their "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." What an inspiration and an honor to meet her!

This year’s focus on ‘Fundraising’ has encouraged us to seek funding in a variety of yet unexploited areas. Additionally, SFF has offered us a ten-week, fully interactive proposal writing webinar series which we will begin next week. We are looking forward to the adventure!