This World AIDS Day, UNAIDS has declared that we could end AIDS by 2030 if human rights and communities are placed at the centre of the world’s response to HIV.
South Africa remains the epicentre of the global HIV pandemic with 7.7 million people infected and millions of children orphaned by AIDS. Kwa-Zulu Natal province carries the heaviest burden. Here, our partner Crossroads is working with rural, underserved communities to protect the rights of children and women living with HIV, including their right to safety.
Mahendra Singh, Crossroads director, explained why so many children are living with HIV, “The whole social structure is so fractured. Without the guidance and protection of parents, many young girls are left vulnerable. Unfortunately, many of our kids are abused. Something that has become rife is what we call sugar daddies – because our young girls are living in poverty, these older men will offer young girls either money or a cell phone or airtime, and many of these guys have HIV so it just keeps going on and on. Also, it is passed down from parent to child. The stigma it carries – pregnant women don’t want to reveal they have HIV, so it’s just a cycle that keeps going.”
As well as running HIV education programmes and providing community-led HIV support groups and local access to antiretroviral treatment (as the nearest hospital is too far to travel to) acet UK and Crossroads are empowering 21 of the community’s grannies, who are the caregivers of orphaned children, to build new homes. These homes are instrumental in keeping these ladies and their grandchildren safe.
Catherine Healey, acet UK CEO, talked about this housebuilding project, “The ladies are making the building blocks themselves with cement we’ve raised funds for, along with sand and water they collect from the river. 1000 bricks are needed for each house. When I visited, I asked Mama Labulani, the lady who got the first house, what was the best thing about it. She said having a lock on the door. The most important thing for her was to be able to be safe.”
Mahendra continued the story, “You know Mama Labulani previously lived in a kitchen of a rondavel where the door doesn’t lock, so she just shared a space in a community kitchen. She’s been living in fear for years as people could just come through and harm her or the children. So, when her house was built, we were excited but - for her – she was so glad to have a key to lock her door. For us it sounded so simple but for her it was a change of life.”
This week, acet UK is asking people to support their projects that tackle drivers of abuse by giving in the Big Give Christmas Challenge – as donations will be doubled between the 3rd and 10th December. Visit https://www.bit.ly/acetUKCC24 to take part.
Mahendra clarified what a donation would mean to the grannies, “Money on the table will allow a family to have a roof over their heads - many of these grannies live in dilapidated houses with as many as 10 grandkids as there are no parents. So it’s not just adding value to their lives - this would be life-changing.”