Diocessan HIV/AIDS
Program
Orphans and Vulnerable Children: Creches/Preschools
These were established to meet the
needs of pre-school children and family members
in the care of home-based care projects. They
target orphans and vulnerable children. Many
of the children have a parent or parents who
are sick and dying or have already lost a parent
or parents and are currently living with a grandparent
(normally a grandmother) or extended family
member. Some of the children live in child-headed
households. Funding from Comic Relief (through
the Bishop Simeon Trust) has enabled the Diocese
to offer training to twenty-three teachers in
early childhood development. The funding also
pays each teacher a small stipend. The Bishop
Simeon Trust (UK) through its fund-raising efforts,
has been able to cover start-up expenses, food
and other expenses of four crèches and
pre-schools linked to four home-based care projects
in the Diocese.
They are:
Tshepo-Hope Day-Care Centre which was started
in Tsakane in June 2002. The crèche and
pre-school has 96 children in its care. More
than half of the children are HIV positive and
a number of them are on anti-retrovirals. 20
school-going orphans attend the feeding scheme
at the Centre after school.
Wesselton Creche and Preschool which was started
in August 2003 and has a registration of 24
children.
Othandweni Creche and Preschool in Mayflower
which began in August 2003 and has 24 children
in its care. It is expected that the children
will be relocated in new facilities that will
be completed in 2006.
Bambanani Home-based Care in Dukathole and Siyaphila
Home-based Care in Rondebult are hoping to begin
operating a crèche and pre-school in
their respective areas in 2006. The teachers
began their ECD training in March 2006.
There are other creches and pre-schools in the
Diocese which are run by various parishes but
they do not specifically target HIV affected
and infected children. Increasing numbers of
HIV affected and infected children attend these
facilities.
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