SUMMARY OF THE CINDI PRESENTATION
Estimates of Orphan Numbers in PMB, KZN, and SA
The accepted definition of orphan in the academic and development literature is “a child under the age of 15 whose mother has died”
Without AIDS the orphan population in SA would be 1-2% of the child (under4 15) population. In a small survey conducted in Edendale in 1999, 6.3% if the children under 15 were found to be maternal orphans. (Rob Garner: 1999) The city in their Positive Strategy document estimates that the total number of orphans in the Msunduzi Municipality area is 10 000.
CINDI
VISION
A multi-sectorial, well resourced network of civil society and government agencies, capable of implementing diverse, effective, sustainable care and preventative programmes for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
MISSION
To foster a spirit of Ubuntu among CINDI partner; encourage collaboration in the implementation of prevention, early intervention and children in care programmes; enhance the mastery of partner; co-ordinate research and unlock resource mobilisation opportunities for the benefit of all partners.
CINDI’S BROAD STRATEGIES
PREVENTION: To build the strength and capacity of families and communities to take care of their own vulnerable children or AIDS orphans through mobilisation, education, research and development.
eg. Thandanani’s Community Child Care Committees.
EARLY INTERVENTION: To intervene rapidly with children who, despite prevention initiatives are still vulnerable and to divert children from institutional care to community models of care.
Eg. Khayalethu Street Children Project
CHILDREN IN CARE: To ensure that children who have been formally placed in care receive optimum, appropriate intervention and care in terms of their physical, intellectual, socio-cultural, emotional and spiritual needs.
eg. Kenosis
CINDI WORKING GROUPS
THE CHILD INTERVENTION PANEL (CHIP)
CHIP was formed in 1997 in response to delays experience by children within the child care system.
There are 8 voluntary panellists who are well-known champions for children serving in CHIP.
MISSION:
CHIP is a LAST RESORT mechanism that seeks to:
· Streamline administrative procedures
· Prevent the administrative abuse of children in the child care system
· Act as a peer review process by working in the child’s best interest.
· Hold individual service providers accountable for any delays experienced by children within their jurisdiction.
· CHIP appeals to higher authorities and will resort to the media or the Courts if necessary.
HOME BASED CARE
This working group is led by Msunduzi Hospice. Their function is to provide training in home based care in both English and Zulu. They also provide updated refresher programs for trained caregivers. A fee is charged for the module and those organisations who cannot afford paying are asked to write letters of motivation stating what can they afford to pay for, which communities are they going to serve and how are they going to ensure that the trained caregivers do not sit at home with all this information which could serve needy communities.
MEDICINES ACCESS (THAPELO)
This working group is responsible for provision of specialized and basic palliative medicines for children in care though the provision of basic
non-prescriptive medicines and support for caregivers. This is done with assistance from Msunduzi Municipality and various other donors who sponsor the medicines on a monthly basis.
PALLIATIVE PLANTS
People living with HIV/AIDS suffer from many different sicknesses. Some South African plants can help. Bulbine and Sour Fig are grown by the Natal Botanical Gardens. This working group is responsible for the growing and the distribution of palliative plants to organisations and individuals who assist sick people.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
CINDI members are working with the City Health Department and the Deputy Mayor’s office in an HIV/AIDS Task Team. This group aims to analyze the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on service delivery and Integrated Development Planning for the Msunduzi Municipality. The Msunduzi Municipality assists CINDI members in various ways. City Health supplies the Thapelo Medicines Access Working Group of CINDI with R10 000 worth of medical supplies for distribution to Home Based Care Volunteers who work in municipal wards. The CINDI Network office is responsible for running costs and supervision of the staff of this project. The Municipality has donated some of its buildings to some of the CINDI Network members to use as office space and centres. This is a great benefit to these members as rental costs tend to take up a huge percentage of NGO budgets. The Nutrition Working Group of CINDI is in a partnership with the Municipality, the Institute for Natural Resource and CINDI to start a project of co-ordinating food gardens in the Msunduzi Municipality. Rockefeller Brothers Foundation is funding the first two years of a five year project. The aim is to improve the nutritional status of the people in the municipal area with special emphasis for those who are immune compromised. They have also allowed the Municipal Parks department to plant Bulbine and Sour Fig on their land. These two plants are used for skin rashes, mouth and virginal thrush. Members of the public can pick these at liberty. City Health is also assisting in the formation of the Home Based Care Networks which aims to co-ordinate Home Based Care services for the Msunduzi Municipality. The aim is also to ensure that all wards have access Home Based Care.
FUNDING PANEL
CINDI acts as a conduit for funding in excess of 500 000 rand for the benefit of its members. This is a new working group and is currently piloting its work using two proposals obtained through the initiative from the donors. It has not yet started actively seeking funding pending the results of the pilot phase. Dr Julie Dyer is serving as a panellist.
HOUSING
This working group is led by BESG seeking to improve the housing of the grandmothers who are looking after orphans. Working on issues dealing with land takes time so the work of this working group is relatively slow in delivery compared to the other working group. This group also seeks to assist organisations working with children to acquire vacant building to occupy. The Msunduzi Municipality hosted a Housing Summit this year in March aimed at aligning housing and HIV/AIDS needs.
CHILDREN HELPING CHILDREN
This group involves schools in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The school children collect items for the Thapelo project. This project seeks to increase awareness, fight prejudice and provide practical help.
NUTRTION
This working group, in conjunction with Life Line, The Valley Trust, The Institute for Natural Resource and the Msunduzi Municipality as strategic partners, seeks to improve the nutrition, food security and economic development of vulnerable children and immune compromised people. To this effect it is providing access to nutritional supplements such as e-pap at a low price. They are also working on strategic gardening aimed at planting crops that would benefit people who are immune compromised. They are also working of developing a manual for cooking food for health.
MEMBERSHIP
There are two types of membership that one can choose from. Full-voting needs to be approved by the executive and presented to the membership for acceptance. A full-member gets to vote on issues affecting the network and has decision making powers. Full members are also able to apply for funding from the funding panel. Affiliated membership is accepted after approval by the executive and need not be presented to the membership for acceptance. These members do not have a vote. Membership is currently free.
WAYS IN WHICH ANY INDIVIDUAL MAY HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS.
· Knowledge
· Tolerance
· Compassion
· Gifts ( to CINDI partners eg. Make or knit clothes, scholarships, food and parcels)
· Be a Buddy (relieve a caregiver, collect medicines, form support group)
· Help draw up wills
· Take photographs for the family’s memory book
· Encourage funeral policies
· Live carefully.
October 2003