St Paul's Outreach
Veeplaas Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
St Paul's Outreach, a church and community-based organisation, offers a variety of vital services to people affected by HIV and AIDS. It began its work in 2003, running a twice-weekly soup kitchen from the church building. With training and support, the work has expanded and now includes HIV counselling, home care services, skills training programmes, a pre-school for HIV-affected children and an after-school club. iThemba supports all aspects of the project.
The ground around the church building has been taken over by two large vegetable patches, which have inspired others to start growing their own vegetables at home. St Paul's has given out seeds, encouraging people to eat fresh fruit and vegetables on a regular basis.
Many of the children at the pre-school and after-school facility are orphans. These facilities take the pressure off over-burdened grandmothers and carers, allowing them time to work to meet the needs of their families. The children not only learn about HIV and AIDS issues, but also health and hygiene, road safety and expressing themselves through art.
Changing lives, changing communities
The aim of all these activities is to enable the community to cope in the face of HIV using traditional strategies. By assisting in a small way, the community can be sustained. St Paul's Outreach is not only changing the lives of the individuals it helps directly, but also the surrounding community. Local people appreciate what the project is doing for members of their own families. St Paul's works hand-in-hand with local clinics helping HIV-positive people deal with the trauma and fear of rejection by their families.
The project not only benefits the people it serves, but also its workers who receive training specific to their work. Whether they be counsellors, home-visitors or book-keepers, they have the opportunity to develop and learn new skills, which in turn helps their community.
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