As society’s most vulnerable members, HIV is especially cruel to the poor. Khayelitsha, for example, a sprawling township 26km from Cape Town, has an HIV rate of 22%, the highest rate in the Cape Flats. One in three mothers will pass on their infection to their baby – most will die in their first year with few surviving to the age of five. With health services already stretched to the limit and unemployment at nearly 50%, making extreme economic hardship a daily reality, Wola Nani is working to fill the gap that leaves people with HIV & AIDS particularly exposed.

Through a counselling and case management approach, coupled with skills training and income generation opportunities, they can attain the necessary skills to help themselves achieve a better quality of life. Complementary holistic family and community support includes support groups, child health monitoring and day care, plus home based care to help families look after their loved ones living with the disease.

HIV and AIDS does not just touch individuals and families, it is a community issue. Only through education, awareness and understanding of HIV amongst the wider community can the culture of silence surrounding HIV be broken and the discrimination accompanying ignorance be eliminated. Myths and misconceptions surrounding HIV and AIDS not only breed fear of, and stigma against, people living with HIV and their families, but play a fundamental role in accelerating the spread of the virus.

Through Wola Nani’s outreach programme of AIDS education workshops and awareness initiatives, staff work within the township communities to raise awareness, provide education and disseminate information. In this way, Wola Nani works towards improving community acceptance of people with HIV and AIDS, combating discrimination and developing community based responses to prevention, support and care.

Wola Nani’s focus on women and their children does not exclude men but has developed in response to where the need for the organisation’s services is greatest. However, all HIV+ persons regardless of gender, race, age or religious belief are welcome.