Recent Developments

I. Non-Medical VCT Site in Gugulethu           

The unveiling of the VCT site in Gugulethu compliments Wola Nani’s 2007 focus of “know your status.”  The site is dually satisfying; firstly, it demonstrates the trust and confidence that the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Health Department hold in our organisation.  Secondly, we are now able to provide pre-test and post-test counselling in addition to offering our clients convenient access to the diagnostic test.  In the words of our Client Support Programme Manager, Frank Maposa, “This is a dream come true since our clients won’t have to wait in long queues at clinics, they can now come to us.  We will be there to support them no matter what the test results show.”
The grant awarded to Wola Nani for the VCT site covers the costs of employing one professional nurse, three counsellors as well as needed medical supplies.  The increasing number of clients who come forward for testing on a purely voluntary basis is testimony to the growing success and efficacy of the VCT site.  Since its opening in December 2006, 440 persons have come forward to be tested.  16 persons came forward in December, followed by 45 in January, 77 in February, 83 in March, 102 in April and 117 in May.  Our objective is to administer 480 tests per month by November 2007.
In addition to helping others know their status, education is one of the greatest tools Wola Nani utilizes.  With the results of the test, we are able to help those who test positive lead healthy and productive lives, as well as those who test negative to remain so by passing along preventative measures so that they may also lead healthy and productive lives.  The focus of “know your status” encourages many to come forward for the testing, thus giving us the opportunity to educate adults no matter what the test result, and especially encourage those who test positive to bring their offspring in for testing.

II. Vulnerable Child Program
            Child testing is equally as important as child education.  The Vulnerable Child Programme instituted by Wola Nani confronts the latter.  The Programme has been a thread of the organisation since its establishment in 1994, but over a the course of the 90s and early 21st century deteriorated for several reasons, including a death of adequate skills within the programme.  However, in December 2006, the programme was rejuvenated with funding allocated by one of South Africa’s national banks, ABSA, and the Levi Strauss Foundation.
It is crucial to develop a programme that focuses solely on children because the effects of HIV and AIDS leave that particular segment of the population especially defenseless.  There are high rates of vertical transmission from mother to child as well as numerous impacts associated with ill-health and death of parents.  The Department of Health reports that some of the worst affected children—those in deeply impoverished households—may experience various forms of physical, material and psychosocial deprivation and assaults on their health as a result of poverty and/or lack of parental care and nurturing environment (DOH, 2007).   Wola Nani aims to fill these gaps and counsel those who have succumbed to some of the emotional stress and ailments that HIV and AIDS can trigger.
The active programme that Wola Nani has developed focuses, although not exclusively, on children under the age of 14 and those who are deemed most at risk.  Four days a week at all of our centres, the child programme coordinator as well as programme volunteers visit the children and engage in several activities that benefit their health and well being.  The general activities include an introduction to health and self through drama whereby children are oriented to the purpose of participation.  While at the centres, the children’s health is monitored and recorded.  If any concerns arise, children are subsequently referred to the correct health facilities.  Through the creation of a positive and interactive environment, children learn to trust the support group and thus attend and participate on a regular basis to achieve its optimal benefits.  Children are also engaged in active play and education where they receive and retain information on how to lead healthy lifestyles, such as how to properly wash their hands and brush their teeth. The programme additionally distributes nutritious food to the children on a bi-weekly basis and monitors the progress and development of each participant.
Beyond the weekly activities, Wola Nani organizes school holiday programmes in the month of June to keep children’s minds and bodies stimulated through education and entertainment.  The Vulnerable Child Programme also covers home visits to each child and builds a relationship of trust with the child’s caregivers through interactive sessions on a monthly basis or as needed. 
The coordinators and volunteers are constantly brainstorming new and innovative activities that cater to the needs and desires of the children in order to maintain interest and keep the children’s participation regular.  Based on turnout, it appears that the Vulnerable Child Programme is continuing to gain popularity and success at all of our centres.  Undoubtedly, more funding will be needed if it continues to expand at its current pace.

III. ARV Treatment Literacy for Adherence
 With the increasing number of clients coupled with the advancement in ARV treatment options, the roles of Wola Nani’s lay counsellors have increased tremendously.  This demand has naturally brought about the need to develop greater literacy and training sessions to optimally prepare our counsellors to pass along vital information to caregivers.  Through our five year relationship with the team at the University of Cape Town and the Infectious Diseases Department of Red Cross Memorial Children’s Hospital, the only dedicated children’s hospital in Africa, we have collaborated to publish a caregiver’s guide to treatment.  “Antiretroviral Treatment Literacy for Caregivers of Children on Treatment: A Counsellor’s Guide” by Desireé Michaels and James Nuttal has been met with great success.  The positive response has triggered a number of requests from outside organisations and institutions to use the publication as part of their respective courses.  Among those who have expressed interest are the nationally recognized HIV and AIDS training organisation, ATTIC as well as our provincial Health Department.  We are confident that such measures will substantially increase the preparedness of counsellors and subsequently enhance the overall ability of caregivers to properly execute treatment for children.