African Solutions to African Problems - ASAP

The people in the villages where ASAP works have already suffered devastating impacts from the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis. The vulnerability and poverty in these communities means that they have been hit hard by the effects of the Covid19 lockdown, and are now facing hunger and lack of health care.

In South Africa the local government infrastructure is unable to withstand the impact of the current crisis and so is failing to provide the basic services to the poorest people.

Many of these villages have no running water, or just one tap for the whole community - you can imagine how hard it must be to keep hands clean in these circumstances.

ASAP, as a trusted charity partner in the villages has stepped into the gap and is currently providing:

•  emergency food parcels 
• access to essential medicines and healthcare
• information on how to avoid coronavirus
• mask making training and materials
• sanitiser and soap

This means that the workload of ASAP has significantly increased with all the new challenges presented by Covid, and we need financial support to continue doing the emergency work alongside our ongoing development programmes.

 Children queueing for a hot, nutritious meal at a community drop in centre

ASAP was already doing incredible work supporting the children, young people and women to access healthy food, education, emotional support, and access to government services (Many families don't have the necessary paperwork such as birth certificates to access school, healthcare and social security payments - ASAP helps them to get the required documents.)

These villages have very high HIV/AIDS rates, one in five adults are HIV+. Many children have lost their parents to AIDS, or they work away. This means that  Grandmothers raise a lot of the children, often in extreme poverty. So Covid is of course a huge concern as it is more dangerous for the older generation and people with HIV.

ASAP was due to hold a fundraising event in London next month, which obviously has had to be postponed - so a very important stream of funding has gone while the essential work of my colleagues in the villages is growing.

All money raised will go to fund the work of Linet, Noluthando, Mfundo and their teams to keep the children fed and in school; provide opportunities for youths; and support the carers to grow food and earn money.

Our projects are designed to develop the capacity of local women to run their own community organisations in a sustainable and effective way. We are doing our best to continue with these long term development programmes, while doing emergency food provision and education about Covid prevention.

ASAP is a small grassroots charity with low overheads - our only office is in the regional town of Matatiele. The money raised by this crowdfunding campaign will go directly to where it is needed and most effective.

Please give generously and spread the word.

TESTIMONIALS

Nwabisa Booi 

I am Nwabisa Booi and I am 15 years old doing grade 8. My life changed when I met ASAP through the Reahasetjhaba CBO [Community Based Organisation]. I was not at schooling at that time because I had no birth certificate. I had no relationship between myself and my Father and I was not happy about this, but there was nothing I could do about it.  I always went to the centre during the day as I had nothing to do during the day when other children are at school. My mother was not happy seeing me being lonely but she had no choice as I was out of school because of documentation and she tried to apply but no success. ASAP intervened in my situation by assisting me with counselling sessions to cope with the situation, so that I do not engage in bad behaviour and situations. ASAP also assist my mother by encouraging her to put in place the needed documents for the application of birth certificate. 

Today I am schooling and being motivated in life. ASAP supply me with toiletries, a mattress and a blanket and this made a difference in my life as I was really in need of that support.  My father started to phone me and ask me how I am doing. This means a lot to me as I need him in my life as my father.

Thank you ASAP for your emotional and material support to us as children as we go through a lot in life and our parents sometimes don’t know how to handle the situation and they also become stressed and need support.    

Nombulelo Pelekwa

I am Nombulelo Pelekwa the Manager of Silukhanyo Community Home Based Care. When I join Silukhanyo I did not have full knowledge of the organisation operations.  In the beginning we started by looking after the OVC [Orphans and Vulnerable Children] doing educational activities with them and assist the community with home based care services. 

We met ASAP in 2018 and it was a new beginning for Silukhanyo. ASAP assisted us with financial support for groceries to provide nutritious meals to OVC and we started cooking for children. We were capacitated with trainings so that we can do our work better. The organisation is registered as NPO but we were not aware of the compliance regulations and ASAP trainings developed us to sustain our organisation with their relevant trainings. 

The organisation is now able to identify the community needs and children needs and respond to them.  ASAP distributed Mattresses and blankets to the children and we felt that the children basic needs are met. We are now able to do the networking with other stakeholders and raise funds for the organisation for the sustainability of the organisation. We already see the results of the capacity building and the organisation will continue even if ASAP exits, as we already implementing what we received from the trainings and we see the results.  We want to say thank you ASAP you have developed us, without you we were not be able to be where we are now.

Thlompo Mofokeng

I am very happy that Silukhanyo project bought mattresses and Blankets for my 4 children, I’m a single mother who doesn’t even have an Identity document and my children do not have birth certificates. Now that Silukhanyo is open and operating I will motivate my kids to go for nutrition Monday to Friday. I don’t know what to say than wishing to see the project growing with our help as a community and parents

Ezile Rharha

My name is Ezile Rharha. I am 16 years old I’m living with my mother and my siblings. I went through many challenges in life that affected my education and self- esteem and it made me lose hope in life sometimes. I met ASAP through Sinikithemba CBO and that when my life started changing. At this stage I was not going to school because of the situation that I was through in life. 

Before I met ASAP it was difficult for me to express how I feel and most of the time I felt like I wanted to be alone and I didn’t want to talk to anyone, until I received counselling sessions from ASAP. In the beginning of the sessions I thought it as a waste of time. Until the sessions continues and I started seeing the change in my life. I started thinking positively about myself and I was able to make friends. I just want to say thank you ASAP and Sinikithemba for the support that you provide to us as children, Because of you I’m back at school and doing well in my studies and able to face the challenge that come up in my life as I have the support system to express my views and feelings.