Campaign News And Resources

ACESS: (Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security) has been working closely with the Department of Social Development to produce an updated Child Grants Booklet. The new and improved booklets will include information on social grants for children and how to acquire Identity Documents. The booklets will be distributed within the next few months and will be available in the 11 official languages.

For more information, contact ACESS by telephone on (021) 761 0117,
e-mail: info@acess.org.za or log on to their website: www.acess.org.za

The Social Security Agency has been formed to replace the Department of Social Development’s nine provincial administrative bodies that currently deal with social grants and services, and to ensure a standardised level of service and efficiency. The structure of the Agency will comprise of a National Office, which will oversee the running and efficiency of both the provincial and local offices.

The roles for operation of the Agency are as follows:

• The National Office will facilitate accessibility to countrywide services, set performance standards, and monitor service delivery.
• Regional Offices will be fully equipped to handle technical support, including access to exchange of information between departments.
• Local Offices will be staffed by fully trained officials to help applicants and assist with queries and information about other government services. The officials will approve or reject grants on the spot, and inform successful applicants how and where payment will be made.
• Civil society interaction: The Agency will publicise contact details of NG0s, CBOs and FBOs that provide broader access to information on social grants. It is also exploring ways to establish ongoing links with relevant civil society bodies. The public will be kept informed of these plans and links.
• An Inspectorate will be set up by early 2005 to combat fraud within the Department of Social Development. Reports confirm that the Department is losing nearly R1.5 billion through fraudulent claims and practices.
• An Appeals Service will be put into place for applicants who may have complaints about or be dissatisfied with the decisions made by the Agency. Through this service, the Agency will be accountable to the Minister of Social Development for all its actions.
• Disability: the assessment scheme is currently being enhanced to assist people with disabilities who want to access grants.
• Regarding age eligibility, the Department hopes that the age of children eligible to access the Child Support Grant (CSG) will be increased to 18 years. However, the matter is still under debate. The Department explains that its existing policy has been designed to protect children who are already 11 years old (exceeding the current cut-off point) from discrimination, since they might otherwise only qualify for benefits once the next phase of extension (14 years) is in place in 2005. The Department is also exploring ways to ensure that children who receive grants remain in the system to benefit from further age-extensions, because it is complicated and costly to re-register them.
• Means Test Threshold – The government’s policy section is reassessing this measure to identify the main problems associated with it, because its current income levels prevent many worthy applicants from accessing the grants. A public announcement will be made regarding any changes to be made.
• Identity Documents – the Department of Home Affairs in the Western Cape has been working with the Department of Social Development on a door-to-door campaign to market the Child Support Grant and to get births registered. Birth certificates and identity documentation are essential requirements when applying for a grant. ACESS is working on a plan to amend the rules that call for a caregiver to produce his/her Identity Document and the child’s birth certificate in order to apply for a Child Support Grant.

HIV911 – A helpline for better health (to be launched in 2005)

HIV911 is an HIV and AIDS helpline designed to assist callers in locating HIV/AIDS-related service providers in their immediate area.

The Call-Centre is based at Cornerstone Christian College in Cape Town, and utilises the national database of HIV/AIDS-related organisations developed by HIVAN, the Centre for HIV and AIDS Networking. The help-line will be launched in early 2005. The initial phase of service delivery will focus on the Western Cape and KZN, but by the end of January 2005, the Call-Centre will cover all provinces.

HIV911 service delivery help-line:

• Is a ShareCall number, so callers pay only the local call rates:-
0860 HIV (488) 911
• Protects the caller’s identity as confidential
• Guides callers to HIV/AIDS support services in their nearest or preferred area
• Will be operated by trained counsellors 13 hours per day, Monday – Friday

For more information about HIV911, please contact Ms Deborah Heustice, (HIVAN Project Manager) by telephone on (031) 260 3335 or by e-mail via debbieh@hivan.org.za

Quality Living with HIV: a Toolkit for Care Providers

Dr Stephanie Thomas and Professor Anna Coutsoudis of the University of KwaZulu-Natal have produced a comprehensive guide for caregivers, entitled Quality Living with HIV – A Toolkit for Care-providers. Based on a training course they developed called QUALITY LIVING, the guide presents readers with explanations in simple language of background theory about HIV infection and AIDS-related diseases. It also outlines ways for care-providers - even those with little experience in HIV and general healthcare work - to help their clients in making practical, emotional and psychological changes in their lives and informed decisions about their treatment choices.

The handbook is offered at R100-00 with or at R85-00 without a CD-ROM and may be purchased from Adams Bookshops (Telephone 031-261 2320). All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to iThemba Lethu, an organisation working with children affected by HIV and AIDS (www.ithembalethu.org.za). The handbook is offered free of charge to non-profit organisations, who can send a motivation letter to Dr Stephanie Thomas; she can be contacted on (031) 465 7822 and her e-mail address is mslthomas@absamail.co.za .

Dikwankwetla – Children in Action

Dikwankwetla (Children in Action) is a working group of 12 children from all over the country working together, with the assistance of the Children’s Institute, towards the drafting of a new Children’s Bill. Over a few months, the group assembled to learn procedures of law-making and they heard that, as youth, they have the right to express their opinions on what should be included in the laws that affect them. They are also involved in various community outreach projects, visiting schools to hold information sessions for both parents and children about their rights and responsibilities.

In August this year, nine representatives of the group addressed the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Social Development. They spoke out about concerns they believe should be dealt with in the legislation. Each child presented his or her story and suggested policy changes to solve their problems. Some examples of their personal stories covered:-

The right to food, water and shelter: Nkhosi, (Grade 7) said, “Some children have to take care of their sisters and brothers, they are responsible for making sure that they don’t sleep without eating something… When I had nowhere to go, I went to sleep at my school. Food, water and shelter are a basic need.”
The right to an identity: Rebecca said, “I think children should get Identity (Documents) even if their parents don’t have one, because, if they don’t have a birth certificate, they don’t get access to things they should have.”
The rights to education, healthcare, general care and a home: Kurt believes that “Every child has the right to come home to a loving and caring family, to have a place to stay, food to eat and feel protected where they live. Orphans must be able to choose who they want to live with.”

The group also spoke about the government’s duty to educate and inform parents, teachers, caregivers and children as to their rights and responsibilities. To formalise this, they drew up a list of behaviours that should be outlawed for parents and caregivers, such as:

• Excessive consumption of alcohol and substance abuse
• Mental, physical or emotional abuse of children
• Destroying childrens’ self-esteem
• Neglecting, ignoring or rejecting children

Rebaone, a 16-year-old Grade 11 learner from Mafikeng, is responsible for her six younger siblings. She makes sure that they are clothed, fed and attend school. Her mother is an alcoholic who does not take care of them, so the children live with their elderly grandmother. “I cannot cope well with my school,” says Rebaone, “and I don’t have enough time to rest. That goes for my other two sisters who come after me – they don’t have time to play like other children, and I think that’s abuse.” Rebaone’s 10-year-old sister was recently raped by her 65-year-old grandfather. “My mother doesn’t know, because she is always drunk.” Even though she is faced with so much hardship, Rebaone is still determined to succeed: “I am going to finish school. I think I will become an accountant, but my real dream is to be a designer.”

STATISTICS SHOW THAT:

• By July 2003, 990 000 South African children under the age of 18 lost their mothers to AIDS and 2,13 million were left without fathers;
• By 2015, if there is no major HIV treatment intervention or behaviour change, roughly 3,05 million children under 18 years of age will be maternally orphaned and 4,51 million will be paternally orphaned.
• 1, 97 million will have lost both their parents.
  This amounts to a total of 5,6 million children under the age of 18 having lost one or both parents. An estimated 500 000 children in South Africa have a mother who is terminally ill with AIDS.
  (Calculations based on the recent Actuarial Society of Southern Africa [ASSA] Model. Statistics provided by Health-e News Agency, 13/08/2004:- www.health-e.org.za)

HIVAN “Supporting Youth” booklets:

The aim of many HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns is to pass on information. Yet, even with the right information, many young people do not take steps to protect themselves from infection. As a result, they are often blamed for the problems facing HIV/AIDS prevention. The findings of HIVAN’s “Community Responses to HIV/AIDS in KZN” research project focusing on broadening the approach to youth and the challenges they face with regard to HIV and AIDS have been developed into booklet format for use by community-based AIDS service organisations and volunteers.

This booklet argues that blaming youth is not fair. Very often, young people live in social environments that prevent them from taking control of their sexual health. It is these social environments that need to change along with individual people. The handbook helps users to understand what obstacles young people face when trying to choose safe sex or abstinence, how community issues can obstruct the roll-out of HIV awareness and prevention projects, and how those involved in such projects can plan around and work through these problems. Based on a single case-study of one KZN branch of a youth-centred NGO mobilising community efforts, the booklet offers six vital factors for successful HIV/AIDS prevention programmes.

For more information about obtaining the printed booklets, contact Thanusha Naidu at the HIVAN Media Office:

c/o Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit, Residence Crescent, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041.
Tel: (031) 260 1670
Fax: (031) 260 2397
e-mail: naidu@ukzn.ac.za
or download the booklet from the HIVAN website: www.hivan.org.za

East Coast Radio and Cell-C community fundraising drive:

In July this year, ECR and Cell-C partnered with selected organisations to identify needy communities to which public donations of goods might be delivered.

HIVAN nominated three communities in which it conducts research and intervention programmes – namely Bergville, Cato Manor and Mtunzini – to the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), the FBO assisting the sponsors in this process. Durban Deliveries helped by serving as a collection and storage point for the donated goods. We sincerely thank all these partners and the wider public for their generosity and committed action to this project.

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