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Having been inspired by the achievements of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this summer, I felt challenged to put my physical and mental attributes to the test and see what I could do.  Running has never been something that has come easy to me and as an ageing ex-rugby player, running any significant distance has proved a challenge. Over the last couple of years, I have run 10km for 'Mens Cancer' and a Half Marathon for the NSPCC.  It's now time to take it to the next level !!

Having visited a township in Cape Town as part of two AGS rugby tours, it would be nice to make just a small positive difference  to such a worthy cause before AGS makes its next visit to South Africa in 2014.

...Do something amazing today

 

 

 

Thembalitsha is the Xhosa word for New Hope and we aim to bring restore hope to the desperate and needy people of South Africa, developing them to a point of self-reliance through the provision of healthcare, education and training.

 

The Village of Hope is located on an old farm in Grabouw, South Africa, 60km east of Cape Town. We provide a safe and loving home for children infected or affected by HIV, AIDS and TB as well as educating and caring for children in the communities of Grabouw through sports-based social outreach and a support group for HIV+ adolescents. 

 

Why We Do It 

Grabouw is a town of 65,000 people with a known HIV infection rate of 34% and where 40% of households survive on less than R2000 per month. It has one of the highest TB infection and fatality rates in the world, even though it is a curable disease.

 

How We Do It 

In April 2009 we opened a child care unit providing much needed care for up to 9 children infected or affected by HIV, AIDS and TB. These children are medically stable and surviving but due to their social circumstances, are unable to be looked after by their own families. Our hope for every child is to see them back in a loving family environment. Since opening, the unit has been full to capacity and we have managed to successfully place many children back with their families in the community. 

 

We recognised early on that if we only run a child care unit then we are just treating a symptom rather than addressing the social problem itself. As a result we have set up a weekly sports-based outreach programme in the community. The programme is for children aged 9 - 15 and uses soccer and netball to teach key bible-based life skills, such as team work, as well as tackling other issues like personal health and hygiene. This programme allows us to have a presence in the community and to build close relationships with the children and families of Grabouw. We currently reach over 200 children each week.

 

Recently we have also established a weekly support group for HIV+ adolescents who have been identified via the local day hospital and our sister project, ThembaCare. This is because it had been realised that many teenagers were becoming non-compliant with their medication because of peer pressure or lack of education and support. Our Rainbow Smiles club has been going strong for a number of months and 15 young people attend regularly.