Training
Knysna Aids Council is involved in running the Provincial Employee's AIDS Program (PEAP) for the Health Department to do HIV and AIDS awareness for all state employees. This means visiting hospitals all over the area meeting lovely people who are already involved with HIV/AIDS. We are learning from each other in the process. We have been to Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Outshoorn, Laingsburg, Beaufort West, and Uniondale. We are also doing AIDS awareness for private companies. This forms part of our involvement with prevention as well as raising funds for the organization. -Femke Snyman
History of Knysna Aids Council
With the support of teachers, social workers, doctors and religious leaders, Knysna Aids Council began providing services in August of 1994. The organization began with the goals of providing care and support to people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as implementing awareness and prevention programs to those in the area. At this time the council offered Voluntary Counseling and Testing in partnership with government and provincial hospitals. By 1996 the Council had three lay counselors providing psychological and social support to those affected by HIV and AIDS. By 1998 this number grew six individuals who also offered home-based care to those living with HIV and AIDS. 2002 was a very exciting year for the Knysna Aids Council as it found its first physical location on Queen Street. To this point all work done by the organization was done on a volunteer basis. Also in 2002 Knysna Aids Council adopted the Mother-to-Child Transmission Programme, supporting and educating pregnant women on techniques for preventing the transmission of HIV to their unborn children. In 2004 the organization moved to Melrose House on Queen Street, a space that was made available by the Saint Boniface Roman Catholic Church. Knysna Aids Council has recently opened a free Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Site on location at Melrose House, something that has been a long time goal of Knysna Aids Council.
-Dr. Janet Stanford
Thank you to all of our sponsors for your ongoing support throughout the last quarter:
Knysna Municipality, Saint Boniface Catholic Church, Fr. Edward,Anglican Church of George Diocese, Isisombululo HIV & AIDS Programme, Sue Shorts and her brother Mike from Triasx (Australia) our sponsors from England, Germany, and the U.S., Department of Health, Jeremy Dredge, Spar, Fruit and Veg City, Mackintosh, Il De Pan, Elaine Goldenberg, Mrs. Olga of Presbyterian Church of Knysna, Pennypinchers, Garden Route Paint Centre, Knysna-Plett Herald, Free Ads, Action Ads, Ad Rag, All of our volunteers, Woodland Beads, Health Focus, Coffee Connection, Art Africa, Metamorphosis, Something Else Gift Shop, Subz, The Wool Shop, Forest Bears, Garden Route Export House, Gino's Bistro, Fat Susi's, Ogden's on the Piazza, Buffalo Man, Linda Furman, Country Kitchen, Greef's Butchery, Café Ambrosia, Rotary, Di Mckenzie, Dr J Stanford, Holland Scouts, all partnership CBOs and NGOs and a special thank you to Action Ads for their continued sponsorship of our quarterly newsletter.
