Services and Activities offered by The Knysna Aids Council:
At the beginning of 2006, the Council was only able to employ four paid members of staff. With the opening of the non-medical site and general growth, Knysna Aids Council's staff has expanded to 9 dedicated people working on a full time basis., on a very minimal wage. Every year the Council assists thousands of people with it's large range of services and support.
Here is a list of the various HIV and AIDS related services and support the Council offers throughout the Knysna region:
• Organising and running HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaigns in the Greater Knysna area. We regularly hold talks about HIV/AIDS in schools, shops, prisons, etc. There have also been various workshops organized for staff at businesses, schools, churches, and government organisations. Awareness and prevention are imperative to fight against HIV and AIDS. The Council also has many pamphlets available to the general public, discussing topics from testing to treatment.
• Free HIV testing and counselling. Since August 2006, we are very excited to be able to offer rapid HIV testing and counselling. It is very important to know one's HIV status and our registered nurse can draw blood and give confidential results in a matter of ten minutes. We also offer pre and post counselling for anyone who is tested. The organization has trained counsellors (Xhosa, English and Afrikaans speaking) who can give free social and psychological support to individuals and families affected and infected with HIV/AIDS.
• Recently the Council has run workshops at various locations such as Oakhill School, Die Werkswinkel, Epilepsy South Africa, Knysna Municipality, the Department of Education, the South African Police Service, and the Department of Correctional Services.
• The Department of Health contracted Knysna Aids Council to offer the Southern Cape-Karoo region with an HIV/AIDS awareness programme. PEAP (Prevention Employees Awareness Program) has been carried out at the different Departments in the region i.e. Health Department, Department of the Premier, Agriculture, Community Safety, Treasury., Social Services, Housing, Cultural Affairs and Sports, Environmental Affairs, Western Cape Education Dept., Local Government and Economic Affairs and Tourism Dept.
• Condom distribution.
• Hosting a Survivors support group which meets weekly at the Council's offices at No. 34 Queen Street.
• Delivering supplies daily to soup kitchens at Smutsville, the Hillview Project, Ruigtevlei Primary School, and the Knysna Provincial Hospital's anti-retroviral clinic.
• Providing food, toys, clothing and other supplies to Magdaleentjie Pre Primary School and an after-school care centre run by local resident Nombulelo Fanti in the Concordia area of Knysna. We are also bringing support to Sophie's, an after-school care centre in Sedgefield. This care centre welcomes 85 children within its doors and is currently very under-funded. One of KAC's many goals is to raise funds to sponsor the children at Sophie's.
• Sunshine's Garden, a community vegetable garden tended by members of the
Survivors group.
• Supporting a Mother to Child Transmission Programme (MCTC), to minimize the risk of HIV infections among newborns. This programme is held at various clinics and KAC used to employ the counsellors running the project. These counsellors are now separate from Knysna Aids Council but the clinics still receive the support from KAC. For example, we work with Olga of the Presbyterian Church, who collects nappies, milk and other supplies for mothers, which are then distributed by KAC to the mothers enrolled in the programme. Last year, ladies from the Saint Boniface Catholic Church managed to collect 350 bay bottles which were also distributed to the mothers in need.
• Working with Elaine Goldberg of the Wool Shop in Knysna, who donates patterns to local knitters who have made almost 600 jerseys for children of families affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Working with Knysna Rotary who has in the past helped the Council to buy a computer and also other supplies such as nappies.
• Liaising with other organisations including municipal health clinics, Knysna Hospice, the Department of Health, and the W.C Networking AIDS Communities of South Africa (NACOSA).
• Working with Mike Syme from TRIASX in Australia. Since July 2006, he has been funding some projects run by KAC and thanks to his generosity and involvement with the Council, we have been able to bring monthly food, dental care and toiletry supplies to Nobumlelo Fanti's care centre, Madgaleentje's Pre Primary school, the ARV clinic and the Lydia project in Sedgefield.
At the beginning of 2006, the Council was only able to employ four paid members of staff. With the opening of the non-medical site and general growth, Knysna Aids Council's staff has expanded to 9 dedicated people working on a full time basis., on a very minimal wage. Every year the Council assists thousands of people with it's large range of services and support.
Here is a list of the various HIV and AIDS related services and support the Council offers throughout the Knysna region:
• Organising and running HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaigns in the Greater Knysna area. We regularly hold talks about HIV/AIDS in schools, shops, prisons, etc. There have also been various workshops organized for staff at businesses, schools, churches, and government organisations. Awareness and prevention are imperative to fight against HIV and AIDS. The Council also has many pamphlets available to the general public, discussing topics from testing to treatment.
• Free HIV testing and counselling. Since August 2006, we are very excited to be able to offer rapid HIV testing and counselling. It is very important to know one's HIV status and our registered nurse can draw blood and give confidential results in a matter of ten minutes. We also offer pre and post counselling for anyone who is tested. The organization has trained counsellors (Xhosa, English and Afrikaans speaking) who can give free social and psychological support to individuals and families affected and infected with HIV/AIDS.
• Recently the Council has run workshops at various locations such as Oakhill School, Die Werkswinkel, Epilepsy South Africa, Knysna Municipality, the Department of Education, the South African Police Service, and the Department of Correctional Services.
• The Department of Health contracted Knysna Aids Council to offer the Southern Cape-Karoo region with an HIV/AIDS awareness programme. PEAP (Prevention Employees Awareness Program) has been carried out at the different Departments in the region i.e. Health Department, Department of the Premier, Agriculture, Community Safety, Treasury., Social Services, Housing, Cultural Affairs and Sports, Environmental Affairs, Western Cape Education Dept., Local Government and Economic Affairs and Tourism Dept.
• Condom distribution.
• Hosting a Survivors support group which meets weekly at the Council's offices at No. 34 Queen Street.
• Delivering supplies daily to soup kitchens at Smutsville, the Hillview Project, Ruigtevlei Primary School, and the Knysna Provincial Hospital's anti-retroviral clinic.
• Providing food, toys, clothing and other supplies to Magdaleentjie Pre Primary School and an after-school care centre run by local resident Nombulelo Fanti in the Concordia area of Knysna. We are also bringing support to Sophie's, an after-school care centre in Sedgefield. This care centre welcomes 85 children within its doors and is currently very under-funded. One of KAC's many goals is to raise funds to sponsor the children at Sophie's.
• Sunshine's Garden, a community vegetable garden tended by members of the
Survivors group.
• Supporting a Mother to Child Transmission Programme (MCTC), to minimize the risk of HIV infections among newborns. This programme is held at various clinics and KAC used to employ the counsellors running the project. These counsellors are now separate from Knysna Aids Council but the clinics still receive the support from KAC. For example, we work with Olga of the Presbyterian Church, who collects nappies, milk and other supplies for mothers, which are then distributed by KAC to the mothers enrolled in the programme. Last year, ladies from the Saint Boniface Catholic Church managed to collect 350 bay bottles which were also distributed to the mothers in need.
• Working with Elaine Goldberg of the Wool Shop in Knysna, who donates patterns to local knitters who have made almost 600 jerseys for children of families affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Working with Knysna Rotary who has in the past helped the Council to buy a computer and also other supplies such as nappies.
• Liaising with other organisations including municipal health clinics, Knysna Hospice, the Department of Health, and the W.C Networking AIDS Communities of South Africa (NACOSA).
• Working with Mike Syme from TRIASX in Australia. Since July 2006, he has been funding some projects run by KAC and thanks to his generosity and involvement with the Council, we have been able to bring monthly food, dental care and toiletry supplies to Nobumlelo Fanti's care centre, Madgaleentje's Pre Primary school, the ARV clinic and the Lydia project in Sedgefield.
