Masoyi Home Based care has been selected to serve as a Sub-Recipient to implement the CSS (Community Systems Strengthening) interventions with religious leadership structures/platforms (i.e. Christians, Muslims, Rastafarian, etc.), as well as Traditional Leaders, to conduct community outreach work with vulnerable populations, in the Ehlanzeni and Nkangala District within the Mpumalanga Province, for the next three years, starting from July 2016 to March 2019.
Masoyi Home Based Care will be responsible for conducting dialogues with religious & traditional leadership structures/platforms, to discuss/address the drivers that influence the patriarchal underpinning of discrimination & GBV , and Conduct community outreach work with vulnerable populations (residents of informal settlements, the unemployed, refugees) – to provide a HIV, TB prevention education.
Community workers under Masoyi Home Based Care will conduct awareness campaigns and door to door visits with residents of informal settlements, the unemployed and refugees. The Community workers will be working in two districts and chooses municipalities with high prevalence and also saturate wards.

 

Following a Previous post, here is more of what the young people do:

Another session conducted is Center stage; where participant do different categories like drama “theatre”, music, poetry, and dance. The aim of this session is to do team building, encourage them to work together as a team. The participants need to group themselves into four or five groups and choose any categories that will perform on stage.

The center stage it’s an entertainment show where most of the teenagers enjoy watching other participants doing something interesting and encouraging either at assembly or community hall. The importance of conducting this session it helps them to be punctuality, stay positive, know how to socialize and have confidence.

Some group presented a drama that was titled “conflict at school” they were presenting to their peers show casing their talents on acting “theatre” and they were impressed.

We also did out door games at the sports ground. There were games that they were participating to; they were playing games where they compete to each other until one team wins. The Importance of this game was helping the peers to understand what it means to work as a team? What does it mean to do team building; And supporting each other and never give up.

More from Frank & Ruthie’s April newsletter:

R. is another patient of Hovy’s who lives alone in a shack. He is a very gentle man, who loves the Lord. He was working and building himself a house before he got sick with TB.  I prayed for him, gave him a Bible and food. I try to leave scriptures with patients also.

M. is another TB victim who has 4 children but lost his job when he got sick.  He need transport money to return to Themba Hospital for treatment. We helped him with this and left him food and a Bible.

D. is a sweet, happy young lady who lost her hearing from MDR TB treatment, which I’ve heard can be a side effect. She was told her hearing will return when she is finished treatment. She stays with her brother. We left them food and prayer.

N. is a mom we met last year. She has an adorable 4 yr. old who was sick.  I drove her to the ASM clinic. They checked him and felt it was not serious and gave her some medications. We then drove her home to Jerusalem.

From Frank and Ruthie Wey:

Yesterday, Bethuel in Legogote told us about an eight-year old who stayed with her granny right down the road from the clinic. She was raped by an HIV+ man. So very horrible!  Bethuel and some others were going to the police station to protest the abuse of children. Thank God the man has been arrested.  This is a far too common occurrence here.

L. is a woman with one child expecting her 2nd. She is from Maputo, Mozambique, so has no ID. Without one she can get no child grants for her children. Her husband has 2 children. His first wife passed away. Louise was telling us of the extravagant cost to go to Mozambique and try to get her birth certificate when one of the practicals simply suggested she marry her “husband”. This would be free and her children would get an ID.  L. did accept Jesus and was happy to get a Bible and some food.

M. N. is also in Mahushu. She is an elderly woman living alone. She has defaulted on her ARV’s and has sores all over body.  Her son passed away 4 mos. ago after defaulting. M.also has TB. We took her to the clinic and waited a couple hours while she was given injections and medications. We then took her back home. Cynthia explained her medications to her and to a kind neighbor and we left food.

For the last few months, more than half the volunteers in Masoyi have had no incentive payments of any kind… It is hard to imagine what that means.  For some, there may be someone in the family in work; for some, there may be a child grant; for some, there will be nothing.

Please pray that the Government scheme that pays a small stipend to those serving the community will re-start this month (it is supposed to be paid from May to January), and that there will be further funding from a grant application.

News from Frank and Ruthie:

Gogo S is a woman from Mozambique, whom we met in Jerusalem. She is on ARV’s and has a painful right hip. Apparently her husband used to beat her with a wooden stick. Thank the Lord he is no longer staying with her. We gave her a Bible, prayer and some food and she was very grateful.

 

We have visited L twice. She is on ARV’s but not recovering well. She has a similar story of a husband, who refuses to be checked for HIV or take ARV’s. Thus her health is at great risk. I encouraged her to pray that the Lord would change her husband. Apparently his family has tried to convince him but to no avail.

 

We also met L N in Jerusalem. She is a very pretty, young woman from Swaziland on ARV’s. She has a little girl about 8. They both speak English very well. Her little girl had a “I’d rather be in New York” shirt on! I told her that’s where we were from! She smiled and she and her friend accompanied us to the Venture to get food for her Mom. The girls hugged me and touched my hair and we took pictures. I’m concerned for the girl as her Mom is very thin and Hovy is worried about her. She insists she is fine but had a fever last time I saw her. Praying for her.