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Our Vision and Mission ExCo The Management Team Our Trustees The Chairman’s Report Spiritual Report General Manager Services Report Living Grace Report Living Way Report Living Care Report Living Right Report Social Work Report Volunteer’s Report Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting Report
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Our
Vision We Seek to bring the hope and compassion of Jesus Christ to the chronically sick and dying in a holistic way and do all we can to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Our
Mission To spread the good news of Jesus Christ in a life- changing way and to encourage people to follow Him.
To play a vital role in the prevention, care treatment and support of people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS and other chronic illnesses.
To undertake community development, inter alia through educational, social and health related programmes.
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ExCo
Back Row from left: Graham Haddad (Acting Senior Chaplain), John V Thomas (Chairman), Peter Hawksley (Living Services Manager), Peter Lovick (Living Grace Manager) Front Row: Avril Thomas (Living Right Manager), Richard Lundie (Living Way Manager), Leigh Snyman (Living Care Manager)
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Management
Back Row from left: Don Sayers (M&E Manager), Graham Haddad (Acting Senior Chaplain), John V Thomas (Chairman), Peter Hawksley (Living Services Manager), Peter Lovick (Living Grace Manager), Mike Talley (Volunteer Coordinator) Middle Row: Eric Watlington ( Marketing & PR), Coleen Adams (HR Manager), Jess Ollis (Social Worker), Sandy Lovick (Health Care Centre Manager) Front Row: Des Cramer (Maintenance Manager), Avril Thomas (Living Right Manager), Richard Lundie (Living Way Manager), Leigh Snyman ( Nursing Services Manager), Jessica Bennet (Finance Manager)
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LIVING HOPE TRUSTEES 2009/10 J V Thomas T Gray Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and senior pastor of the King of Kings Baptist Church. Holds a BA(Hons) Psych U.P., Lic Theology (Baptist Seminary) and Bible Institute Certificate.
Jeremy Koeries
Retired chartered financial planner
B Robertson Retired Professor of Nursing. Holds DLitt et Phil (UNISA)
Pastor of Ocean View Baptist
D Mkwezo
Graham Haddad
Metro Policeman and Chairman of the
Missionary
Masiphumelele Health Forum.
K Begg
H Van Niekerk
Managing member of a business consulting company. Previously Hospital Manager within the Netcare Group of Companies. Holds a MBChB (UCT) and FCPHM (SA)
Reg. Community Nurse and Radio Announcer
R Amansure
R P Jackson
Director of Africlinics and Past President – S.A Mercy Ships
Treasurer. Retired Chartered Accountant. CA(SA)
R Wood Principal of the Desmond Tutu Foundation for ARV’s.Holds Professorship Stanford University and the M. Med UCT
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Chairman’s report: Living Hope Trust 2010
‘Change’ is a concept we often struggle with, but if well managed, it can catapult us into new directions which we were fearful to explore. Living Hope has certainly gone through a number of changes during the past year, but by the grace of God these have turned out to be very positive. We thank God for the continued opportunity of serving Him and the people in the greater geographic area in which He has placed us. Living Hope continues to be a Non-Profit Organisation which thankfully is impacting the community in which it serves. It is great to have served a total of 18,702 patients, clients and children during the past year. HIV is a disease which changes so fast and the associated management of our response to the disease needs to changes equally as fast. Living Hope almost has to reinvent itself every two years to stay on the cutting edge. It is interesting how a virus (called HIV) gets along so well with a bacterium (called TB); the two really seem to have become inseparable in our area and therefore our response to both needs to be inseparable. Not only do we have HIV and TB as a major disease burden in the Western Cape, but we also have the other major disease burden which is that of Substance Abuse. Interestingly, Substance Abuse is a major causative factor of HIV! With God’s help, Living Hope is moving forward in seeking to tackle these major disease burdens and using these as an opportunity to reach out to needy people in whatever situation they find themselves. The change last year of integrating the various Ministries of Living Care, Living Right, Living Grace and Living Way has gone extremely well and the ExCo team have functioned well as a strong unit. It has been great to see how closely connected the range of the services we offer are to the actual needs of the people we seek to serve. On the financial front, we had a lot of change and in particular, the huge cut of nearly US$350,000 per annum from PEPFAR could have had major closure ramifications. However, we stepped out in faith, God has honoured that faith and we have come through and finished the financial year in a positive situation. Each year, as I look at the challenges ahead I have no idea of how we are going to get there but our financial records bare testimony to the fact that God has been faithful in all of our needs. We will continue with God’s help to offer the best possible care, to do all we can to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, to bring hope and healing to those who are poor and needy, to the outcasts of our society and to break the bondages of oppression which substance abuse, poverty and disease brings. This is done through lots of hard work, compassionate care, upliftment and through bringing the very clear hope found in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We must do everything we can to help overcome disease, poverty and oppression. With God’s help we will.
To each of you who have been partners, friends, donors, volunteers and helpers may you know great joy as you read this report of what God has done through you. 6|P a ge
My personal thanks go to the entire staff team, volunteers, ExCo and Trustees. To our founding parent, King of Kings Baptist Church, we thank God for your vision and ongoing support.
God bless you
John V Thomas Chairperson of Living Hope Trust
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Spiritual Report “Praise be to the God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth in a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” 1 Peter 1:3 – 5. Thank God for the strength and wisdom that He has provided to us in the spiritual ministry of Living Hope. God blessed us by adding Graham Haddad (a trustee) during March 2010 as Acting Senior Chaplain and he has been such a blessing and so helpful. Ministry Opportunities We have had many opportunities to share the gospel amongst the patients, staff and in the surrounding communities. It’s pleasing to see some of our clients walking with the Lord. For those who did not respond we are not discouraged as they had the opportunity to hear the Gospel. We pray that God may continue to use others to share the love of God to them. In reaching out to many people, it has given us the opportunity to partner and refer those who accepted the Lord to the various Pastors and Churches we serve.These partnerships with the local churches continue to be developed and strengthened. Training It is a blessing to be involved in evangelism training in the Masiphumelele branch. During this training members of the staff have had a chance to be involved and through it we have seen people commit their lives to Christ and grow spiritually. Our future plans involve taking this training to all our other branches. Support Groups God is working in the support group and the facilitators have the opportunity on a regular basis to
encourage their support group’s members spiritually. We have received many testimonies
from them in regards to God answering prayer.
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Challenge Our challenge remains in the words of Jesus “the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few.” We continue to need God’s help and acknowledge our dependence on Him as we reach out with a heart of compassion to touch the communities we serve. We pray that we will continue to spread the Truth in knowing the Truth, people will be set free.
Nolo Mzizana Chaplain
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General Manager Services Report The theme running through this report is “change”. It has been said that one of the only constants in life is “change” and Living Hope continues to bear witness to the truth of that statement. The challenge is that in the climate of continual “change”, to remain committed to steward effectively the resources God has given to us. This through the generous support of our donors and grantors that we receive on behalf of those we serve. It is with this in mind that we continually strive to be efficient in the usage of all our resources (money, personnel, time) in order for all our programmes to deliver maximum impact in the communities of the Deep South Peninsula of the Western Cape. This has not been an easy this year with funding cuts and a world economy that has struggled to shrug off the effects of a disastrous 2009, but in this challenging, changing time the constant has remained, God is Faithful. In this 2010 fiscal year Living Hope used 88% of each Rand raised towards benefitting the people we serve, thus continuing to keep administration costs down. It is our goal to further reduce these costs through more efficient structures in order for programmes to be resourced more adequately. (For a more detailed Financial Report see Audited Financial Statements; Appendix A.) Living Hope has experienced some staff restructuring in and through its programmes, but this has not slowed us down but encouraged us to become more innovative in order address the opportunities which on a daily basis surround us. This is testimony to the staff that instead of ministering to less people we have reached 12.5% more this year. This we year we continued with the Capri property by completing the road works and laying lawn where necessary. A huge thanks once again for the generous donation of one of our supporting churches who made this dream a reality. We keep looking to develop and establish the properties God has so miraculously provided us with. As we begin to plan and look at the next two to three years in the life of Living Hope we are well aware of the many “Giants” that we face, but this last year has proved that as we continually trust God and serve our communities with faithful hearts these “Giants” will be overcome. This is the second year in a row that we have suspended salary increases rather than retrenching staff. To all the staff at Living Hope who have sacrificed in this regard and rallied behind the mission and vision regardless of the cost, my gratitude for making my task easier, God will prove Himself Faithful. To all of Living Hope’s staff, volunteers, trustees, partners, and donors thank you for a wonderful year of ministry undertaken, challenges faced, and opportunities taken in which lives have been changed for the Gospel.
Peter Hawksley General Manager 10 | P a g e
Living Grace Report It has been the privilege of Living Grace to reach-out to the homeless and the hungry and to respond to the challenge of Scripture found in Isaiah 58 : 7. Perhaps summed up in a happy encounter with an old client who said to Joan de Jager after enquiring as to his welfare, “ag Aunty Joan I’m ok now, thank you to Living Grace for showing me Jesus and giving me food everyday when I was homeless”. This short contact brought much encouragement to staff and volunteers knowing that the core vision statement was again seen in the flesh as Living Grace (still continues day by day) to seek to transform the shattered lives of the destitute through the love of Jesus. Homeless Programme We offer two meals per day, blankets, clothing, ablution and laundry facilities together with daily devotions, Bible study, discipleship classes and support groups. Client faces change but the message of redemption through Jesus Christ continues. More and more do voluntary work at the centre and from these they are invited to apply for other employment opportunities like street cleaning. Of concern is the increasing numbers of children under 6 years of age accompanied by a single parent. Food Share Programme We have been concerned for many months regarding vulnerable groups like young children and aged persons who cannot come to the Centre at Muizenberg for meals. A decision was made that any extra food items received would be taken to Capricorn or Masiphumalele and Living Hope would distribute via the Support Group Facilitators and Home Based Carers. In this way we have been able to get food to the more vulnerable and also empower people to cook for themselves and look after dependents in the home. It is hoped to expand this service in the next financial year. MID Project (Muizenberg Improvement District) The street cleaning project has again proved to be a very valuable restoration “tool” at Living Grace. It has undergone slight alteration in that cleaners are now offered a six month contract with the understanding that they are to seek improved employment and that the street cleaning contract is only a stepping stone to improved opportunities. The shorter contract period also gives other clients opportunity of employment and assistance. The 6 cleaners and 1 supervisor clean 40
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streets and Living Grace has received many calls of thanks from the public for this service. A word of appreciation is expressed to MID for their continued support. Volunteers Volunteers in large and smaller groups have had very positive impact on the programmes and clients. Special mention is made of groups from YWAM and the USA Baptist churches that have sent enthusiastic volunteers who have got involved in spring cleaning, maintenance, conducting of devotions, guitar lessons and individual counseling of clients. Their outreach has made a difference in many lives. Partners Conference It has been a tremendous privilege to have enjoyed meeting the many loyal supporters of Living Hope and Living Grace in the USA in Feb 2010. Brentwood Baptist sponsored the General Manager to the annual Partners Conference held in Nashville Tennessee and was given the opportunity to address the conference regarding work being done at Living Grace. This address was most positively received and many donations in kind have been received in response to appeals made. Vehicle We are delighted to report that a UK donor responded to our need for a vehicle listed on the Living Grace website and his donation of UK ÂŁ5,000.00 enabled us to purchase a Renault Kangoo 1.4 Panelvan. The vehicle has enabled increased and improved collection and delivery of donations in the south peninsula.
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Recovery Programme Living Grace provide the following programmes focused at recovery from chemical dependency. Awareness Programmes (Youth) Information Programmes (Local Communities) Training Programmes ( Trade Union and Community Leaders) Parent Counseling Addiction evaluation and assessment Referral to treatment Aftercare programmes Substance Abuse in the Workplace: The training of 300 shop-stewards from trade unions affiliated to COSATU (Congress of South Africa Trade Unions) continues. From this training many referrals for counseling and further requests for substance abuse information seminars are received. There is a marked increase for individual case management and counseling as waiting periods at treatment centres increase. Application for funding to Dept. Social Development in Nov 09 is still awaiting approval. This will be to establish an Out-Patients Treatment Programme in Muizenberg. Statistics Clients
Males 12,854
Meals
15,489
Devotions
880
Support Groups, Bible study & Discipleship classes
222
Food Parcels issued
1,161
Blankets and clothing issued
306
Clients counseled.
420
Clients – off the street
23 estimated
COSATU Training Programmes
6 Workshops = 180 delegates
Food Share Programme
48 crates
Females 2,378
Children (u 6 yrs) 257
Peter Lovick Living Grace Manager
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Living Way Report What a blessed year! We have seen such encouraging growth and development within Living Way. Again we reflect that it is not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit that Living Way has achieved these various things reported below. We are grateful for His provision of resources and tireless volunteers who have been part of the team in achieving the goals that have been set. Living Way has had good refining during this year. We have been more purposeful and strategic about our core goal of reaching people for Jesus. This takes different forms in different programmes and has included using the Alpha course, integrating Biblical content within the curriculum, devotions and prayer time. Another key area of growth has been the closer integration across the ministries within Living Hope. We are always exploring ways of growing closer together as a family. Living Way has adjusted its strategic themes to be the following: • To equip people with the thinking tools to live productive lives • To empower and train small business owners to be sustainable in providing for themselves and others • To increase employment through guidance, referrals and access to training Thinking Tools The training course Steps 2 Excellence has been growing well. The course encourages people to change their thinking and free themselves up to reach higher levels of performance. Through a partnership with Grassroots in Johannesburg, Living Way is part of a team of trainers that is preparing 200 people for learnerships in the retail sector. The Worker Readiness school curriculum was finished during this year. This course prepares people for work by equipping them with the soft skills needed to get a job, keep a job and grow in their career. We piloted the course in April 2010 and the results are very encouraging. We are looking to expand this course to be running on an ongoing basis. Business owners One of our goals is to prepare people to start their own business. This year we ran two groups and have seen some encouraging growth in the lives and businesses of the participants. The course consists of 6 days of training over a 3 week period and focuses on the basics of business. Enterprise development is a new programme that we are using to develop self-sustainable businesses. Through funding from the department of Social Development, Living Way was tasked to relaunch a disposable nappy/diaper manufacturing business. This has been a huge learning curve for all involved – as we focus on developing the seven ladies in the business as well as instituting sound business practices.
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Agribusiness training started this year, with over 200m2 of the campus being used as a farm classroom. Students learn how to farm and how to run their farm like a business. Members of the Living Right support groups are part of this group and it is encouraging to see the vegetables growing and being used within the Living Hope family. Guidance, referrals and access to training The campus has been utilized for a variety of purposes. Evangeline Ministries has continued to be an incredible blessing to the ladies that are trained how to sew and use computers. Zizamele Ceramics has now started the Noordhoek Pottery Village, with people being trained in the various methods and styles of ceramics. ITPC has been training people in basics and advanced computer training, with the graduates being placed in jobs. Farflung trained women in high end art and craft work. Life Exchange is working with high-risk youth to help them get out of their dangerous lifestyles. The campus There has not yet been any clarity regarding our lease for the campus. It is anticipated that the city council will make a decision by the end of 2010. Please continue to pray with us for this as it has proven tricky to plan the year without having security of tenure. The future There are many positive developments on the horizon as we look to the 2010/11 year. The Worker Readiness school is on the verge of being piloted and spreading to reach more people. There will be a bakery on campus for training and to develop entrepreneurial bakers. As we plan for the future and look to secure funding for these programmes, we are reminded of Psalm 121, knowing that our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. To Him be the honour and the glory.
Richard Lundie Living Way Manager
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Living Care Report “Proverbs 3:6 ‘Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way.” What is Palliative care and why are here doing it? The verb "palliate" means "to reduce the violence of (a disease)", or "to moderate the intensity of" a disease process (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1979). Root word meanings include "to shield", "to cloak", "to conceal", and "to protect". Palliative care, then, is properly understood as the means of shielding and protecting patients from the violence of disease, especially the violence of disease at the end of life. The World Health Organization defines palliative care as "the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. Control of pain, other symptoms, and of psychological, social, and spiritual problems, is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families" (World Health Organization, 1990). Http:\\medicine.uab.edu\Palliative Care\UAB Center for Palliative Care - FAQs - What is Palliative Care.mht.2007/05/10. The best quality of life is knowing that salvation is ours through Christ Jesus. I believe that each and every member of the Palliative Care team is here to share Christ with those who need to hear the good news. Our way of sharing may not include sharing a bible verse but that warm plate of food, clean ward, smile and gentle care can go a long way in making people feel comfortable and open to hear about Christ Jesus. Developments within Living hope in the last 12 months Daily devotions both in the Health Care Centre (HCC) and Home Based Care (HBC) remain a vital part of daily activities. Many thanks to the teams like Brentwood Baptist and Extreme Response who came to organise retreats with staff and Christmas parties. These events not only bring about spiritual refreshment and renewal but also encourage and motivate staff. Our chaplain along with the care staff evangelises and minister to the patients and I am happy to add that a great number has accepted Christ as their saviour.
The Palliative Care team have been busy preparing for what we hoped was our last HPCA survey prior to the commencement of the Council of Health Services Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA) process. This past year has seen us refining our policies and systems regarding food and housekeeping services as these needed to comply with the Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) 16 | P a g e
standards. During the HPCA survey in August, Living hope achieved excellent results in all our service elements in terms of improvements made. However, the task of overseeing the Food Services, which is a huge task, was outsourced to an established company that have all the necessary systems and protocols in place that comply with both HPCA and the Department of Health expectations. Training of staff has always been a priority. Two registered nurses have successfully completed the HPCA Palliative Care short course and 5 carers were trained in basic Palliative Care principles. Staff received training on numerous topics throughout the year, both in-service training and training by external training providers. Health Care Centre The HCC continued to do well under the management of Rene Bates. This lovely lady with her great servant heart worked diligently to ensure the smooth running of the unit throughout the year. Thanks Rene. One of our senior nursing sisters, Kitty Yon also retired towards the end of October 2009. She however still assists us on a temporary basis. Dr. Croxford who served at Living Hope as doctor, and really cared for the people and gave so much of himself, resigned February 2010. Thanks doctor for your dedication and hard work. Dr. Govindasamy, a lovely young lady and brilliant doctor is filling his position temporarily, until a suitable replacement if appointed. Home Base care Home Base Care services under the capable management of Nazeema De Villiers are doing well, has and have successfully complied with the Department of health plans of a family centred approach. Child health was included in our care package along with school health. The patient advocate programme which aims at ensuring ARV readiness and adherence commenced in Capricorn and the patient list showed a number of 200. This programme is going well despite challenges and dwindling patient numbers due to poor adherence. Cathy Boothroyd resigned in June 2009 and was replaced by the lovely Gayna Balestra in October 2009. Welcome to the team Gayna.
Challenges • •
Finding registered nurses and a doctor who knows and love the Lord remains a challenge. Staff safety remains an issue in all areas.
Developments in Palliative care in the country •
Financial sustainability is still of vital importance and is getting more attention than just being itemised on agenda’s during meetings. 17 | P a g e
• •
Palliative Care for the elderly has come under the spot light and HPCA is looking at how hospices can advocate and care for the elderly as well. Advocacy in action is a prime focus for HPCA and a lot of work is being done in this area.
The last year and has been a great blessing to me. The people I work with have been a tremendous support and they are such wonderful friends. Thank you for holding the fort during my confinement with young master Nathan Snyman. I am grateful for the privilege of working at Living Hope and working with such capable and committed ladies like Nazeema, Rene and the rest of the team.
Leigh Snyman Living Care Manager
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Living Right Report Change… change… change! It certainly has been a year of change in all areas of the Living Right ministry and I am grateful to the Lord for the wonderful staff team that has stayed fixed on the Lord Jesus and on the vision and mission of Living Hope, and committed to serve those in need in our communities. The one change that has affected ALL of our team has been that of moving into our new offices on the Capri site in January 2010! We are so proud of our facilities! The building works so well, is well equipped and it has changed all of our meetings and training sessions. Thank you so much to our very generous donors and all those involved in making it a warm and comfortable place where so many “connections” take place. LIFE SKILLS PROGRAMME •
In April 2009 we received the news that PEPFAR were not going to fund our abstinence based programme and associated people as of 1 October 2009. After much soulsearching, prayer and creative planning some of the Life Skill Educator staff left to follow where the Lord was leading them while the remaining 19 chose to accept the challenge of trusting the Lord for their monthly salaries. A fundraising DVD was made and so our journey into trusting the Lord for our needs as a department began. God has been SO faithful and we are so grateful to Him and His people for the provision of funding that has seen us through thus far.
•
With a funding cut and less staff on the Life Skills team it would have seemed logical to cut down on our activities but, no, we expanded our regular activities. As of January 2010 we have launched: o A weekly ministry into 10 unofficial crèches in Masiphumelele. Besides providing a weekly age appropriate Life Skills programme, we meet weekly with the Mama’s of these crèches and supply them with a curriculum to follow in their creches, one-on-one mentoring during the week and we have partnered with another organisation “Wordworks” in providing weekly Grade R literacy training with the Mama’s of the crèches and the 48 children who attend these crèches who are due to start formal schooling in 2011. It has been an extremely exciting programme and such a joy to see the development of the compassionate Mama’s who care for these children. Through this ministry we seek to impact children as young as possible with the love of Jesus, educational skills to reduce their vulnerability during the start of the formal schooling process and to equip the Mama’s to be more effective educators to the many in their care both now and into the future. o A teens outreach programme and afternoon teens clubs. Our target age group had been 4 – 14 year olds, but realising vulnerability of so many of our children at the end of 2009, as they either went to Grade 8 or became 15 years old, we were challenged to continue to support these children who we had begun a journey with over the past few years. We have an outreach team who do drama’s, give testimonies and talks on sexuality, substance abuse and about making good choices with your life in high schools, colleges and at community outreaches. Teen clubs are now held in each area that we work in twice per week and teen holiday club programmes are being run during the holidays. We praise the Lord for not only the numerical but spiritual growth that is taking place in the lives of teens. It is our intension to encourage spiritual discipleship 19 | P a g e
and maturity, and good leadership skills which will result in good and Godly community leadership in years to come. o Our afternoon children’s clubs had to unfortunately be cut down from four times per week to twice per week. In some areas this has affected the number of children attending on a regular basis but it has given us more intimate and impactful times with those who do attend. o A parenting skills workshop. Over the years that we have worked with the children we realised the great need to provide parenting skills to parents who were having to cope with a changed lifestyle, constantly changing technology, media pressure, different roles to what they were familiar with and an environment with no boundaries. At the end of 2009 we held four months of focus meetings to assess the needs of the parents and to draw up a relevant curriculum for the parents in our area, based on Biblical principles and values. o The “Wait 4 Me” programme during the year and held another successful “Wait 4 Me” concert in July 2009, at which over 800 children committed to abstain from sex until marriage. o The “Eve project” and distributing feminine hygiene pads to girls who attend our clubs in order to keep them at school during their menstrual cycle. o Sports events during the two middle terms of the school term and held a most successful inter-branch soccer festival at the Noordhoek soccer fields in September 2009. o Weekly training every Friday for all the Life Skill Educators, which has really raised the standard of our output and increased the capacity of the staff. •
Our sincere thanks to all the many long-term and short-term volunteers, and visiting teams who have worked alongside our Life Skills team over the past year. Without their commitment to our vision and their willingness to share their skills and expertise with us, we would not have been able to sustain and grow this effective ministry in the way in which it has grown. Thank you for giving to the Lord and sacrificially sharing your lives with us – because of you we have been greatly encouraged and are stronger in our ministry.
COUNSELLING PROGRAMME •
Over the past year there have also been many changes in the HIV testing and counselling field and our staff have adapted admirably to the changing targets, reporting templates, protocols and posts.
•
Of the 21 counsellors, 4 are working as permanent Adherence counsellors, 3 on our mobile testing team and the remainder as HIV counsellors in the 5 clinics, 2 satellite clinics and 2 hospitals that we serve.
•
We are grateful to our funders PAWC, PEPFAR, Stellenbosch University and HPCA for their financial contribution in order to run this programme. We have also networked and partnered with other organisations through this programme which has resulted in strengthening our work and the service provided to our clients.
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•
As this programme and its protocols change, it is clear that we will need to become more integrated in our approach and activities, and to always keep in step with the latest developments in the medical field, and the needs of our community.
SUPPORT GROUP PROGRAMME •
The number of people regularly attending our weekly support groups has exceeded 760. I believe that this form of ministry has the potential to become one of the most effective ministries in reaching people with the love of Jesus in their own environment on a regular basis. Through this ministry many have come to know Jesus in a personal way and have been referred to local churches where they can grow and be discipled in their new found faith.
•
With no additional funding for this programme we are constantly being creative in assisting more people to understand their disease and to receive the hope and compassion of Jesus. In some areas, we have begun to have larger gatherings and then divide into discussion groups, and in other areas we have shortened the length of time spent at each group in order to reach more people.
•
During this year chronic medication has been distributed to the support groups of Red Hill and Mez Wallach for which we are most excited. We look forward to distributing chronic medication to more groups during this coming year. This will be a most effective system of maintaining medicine adherence as local facilitators are immediately able to ensure that clients get their appropriate medication as well as relieving the clinics and hospitals of overcrowded waiting rooms.
As a Living Right team we have jointly hosted many visiting international teams during the past year and have grown through their ministry and support as we have visited people in our communities, arranged outreach events and celebrations, and worked closely with local churches in the areas in which we work. We count it a great privilege to serve our Lord together in this life-changing way. To God be the glory for all that has been achieved and for the wonderful committed team of lifechangers who make up the Living Right team – I am so privileged to be part of this team.
Avril Thomas Living Right Manager
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Social Work Report Our two social workers involve themselves as far as possible in each branch and department of Living Hope in terms of needs which arise: The Health Care Centre The Health Care Centre is an in-patient unit which provides treatment and care for 22 HIV/AIDS and TB patients. The facility also provides palliative care for patients who are terminally ill and when space permits, patients who are in need of respite care. Support Groups In August 2009, a Substance Abuse Awareness Seminar was held in Ocean View. From this seminar, a Support Group was formed for parents who were dealing with children abusing substances. The group provided a forum where parents were able share their experiences and encourage one another. The group was attended by 8 ladies, and ran until December 2009. Support Groups for teenage girls in Red Hill and Ocean View were formed in June 2009 to deal with various issues, such as sexual abuse. Groups are important to the healing and well being of these young girls. Red Hill Teenagers From June 2009 to December 2009, two groups of teenage girls were formed in Red Hill. Each group met once a week. Since January 2010, one group has been formed which meets twice a week. Ocean View Teenagers A group of teenagers in Ocean View was formed. Regular attendance since January 2010 has been by two teenagers. These girls are both dealing with the consequences of sexual abuse, so our time is focused on topics relevant to their healing in this area. Training A four session training programme was run for the Support Group Facilitators on how to facilitate a group; covering topics such as: keeping group members focused, encouraging group participation, understanding people’s behaviour in a group, defining the purpose and rules of your group, and helping group members work well together. Ocean View Open Day Assistance was given in planning the Living Hope Open Day in Ocean View, held on 30 March 2010. New initiatives were added to Ocean View’s Open Day such as eye testing, a prayer corner and games table.
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Staff Debriefing/Mentoring Monthly debriefing/mentoring sessions have been held with all the Support Group Facilitators, Home Based Carers, Life Skills Educators Life Skills Educators Training Covering topics such as: helping a child who has been sexually abused; substance abuse; and the Child Care Act. Networking with the Department of Social Development in Red Hill A working relationship has begun with the Department of Social Development in Red Hill. Since February 2010 members of their staff have been attending the Red Hill Volunteers Forum. Volunteers During the past year we have been blessed with input from a number of volunteers coming through our Health Care Centre and other programmes. Thank You.
Jess Ollis Social Work
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Volunteer Report We continue to see the blessing of the Lord in the growth of the volunteer department. It is amazing to witness how the Holy Spirit impresses on people’s hearts from all around the world to come serve alongside us. He always sends us just who we need at just the right time. Again this year we have increased the minimum time of service for several volunteer positions, but still the Lord has brought an increase. We will have 90 volunteers in 2010, up from 62 in 2009, an increase of 45%! Along with the increase in the number of individual volunteers, we have improved the quality of the service in two significant ways. One is that all volunteers in the life skills department now serve for a minimum of 90 days. This helps for building the relationships between the volunteer and the children and also between the volunteer and our regular paid staff, thus improving the effectiveness of Living Hope’s ministry in the community. The other significant improvement is that we have seen a dramatic increase in the number local volunteers. Local volunteers are here for a longer period of time, which represents stability to our paid staff and clients. Further, it is much quicker for them to adjust to the culture in the communities. In 2009 we only had 9 registered local volunteers, but in 2010 that number jumped to 31! While we know that part of this increase is due to better reporting methods, we also are aware that much of this improvement is truly an increase in the involvement of the local communities serving their neighbors. We have also witnessed the development of the Ambassador program in the US, which we hope will spread to other parts of the world. Our Ambassadors represent Living Hope to their home churches and communities all throughout the year, and will help us with many incentives such as the DAD program, recruiting long-term volunteers and other similar efforts. We currently have 6 Living Hope Ambassadors in the US. We have had a slight decrease in the number of teams that have ministered with us this year, from 32 in 2009 to 25 in 2010. This reduction in international teams is a direct result of two factors: the economic downturn in Western countries where many of our partners live, and the inflated cost of travel due to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. While the number of teams is less, we have had significant improvements in our team ministry at Living Hope. One of our goals for this year was to improve our team outreach strategy, building lasting partnerships between visiting teams and local churches. This program was only started in 2008 with just two “outreach teams”. In 2009, this number increased to 4, in 2010 there were 10, and we expect even more next year. The excitement in this is about more than just the number of outreach teams. This improves the relationships between Living Hope and our local church partners, but more significantly bridges the gap so that folks that come to Salvation through any of the various programs we conduct throughout the year are now easily referred to a partner church for discipleship. Our sharing the resources of our visiting teams with our local church partners will help lead to value, belief and behavior change in our communities. 24 | P a g e
Lastly, we are thrilled to share that the number of long-term international volunteers has risen from 16 in 2009 to 25 in 2010. These folks are here long enough to assimilate to the local culture and make a significant, meaningful contribution to the ministry of Living Hope. While none are permanent members of the management team, their dedication to our vision and mission are true indicators of their obedience to the Lord’s call. They are a tremendous blessing to the Lord’s ministry of Living Hope.
Mike Talley Volunteer Coordinator
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Monitoring and Evaluation Report
The 2009-10 year in a word is ‘change’.The data reporting requirements of some of Living Hope’s stakeholders has made for several changes to our collecting and reporting of activities on the ground. This has been particularly challenging in the Palliative Care and Health Counseling departments. These changes have made it difficult to compare year-to-year comparisons on our activities due to changes in the activities (or performance indicators) that are now being monitored. In order to keep the administration work-load to a minimum for various departments of Living Hope, the MER office has limited the number of indicators to keep the reporting requirements to a manageable level. It has been difficult finding the balance between work-load and tracking indicators, but we have managed to keep the donors ever-changing needs in mind and kept them satisfied in our reporting. The indicators chosen for this report were selected as primary performance indicators that reflect Living Hope’s reach and growth over the past three years. They are also the figures that have been consistently requested and defined by various stakeholders throughout the years. The figures show us that overall, Living Hope has improved or maintained its outreach despite funding cuts and restructuring challenges. The figures are good news overall and we look forward to including performance indicators of Living Way and Living Grace in the next report.
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Figure 1 The Health Care Centre stats show us that the number of patients cared for in the In-patient Unit have remained relatively constant. There is a very slight decrease this year over the last but can be explained by the better use of our Community Based Care givers and more robust admittance requirements for patients.
Figure 2
** Bed occupancy averages. Very close for the past 3 years. Averaging from a high of 88% last year to 85% this year. The bed occupancy has remained statistically consistent but slightly below our targets. The recent drop in bed occupancy in Feb, Mar and April are due to a more systematic and coordinated discharge policy between other health care facilities and Community Based Care givers.
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Figure 3 The number of patients has increased quite dramatically in our community based care program. These gains are largely due to some of Living Hope’s clinics now categorizing some of the services as palliative care. This happens when a patient is able to visit our clinic site to receive palliative-related care at one of Living Hope’s facilities. The data captured for the “Muizenberg” area also includes the large and impoverished area of Capricon where many patients receive ARV adherence counseling and treatment. There has been an increase in the number of patients in all of the communities that the Community Based Care givers work. This has helped improve community awareness of Living Hope’s services and has helped Living Hope identify special needs for referral to other government or medical programs.
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Figure 4
Overall the number of visits have increase disproportionately in the last year. This is mainly due to the inclusion of adherence support offered for ARV patients and the number of new outreaches that have been given to the general public in these areas. The number of patient visits is highest in the Muizenberg/Capricorn area even though the number of patients is lower than Masiphumelele (308 compared to 464). This is due to some of LH’s clinics providing Palliative Care related services from the clinic sites.
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Figure 5 The number of patients seen by the Health Counselors has remained relatively consistent throughout the years. The number of females receiving HIV related counseling and testing has always been higher and this year is no exception. Over twice as many females come for HIV counseling and testing compared to males. The figures this year are 3618 females and 1641 males. Although the number of people coming for testing this year has dropped slightly, the infection rate has increased dramatically. The confirmed HIV positive rate have increased from 13% last year to 25% this year!
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Figure 6 The life skills department has changed some of the outreach strategies and added a new “teen club” element to the prevention approach. The teen clubs has added the highest number of people to the program in the ‘Afternoon club’ category. Even though there has been a drastic cut in funding to this program by one of Living Hope’s stakeholders, Living Hope continues to work smarter to make the most of our opportunities. The teen clubs are critical so that behavior change can take place where behavior is often the riskiest.
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Figure 7 The support group clients in this graph include clients that have a variety of chronic diseases and meet on a regular basis for ongoing counseling, health education, psycho-social and spiritual support. When a client is newly diagnosed to be HIV+ they prefer to attend a group with other HIV+ clients to learn more about their disease, how to disclose their status in a safe environment and to participate in stigma reduction programmes. As the group members become more confident in understanding their disease they are happy to integrate with others suffering from other chronic diseases and to learn about other chronic diseases as well, and so they will transition as a group to become a chronic disease lifestyle support group. Clients with other chronic diseases are then added into this group. We have found this method of integration to be effective in reducing stigma and increasing the clients support of each other with whatever chronic disease.
Don Sayers Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
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