“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders He has done.� Psalm 78:4
INDEX
we will tell the next generation D Mkwezo: Metro Policeman and Chairman of the Masiphumelele Health the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. Forum.
Our Vision and Mission The Management Team Our Trustees The Chairman’s Report The General Manager’s Report Living Grace Report Living Way Report The Spiritual Report The Financial Report The Palliative Care Report The Prevention Report The Social Work Report The Volunteer’s Report The Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting Report The Building Report
we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
LIVING HOPE COMMUNITY CENTRE TRUSTEES 2008/9
Chairperson’s Report – John Thomas Living Hope has had a significant year of community impact and changed lives. It is incredible to think that we have touched the lives of 15,163 people during the past year. We are amazed at the faithfulness of God to us, the friendship of our donors and the dedication of our staff who make the work of Living Hope possible. We express our thanks and gratitude to all who have contributed in some way to the life of Living Hope over this past year. During the past year we have seen structural changes take place as we have incorporated two new departments into the Trust family: Living Way and Living Grace. It is great to see how the changes we made to the Constitution have opened the way for the greater Living Hope Family to extend its compassionate action and community development to serve those needs in our community that are not purely health related. With this restructuring, we are able to deal more effectively with the tragic influence on poverty throughout our communities in which we serve. We trust that Living Hope will continue to grow to see transformed lives in the Deep South of Cape Town. At the end of this financial year we had virtually completed the entire building process on our Capri property. This was made possible by the generosity of Brentwood Baptist Church. Our new buildings now equip us to be able to reach the people we desire by giving our staff excellent office and training facilities. A major development during the past year was the granting to us by the City of the facility we have named the Living Way Campus. This is an amazing campus, full of wonderful opportunities to provide skills training and economic development. We look forward to the time when it will be fully utilised and as busy as all our other facilities. My thanks to the Trustees of Living Hope for their tireless efforts and continual sacrifice in granting gratuitous services, wisdom and insight to the Trust. We also have some expert committees and people helping each of the departments find their way to growth and sustainability. Without of the work of our dedicated staff nothing would happen within the Living Hope family and so to each staff member we, as trustees, thank you most sincerely. We also give our thanks to Trevor Gray who has retired from his position of General Manager after 3 years of service. I have really appreciated Trevor’s strategic thinking, dedication and hard work during this period of growth and development of Living Hope.
God bless you all
John V Thomas Chairperson: Board of Trustees
Living Hope Report – Peter Hawksley The verse on the front cover of this annual report reflects how much we have to be thankful for to God, but also the responsibility that has been given to us to tell and inform the next generation of what God has done and will do. I thank all the staff, volunteers and ministry teams that have been involved in this ministry which has seen many lives touched for Christ and given a hope for the future. This year has seen many changes in our sites, staff and programme development. Sites This year we opened up our new facilities in Capricorn (Vrygrond) and we thank all who contributed to seeing this area becoming resourced effectively. The ministry in Red Hill has continued to expand and thanks to the teams which were involved in seeing that site being developed and providing space and cover for the work to continue in spite of any weather. Our Capri site has seen great expansion in the construction of our Chapel and Prevention Centre. (See report of Interim GM Gray). Staf Trevor Gray, our former General Manager, moved into a different portfolio in the life of Living Hope at the end of December 2008, managing the development of our new buildings in Capri, facilitating the change in structure of the Trust and continuing leadership in strategic planning. Moroesi Tsaoi, our senior chaplain, resigned in January 2009 to move back to Gauteng and return to pastoral ministry. Our current chaplain, Nolo Mzizana, has really blossomed in her role as the only chaplain. Our Finance and HR departments have expanded with the adding of an accountant and two new administration assistants. These additions have gone a long way in strengthening the support services of Living Hope. Portia Mgijima who started with Living Hope as a home based carer, moved to receptionist in 2005 and through studying and self-development has this year become a valued member of our Social Work Department as an Auxiliary Social Worker. One of our key priorities is to constantly encourage and develop our staff to reach their full potential in their work and in Christ. A big thank you to the management, staff and volunteers, without whom the task would not be possible! You are a pleasure to serve together with! Well done! Programme Development All areas of our programmes have developed and grown and we thank God for the continued influence He gives us. In the 9 communities that we now serve in, our response to the need that is all around us has also grown thanks to the Father. Our staff complement has grown this year from 155 to 182 which reflects our response to the needs of those communities. Finally, a huge thanks to all our generous donors and grantors who faithfully and even sacrificially provide us with the resources that allow Living Hope to continue to offer eternal HOPE to the communities around us. May you know God’s richest blessings. Peter Hawksley
Living Grace Report – Peter Lovick
Acting Deputy General Manager
Ephesians 2: 8 – 10 has been our experience during the reporting period. We certainly have seen the ‘Living’ grace of God at work in the lives of the clients and the staff. The Apostle Paul speaks of “being created in Christ to do good works” and this has been our privilege as we share in this unique and special Peter Hawksley ministry as management, staff and volunteers.
Acting General Manager
Homeless Programme Living Grace seeks to transform the shattered lives of the destitute through the love of Jesus and this vision remains at the core of our ministry. Reaching out in the name of Christ to the homeless with hot meals, blankets, clothing, ablution facilities, laundry facilities and lockers is our mission. In addition to meeting physical needs, Living Grace has provided support groups, social administration support, counselling, TB and HIV testing. It has been our delight to see many people move off the streets, regain their place in society and be reunited with family. This has been achieved through the dedicated support of the staff and volunteers. MID Project (Muizenberg Improvement District) The cleaning of the 40 central streets of Muizenberg by 6 staff remains a resounding success. It is anticipated that this project will be expanded so that more homeless people can be employed and thereby uplift themselves socially and economically. Big John Project It was with great excitement that people gathered at Living Grace on Friday, 22 nd August 2008, for the official handing over of the first bungalow units to the recipients. We were delighted to have Ed Newman, one of the initial USA promoters of the project, together with John Thomas, Senior Pastor and Chairman of the Fish Hoek Baptist Church Community Trust and his wife, Avril, with a number of staff from Living Hope head office join with us. A short power-point presentation was given by the Living Grace manager, Peter Lovick, in which he showed by way of photographs the construction process and introduced the recipients. A moving moment came when BIG JOHN himself came forward to hand over the keys. Clearly this was a very special moment for John de Jager who had been cherishing the vision of this project for more than a year. Photographs were taken and the wonderful smiles on the faces told a story of humble gratitude. Everyone gathered for this event agreed that this was a worthy project that needed to be continued and even expanded as the need for this type of dwelling is overwhelming. Volunteers The success of many of the Living Grace programmes is due to the sacrificial service given by volunteer teams and individuals. In October, a team from Brentwood Baptist Church came and installed a complete kitchen and upgraded the garden facilities with paving and garden furniture. Bibles were given to the Living Grace clients who had been involved in the construction work as a special thank-you gift. We are also most indebted to the Pastoral volunteers who faithfully lead devotions every day. Living Grace Recovery Programme In January, Living Grace was requested to take over the programmes and clients of the Fish Hoek Drug Crises and Information Centre. The programmes provide the following: o
Substance Abuse information and awareness programmes
o
Family support and counselling
o
Client assessments and referrals to appropriate treatment facilities
o
Preparation for entering treatment programmes (rehabilitation)
o
Counseling
o
Support Groups
o
After care support services.
Training: In February, a Service Agreement was signed with Department of Social Services to provide 10 seminars on Substance Abuse in the Workplace for 300 delegates from different Labour Unions. Trainees will be
between the ages 18 to 30 years. They will be selected for this training as part of their preparation as future leaders in commerce and business. Appointment: In June 2008, Peter Lovick was appointed General Manager of Living Grace. We are grateful to God and all our faithful donors, volunteers, staff and friends for support and prayers during the above mentioned year.
Peter Lovick Living Grace General Manager
Living Way Report - Richard Lundie This year has been one of exploration and piloting new ideas and programmes. From research to programmes, Living Way is on the move. Going from operating on spare desks at LH Capri to a 14 building campus, God has blessed Living Way in so many ways that we could not have predicted. He has done immeasurably more that we could have ever asked for or even imagined. Our goal at Living Way is captured in Titus 3:14 “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives�. We have developed four programmes around this verse to effectively empower people to be self-sustainable – earning an income for today, tomorrow and the future. Savings Clubs The essence of Savings Clubs is to teach Biblical financial principles so that people can be masters over their money and not slaves to it. By being taught how to manage money, people are empowered to set financial goals for the future and make good decisions to reach them. The practical process is through a collective savings structure where 8-10 people save their money together. Learning and supporting each other allows for a culture of savings and sound money management to be developed. Entrepreneur Development The Entrepreneur Class has developed and grown since we piloted the programme in April 2008. We have trained 15 people to run their own businesses according to biblical principles. Our teaching method uses an experiential learning tool developed by the South African Institute for Entrepreneurship. The tool is similar to an advanced monopoly game where participants are taught business skills while running a business in teams. Vocational Training Being on the Living Way Campus has allowed us to expand into the field of vocational training. There is such a need in South Africa for the skills gap to be filled. With rampant unemployment and low skills levels, having training available to those trapped in poverty provides a meaningful opportunity for people to earn their way into self-sustainability. Through partnerships with existing training entities there are training courses being run on the campus. It is these training partners that know the industry, have the relevant experience in training, have developed training material that has stood the test of time and can place their graduates in the industry. This expertise is invaluable and we strive to partner with the best of the best to bring market- led vocational training on the campus. Our goal is placement and knowledge of industries which require training and have vacancies available. It is critical to us in choosing training courses and partners. Worker Readiness: As the newest development at Living Way, the Worker Readiness School focuses on preparing people for the world of work. Participants will journey through the story of Joseph to learn the heart and head skills to succeed in the world of work. Years of unemployment have left many people without the necessary attitudes, values and habits that are required to get a job, keep a job and advance their career. Examining what the Bible says about our worth, our potential and work ethic, participants are challenged to take ownership of their own growth and development. Through researching what businesses are looking for in employees, we have developed a unique programme to empower people to succeed in their work life. By combining the hard skills learned in the
vocational training with the soft skills in the Worker Readiness School, it is intended that graduates from the Living Way Campus would have an incredibly high placement and retention rate in the workplace. The next steps in Living Way’s story are exciting and we look forward to seeing how God will work in these communities in the arena of economic empowerment.
Richard Lundie Living Way General Manager
Chaplain’s Report - Nolo Mzizana
I started in 2008 as a new Chaplain and took over from Moroesi Tsoai at the beginning of 2009. The goals we had planned together became my own. I thank my Heavenly Father for the strength and wisdom He has provided and for the wonderful manner in which He has carried me through this period. Ministry The real truth is that people need God. It has been a great opportunity to sow a seed and then see people grow in their commitment to Christ. Through regular home visits and visits to the branches, I have been able to minister to individuals and monitor the continual spiritual growth of our staff members and our patients/clients. For example, at the Health Care Centre we had an incident where a patient committed her life to the Lord, got better and went home. She was referred to our Community Based Care ministry to monitor as the patient was having conflict with her relatives. I prayed that God would give me the opportunity to minister to that family. I met with the patient to hear her story and also made an arrangement to meet with her relatives and hear their side of the story. After our meeting, I had the chance to minister to them and to present the opportunity to accept Jesus in their lives. That day three of her sisters committed their lives to Christ and I was able to refer them to the local church. Evangelism Training I praise God for the evangelism training that I have been able to continue with our Health Care Centre staff. By the power of the Holy Spirit and with the help of this training, Living Hope staff will continue ministering to our clients. We have received positive feedback from our staff as they see the Spiritual Department as the core of this organisation. We are commissioned to spread the good news of Jesus Christ which changes lives by our commitment to follow Him. Support Groups This year it seems as if we have come closer to reaching our goal on the spiritual side. The Bible studies that I am doing with our clients in the Support Groups are going well; they are challenged by the teachings. We are busy with the book of Proverbs and I encourage them to use that book in their personal devotions. I see changes in them and believe that God is busy working in their hearts through the Holy Spirit. Attending the Support Groups is a place to express their emotions. I am deeply touched and humbled by being with them and listening to their testimonies. Living Hope has become their family and they love their group sessions. Here they are encouraged, cared for, educated and developed socially, physically and spiritually. Challenge The challenge I face is that those affected and infected by HIV and AIDS are hungry for the Lord. According to Matthew 9:37-38 ‘’Then he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’’. As I continue to minister to our staff and patients/clients, I pray God will continue to send more workers to help us sow the seed, water the growth and reap the harvest of souls for Him.
Nolo Mzizana Chaplain
Financial Report – Peter Hawksley God’s provision continues to amaze! Once again the programme side of our ministry has increased, and with it our operational income increased by ± R 3, 5 million. This has enabled Living Hope to touch more and more people for Christ as it continues to fulfil its mission and vision with excellence. We are constantly reminded that we need to remain dependent on our Heavenly Father because without His provision we would be without hope. My heartfelt gratitude goes to all those who faithfully give to this wonderful ministry. Paul reminds us that generosity which is shown through your commitment brings glory to God and is our thanks to Him for what He has done. Truly to GOD BE THE GLORY! The following charts briefly reflect the funding received and how that funding was expended through the year. The full audited financials can be viewed in the appendix of this report. Below is a breakdown of Living Hope Community Centre’s Funding Base.
Operating Costs: This reflects the full operational costs across our various ministries. The surplus reflected was used to purchase Asset Equipment to the value of R 1,127,100 reflected on the Balance Sheet. Is it correct to say that the audited statements reflect R1,125,511 *
Administration costs are reflected under the General tab
**
Assets purchased: -
Motor Vehicles Container Park Office Equipment Computer Equipment Furniture & Fittings Software
R 53,000 R 738,600 R 163,000 R 64,000 R 76,000 R 32,500
Hi Peter – I notice that these numbers differ moderately from the audited report. Peter Hawksley Acting Deputy General Manager
Palliative Care Report - Leigh Snyman
What is Palliative Care? The World Health Organisation definition of Palliative Care is “an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.” (http://www.who. int/cancer/palliative/definition/en.) In the Palliative Care Ministry of Living Hope, we like to think of it as bringing the love 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. God’s grace has been so evident to us as we have faced many challenges during the year. Accreditation We are continuing the process of accreditation for our Health Care Centre. We are now preparing for what we hope is our last HPCA survey prior to the commencement of the COHSASA (Council of Health Services Accreditation of South Africa) surveys. Both the Health Care Centre and the Community Based Care services and their respective managers are working diligently to prepare for this next step. This past year has seen us refining our policies and systems to allow for better work performances. Each and every staff member of Living Hope participated in two policy days held in February 2009. This was a part of preparing for the accreditation process and providing quality services at Living Hope. Training Great emphasis has been placed on training staff. The Palliative Care team has dedicated themselves to ensure all staff receives necessary training. Two registered nurses have successfully completed the HPCA Palliative Care short course and two more started the course this year. We have also realised that TB is a great growing concern within our communities. Early this year we had TB DOTS training and have various other training sessions planned that will focus on TB infection control. We know that outreach is our aim but ‘charity begins at home’ and a’ family who prays together stays together’. Therefore, the Palliative Care team, with the assistance of HR, has been focussing on building team relationships and building supportive work environments. Daily devotions both in the Health Care Centre and Community Based Care have become a vital part of daily activities. Many thanks to the teams like Brentwood Baptist who came to organise retreats, team building events and Christmas parties for staff in order to bring about not only spiritual refreshment and renewal but also encouragement and motivation to continue diligently in their daily tasks. Our Chaplain also regularly trains staff to evangelise and minister to patients as this is the most vital part of our ministry. I am happy to add that a great number have accepted Christ as their Saviour. Health Care Centre
Rene Bates continues to faithfully manage the Health Care Centre. She and her team are pursuing an aggressive approach to nutritional support. The hope is that this will improve patient recovery rates and shorten the length of stay. This programme is a combined effort by the False Bay Hospital dietician and the Living Hope team. We see this endeavour growing and it is an exciting process.
Community Based Care Community Based Care services have grown under the capable management of Nazeema de Villiers. The SA Department of Health is planning a family centred approach for the rest of the year. Child health will be included in our care package along with school health as we now have one school health worker employed to assist the local school nurse in her enormous tasks. We also commenced a programme where Health Educators were visiting support groups and doing monthly health checks and health education. Challenges
The statistics shows that we could reach so many more. Finding Registered Nurses to work in the Health Care Centre remains a difficulty. Caring for the spiritual wellbeing of our own staff as more than a few struggle to find Christ and have a relationship with him.
Developments in Palliative Care in the Country
The HPCA (Hospice Palliative Care Association) member hospices situated in the Western Cape have realised financial sustainability is of vital importance and that this deserves more attention than just being itemised on agenda’s during meetings. This echo’s a world view.
The last year has been a great blessing to me. The people I work with have been a tremendous support and they are such wonderful friends. I am grateful for the privilege of working at Living Hope and working with such capable and committed ladies like Nazeema and Rene and the rest of the team.
Leigh Snyman Nursing Services Manager
Prevention Report - Avril Thomas
The present reporting period has seen considerable growth in all 3 Prevention departments as well as a time of great reaping of what has been sown in the past few years. We have had the privilege of being part of some miraculous testimonies of changed lives and challenging activities such as finding appropriate venues and wide-open doors of opportunity in clinics, schools, colleges and within communities. We are constantly aware that we are involved in eternal matters and that “… the Lord has opened doors for us that no man can shut….” Health Counsellors We now have 21 Health counsellors (the collective term given to Lay Counsellors and Adherence counsellors), working in 2 Hospitals (False Bay and DP Marias), the 5 community clinics of Seawinds, Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, Masiphumelele and Ocean View and the 2 satellite clinics of Red Hill and Simon’s Town. As well as testing 6501 people for HIV, we have provided Adherence Counselling to a total of 248 people at the 2 hospitals. In August, 2008, we started a mobile Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) team with 3 Living Hope Lay Counsellors that is sponsored by Desmond Tutu TB/HIV Integration Project and the Stellenbosch University and is stationed at our Capricorn site. This team moves to a variety of venues offering VCT and TB screening. From the start of the programme to the end of March, over 1400 people have been screened for both HIV and TB. We have built positive working relationships with the Health Facility managers and staff and count it a privilege to be involved in bringing hope and help to people affected and infected with HIV. Support Groups The development of the Support Groups has grown steadily and is making an impact on the lives of the clients. We have 33 Chronic Disease Lifestyle (CDL) groups meeting weekly and 9 HIV+ closed Support Groups and a total of 418 people attend the groups regularly. These groups have become strong and are more than just a place of transfer of health education. The clients are assisting each other with daily needs, caring for each other, making a difference in their respective communities by starting food gardens and intentionally caring for the elderly. The Support Groups have been extremely effective in encouraging community members to receive Jesus as their personal Saviour and have assisted many people in becoming followers of Jesus. It has been gratifying to find that some of the clients have become employable again due to improved health. Therefore they do not attend the Support Groups regularly any longer – for this we are most grateful and encouraged. During the year we introduced a medical care component to the Support Groups and had Community-Based Carers visit each group once per month to screen for blood pressure, blood sugar and take waist measurements. This has been a much appreciated venture and is the fore-runner to the distribution of chronic medication through the Support Groups. Life Skill Educators Our team of 24 Life Skill Educators continue to do a sterling job by teaching the South African Education Department Life Orientation curriculum with a Biblical foundation at 8 Primary Schools. They teach “stranger danger” and sexual awareness at 9 Pre-Schools. A total of 5231 children have been reached via the schools ministry. In the afternoons our Life Skill Educator teams run 11 afternoon clubs in the communities in which we work resulting in reaching 7254 children. Special holiday programmes are run during school holidays in each of the communities keeping the children occupied with wholesome activities and moral value teaching. In addition to these programmes, the Life Skills Department also runs
the 'Wait 4 Me' campaign which encourages children to abstain from sex until marriage. This campaign encourages all those who commit to keep the promise and be accountable to that commitment throughout the year. The Eve Project has also been started during this year and serves young girls who in the past stopped attending school during their menstrual cycle. By providing them with sanitary pads, they are enabled to continue their education with confidence. The addition of a Social Worker at each branch during this past year has been of great assistance, knowing that children who are referred, will be followed up and assisted. The Social Workers have also been involved in the training and mentoring of the Life Skill Educators. All in all it has been a fruitful year with many learning experiences and growth curves in the lives of many of our staff. This is always encouraging and inspiring as we seek to meet our targets in a dynamic and lifechanging way.
Avril Thomas Prevention Manager
Social Work Report - Jess Ollis It is exciting to report that since our last Annual Report our Social Work Department has grown from one Social Worker in a 6 hour post, to accommodate two full time Social Work posts and one full time Auxiliary Social Worker position. Staf We have Michele Roux working at our Ocean View and Red Hill branches and Nisha Harris at Capricorn. Our Auxiliary Social Worker, Portia Mgijima, works primarily in the Masiphumelele community and also assists our primary Social Worker in the Health Care Centre. Capricorn Nisha joined Living Hope in July, 2008, after the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) programme was started within the Muizenberg, Capricorn and Overcome Heights area. This programme started with the formation of a data base of the children within the Kids’ Club. The purpose of such a data base is to establish the needs and problems within the families concerned. The programme focuses on working in an empowering capacity with the Life Skills Educators in terms of training, debriefing and mentoring. Nisha has found it very exciting working within the area especially since starting the new work with the OVC Programme. We have already been able to see the benefits of the work and the difference that it is making in people’s lives. Ocean View Michele works with the staff in the Ocean View and Red Hill communities in a mentoring and debriefing capacity. In addition to this, she is involved in the community dealing with families on a referral basis. Masiphumelele Portia has only just completed her Social Auxiliary Work studies and is enjoying working in the Masiphumelele community. She is a huge asset as she is able to communicate with the people in their own language and is well known in that community. Health Care Centre Jess and Portia run mentoring and debriefing sessions with the various groups of staff members in their communities and work extensively with the patients and their families within the Health Care Centre. Additional Programmes Referrals are made by the different departments within Living Hope as a means to reaching as many people within the various communities as possible. There is a Parenting Skills Programme in the planning stages which will be implemented in each of the communities in which Living Hope works. This programme will reach children from 0-18 years of age. Our aim is that this will become community driven and sustainable. Food distribution is likely to become a part of the Social Work Department as the need for nourishment is becoming increasingly important and necessary, It is indeed a privilege to be part of this ministry and we are thankful to the Lord for the many opportunities we have to serve Him.
Jess Ollis
Social Work
Volunteers Report - Mike & Pam Talley
The volunteer department has been richly blessed by the increasing numbers of volunteers who continue to come to work with us at their own expense. Individuals We increased the minimum time commitment this year to 30 days, and still have had an increase in the number of individual volunteers from 62 in 2008 to 66 in 2009. When you consider the time spent as a volunteer from just a few days in 2008 to the current minimum of 30 days, the increase in work hours is dramatic. The number of volunteers who are longer than 30 days, noted as mid- to long-term volunteers, is also growing dramatically. One of the most significant improvements to our programme has been the growth of the number of mid-to-long term volunteers. They are here long enough to assimilate into the culture and to develop healthy relationships within the organisation and the communities. Teams We have had an increase in the number of teams who have volunteered to work at Living Hope from 18 in 2008 to 32 in 2009. The Lord continues to send us exactly who we need at any particular time and we have been able to accommodate them. This is the first year that we have hosted multiple teams at the same time which means we can deliver additional services and make a bigger impact to more than one community at a time. Structure Along with all the growth and excitement of larger numbers comes change and new systems and structures to accommodate those numbers. Without the partnership of the Team House and ACTS, we would not be able to offer volunteer opportunities to this many teams or individuals. We definitely have had more people and work hours added to our ministry, but with that an increasing challenge to adequately see to their needs, both logistically and from a ministry standpoint. Challenges This is the first year that we have had assaults and robberies to our volunteers. We had one volunteer threatened and two others robbed: one at knifepoint and one with just physical overpowering. We also had a break-in at one of our individual volunteer lodges and the volunteer lost valuable equipment. This has highlighted the need for us to re-look at procedures so that costly mistakes that can damage our reputation internationally are avoided. Comment – most of these robberies were during this April to July 2009- I am not sure that it is correct to include it here. We have the potential to increase the number of individuals to a much higher level than we have seen thus far with the development of our new website and the automated volunteer system. This will also include changes and challenges for Living Hope and our volunteer department, but we believe the rewards, especially of mid- to long-term volunteers, will greatly outweigh the costs.
We continue to be blessed to serve in this capacity and are honoured to be a part of what God is doing within the ministries related to Living Hope.
Mike & Pam Talley Volunteer Coordinators
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting - Don Sayers & Brendon Kindo
The Monitoring and Evaluation Department has made improvements in the key areas of data management and reporting systems during the past year. This has strengthened the MER’s department’s ability to monitor Living Hope’s HIV Care and Prevention programmes while providing more relevant data for program evaluation and effectiveness. The 3 key areas of improvement include better Standard Operating Procedures, (SOPs) data quality verification tools, and site audit procedures. Audit The integrity of these improvements were put to the test during an recent audit conducted by PACT on behalf of USAID—Living Hope’s primary grant partner. The audit tested the MER department’s data verification process and SOPs at the administration level. We were rated as one the top M&E departments audited by PACT. That was great news. Training However, while we aim for perfection, we have plenty of room for improvement. Our task for the next year is to increase our training and equipping of staff in Living Hope’s departments in MER principles and procedures so they are better able to implement and the tools and procedures. This plan is in line with the MER departments desire to transfer the philosophy of MER throughout all the activities of Living Hope and by doing so creating a more robust culture of self-monitoring and evaluation, transparency, accuracy and accountability. Monitoring and Evaluation is more of a determination than a department and we look forward to growth with excellence in the coming year. Reporting System Living Hope is finally unveiling the long-awaited web-based data reporting and collating system that is designed to simplify many of the data quality related issues that come with excel based systems. The primary benefit will be 'one version of the truth' for all of our activities, making it faster and more efficient to inform our stake holders due to remote internet access at any time. Site visits will continue in order to audit and verify data uploaded into the web-based system and these will be compared to registers kept for all of Living Hope's patients and AB clients. The MER department would like to thank everyone their hard work this year which has allowed us to exceed our numeric ministry targets this year! Don Sayers Brendon Kindo M ER Manager MER Coordinator
Bed occupancy rate for this year has increased by 2% since last year.
Bed occupancy rate for this year has increased by 2% since last year.
Building Operations Report- Trevor Gray Following a generous donation given by one of our supporting churches, Living Hope was able to commence building operations in June of 2008 with the object of completing the “dream” for the property that was birthed in 2001. Based at our Capri campus, the buildings now house an Education block for our Prevention Programme and a 200 seater Chapel to cater for larger group meetings. The Prevention Centre will provide a place for in-house education programmes for both our staff and members of the community. A soil turning ceremony officiated by our guest Missions Pastor Minister from the donor church started the process and actual building commenced in the August of 2008. We have been blessed to have a very professional building team for which nothing seemed to be too much trouble, including moving the Guardhouse when it was quietly pointed out to them that they had put it in the wrong position. The buildings were completed on time for the grand opening and dedication in April 2009. All that remains now is for us to complete the road works and re-establish the gardens before we can say that the process is truly finished. A word of thanks must go to Tony Butler from Mitchell Du Plessis & Associates who was our Project Manager and to Kevin Walsh the Architect. We also would like to thank all the consultants who played a part in the process. It would be remiss of me not to give a special vote of thanks to Power Construction for the high standard of workmanship that they brought to the project. It is not often that one can say that after any building programme one is still friends with your builder, but that is what we are – FRIENDS. Thank you guys. Thanks and praise of course must go to our God who alone does wondrous things. The Scripture tells us that “unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain” (Ps.127 v1). We are trusting that God will use these premises for His glory. Trevor Gray Interim General Manager