Emerging from the shadows of COVID, we have a renewed sense of hope and positive energy. Over the past year, we have once again evolved to meet the changing needs of the communities we serve.
Such flexibility is made possible by our supporters, whose investment at a mission-level grants us the ability to respond swiftly and prioritise where needs and opportunities are greatest. We remain unwavering in our commitment to reach the most remote communities— those living beyond the end of the tarmacked roads, overlooked by South Africa’s health and welfare systems.
Through the life-changing and often life-saving Enable Programme, we have touched the lives of 5,777 mothers and children. Now in its third phase, the Enable Programme has made significant strides over the past six years. It has reduced mother-to-child HIV transmission rates to nearly zero, increased child immunisation rates to over 90%, and doubled the proportion of women aware of their HIV status. Crucially, it has improved antenatal service attendance and reduced infant and maternal mortality rates. However, complacency has no room here—the needs are vast, as are the opportunities.
We may be small in size, but we make a disproportionate impact. Co-creation and collaboration play a crucial role in extending and deepening our influence. With your continued backing, we aim to expand the reach of Enable to over 100,000 women, children, and families by the end of 2025. This ambitious goal is underpinned by our ongoing negotiations with the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape to adopt the Enable Programme across the entire region.
Sustainability remains at the heart of our mission. Our aim is not to morph into a large charity, but to leave a lasting legacy in the communities we serve. This is evident in the evolution of organisations like PATA, PEMA, and JRAN, which have flourished beyond our foundational role. As we develop the Enable Programme in South Africa, our goal is to cultivate an independent, sustainable organisation within the next three years.
None of our accomplishments would be possible without the trust placed in us by our supporters. Your valuable contributions have had life-changing and life-saving impacts every day. Thank you for your inspiring faith and support.
Women have always been core stakeholders at One to One, making up the majority of the clients that we work with and working as agents of change across the organisation.
Now, at One to One, women are leading the way at every level and in every geography. Our new all-women executive leadership team in the UK and South Africa steer the organisation at a strategic level. At an operational level, our Mentor Mothers bring their lived experience together with their trained expertise to create empathetic, effective connections with the mothers who are their clients.
As we look to the next generation, as so in the case of our Future Leaders Programme for refugees to the UK, 55% of the cohort so far have been women.
We are not complacent, and know that diversity must continue to be at the heart of what we do, and to continually challenge ourselves. But it is also apt to take a moment and notice the empowering impact of what has been achieved so far.
Michelle Obama, 2014 Summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half its citizens.”© Lindokuhle Sobekwa/Magnum Photos © Lindokuhle Sobekwa/Magnum Photos
Co-Founder and Chair, David Altschuler reflects on One to One’s women inspired journey:
“The promise and potential of any society is limited by persistent gender inequality. In South Africa, where high rates of violence against women and the disproportionate impact of HIV on women have positioned men as dominant and women as subordinate, this has further entrenched gender inequality with all the health risks that it implies, particularly for childbearing women and their children.
We recognised that more than 20 years ago when we started the first HIV treatment programme for 300 children and their mothers, and have been challenging and overturning these gender constructions as a fundamental part and consequence of the systemic change we seek through our women-led programmes.
Women have led and inspired our work from the outset – Lilian Cingo and the Phelopepa Healthtrain showed us the way into remote rural communities while Nonkosi Ndalasi was the role model for community health workers in the Eastern Cape and the forerunner of our Mentor Mothers. Our current women-led team reflects their special qualities and inspiration; they are on the brink of creating the scale of change and impact that we could only dream of 20 years ago.”
A former investment banker whose current work is a reflection of her personal passions, Gqibelo lives by the ethos that a life of service is a life well-lived, which is reflected in her work.
A graduate of the University of Cape Town and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), she founded and ran a non-profit organisation for 15 years prior to joining One To One Africa in August 2021 as Executive Director.
“My ‘why’ is to ensure that we maintain the dignity and respect of our team within their homes and society at large. It is to ensure that the children we serve can achieve their developmental milestones by improving their health outcomes today. And it is to ensure that One to One continues to reach other Last Mile communities throughout South Africa, my South Africa, bringing hope and assistance to communities ‘too far from civilisation’ for anyone to know or to care. Well, I care, and One to One cares.”
Dr Lillian Cingo is a SouthAfrican British professional nurse, counselling psychologist and honorary doctor.
For the last 8 years, she has been mentoring and fundraising for various HIV charities and NGO’s in South Africa. Prior to this, Dr Lillian was the Manager of the Transet Phelophepha Health-Care Train – a train that takes primary health-care and counselling services to rural South African communities – for over a decade.
Dr Lillian holds Honorary Doctorates from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (South Africa), the Tavistock Centre (United Kingdom), the University of East London (United Kingdom), the University of Willemett (USA) and Rhodes University (South Africa). Dr Lilian also holds a Public Service Award from Liberal Caucus Queens Park (Canada) and a Doctorate of Social Science from the University of Cape Town (South Africa).
Over her career, Dr Lillian Cingo has won over 30 professional awards, including The Golden Key from the International Honour Society and being presented to the Queen as Best Neurological Nurse Specialist in 1975. Most recently, Dr Lillian was chosen as one of South Africa’s 21 icons alongside Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu.
Emma is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing interventions aimed at enhancing maternal and child health outcomes, promoting early childhood development, and improving the well-being of adolescents. She is a Sociologist with a PhD in Public Health, and has worked at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, the Right2Know Campaign and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Emma has dedicated her efforts to researching and understanding the social determinants of health, quality of life, and well-being. She is a passionate advocate for health equity, and her focus is on empowering, supporting and advocating for marginalised populations to access affordable, appropriate, and adequate health services.
“I firmly believe that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, should have equal access to quality healthcare and opportunities for a healthy life – because every life deserves to thrive. Through compassion, collaboration, and innovation, we can create lasting impact in every community we serve.”
Bringing more than 40 years of combined experience from the global charity/NGO sector, Catriona and Sharon have worked in various senior roles, leading teams and organisations in both executive and nonexecutive capacities. In more recent years, Catriona and Sharon have both worked as Consultants in the sector and have had the joy of working together on several occasions. They are excited to be working together again in leading One to One Children’s Fund through our latest strategy.
“Between us we are ‘mummy’ to five gorgeous children. We are able to enjoy watching them grow and develop, in large part because we were fortunate enough to be able to access vital medical care before, during and after they were born. We shudder to imagine how different the outcomes would be for us and our children had we all lived in a last-mile community. We cannot rest until every mother, child and family can access this basic right.”
Sule Ceyda Karakus is an intern at, and graduate of, the Future Leaders Programme for refugees, supported by One to One.
“I’m a 22-year-old, Turkish asylum seeker in the UK. It has been almost 2 years since I left my home country. I was hopeless, exhausted, and scared. I thought I was very young to go through all of this but ended up leaving my country, my family, my life and everything I know.
Then I came across the Future Leaders Programme. I decided to take the programme, and I’m so very glad to have made my best decision ever. I have gained lots of different skills. I made friendships, I met people from different backgrounds and different industries.
I wasn’t able to think about my future for a very long time. Now, I want to study psychology, to understand people more, to be able to help them more, feel them more. I’m very passionate about using my leadership and coaching skills and help people wherever I’ll end up.”
In South Africa, half of child deaths occur within the first month of life and 24% of pregnant mothers are HIV positive. Through One to One’s Enable project, our Mentor Mothers work with the most vulnerable – expectant mothers and children up to the age of five – through door-to-door visits.
One of our Mentor Mothers is Vuyokazi Gwadiso, from Ntshilini, a single mother of 2 children. She was one of the first cohort of Mentor Mothers, joining in 2016. She is HIV+.
“I learnt that you have to adhere to treatment, eat a certain way, live a certain way. Now, as a Mentor Mother, I can teach other people, using myself as an example.”
“I am prepared to offer the best to all people who I am of service to. In detrimental and discouraging situations I never lose sight of my goals to benefit others.”
Nutrition and rehabilitation of underweight children
Government adoption and scale up
Parenting and play learning
Socio-economic well-being
Early childhood development
HIV and TB prevention
ENABLING EVERY CHILD TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL
OR Tambo, in the Eastern Cape, is among South Africa’s most remote, impoverished areas, housing numerous Last Mile communities. In these villages, distant from primary roads and corresponding resources, 66.5% of the population live in poverty.
Health outcomes are dire, with child and maternal health being particularly grim: 20% of under-5s suffer nutritional deficiencies; 16% of under-5 deaths are due to HIV/TB; 27% of expectant mothers are HIV+; and child inoculation rates are subpar.
Addressing these challenges, the Enable programme trains local women, known as Mentor Mothers, to deliver comprehensive healthcare in these hard-to-reach communities. This team of 40 now offers an array of health services, from antenatal and postnatal care to nutritional advice, immunisation referrals, HIV support, and assistance with birth registration and child support grants.
These Mentor Mothers, trusted figures within their communities, delivered health interventions to over 5,500 women and children last year, extending the breadth of healthcare beyond conventional clinics.
As our understanding has deepened, we’ve evolved our approach to focus on improving health outcomes and overall life chances for children by addressing the interplay between poverty, infrastructure, and health. The expanded Enable programme, launched in 2022, introduces three new components in addition to our existing Mentor Mother activities:
(i) Five Early Play Learning (EPL) Mentor Mothers now deliver structured play, book learning, and parenting sessions to 1,000 caregivers and their children within the community, utilising our Mentor Mother approach.
(ii) We’ve trained 10 Mentor Brothers to encourage men to challenge discrimination and inequality, fostering their active participation in partner’s health, addressing gender-based violence, and promoting responsible parenting. Already, we’ve identified over 500 men for project participation.
(iii) In response to the 31% adolescent pregnancy rate in our programme, we plan to recruit and train 10 Peer Mentors to provide appropriate HIV and sexual health information and referrals to these young mothers.
“I only started taking my medication after [Mentor Mother] Funeka encouraged me to. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Funeka. I think I would be dead by now.”
Client Nonkenyana Thembelihle
Our work thrives on collaboration, helping us meet the genuine needs of the communities we serve. Our partnership with Ubuntu Pathways, an NGO committed to enhancing clean water accessibility in last-mile communities, has facilitated the installation of boreholes and pumps at 11 sites. This ensures clean water access, significantly improving life and health outcomes.
We’ve also teamed up with Breadline Africa to bring sanitary toilets to primary schools and Children’s Centres, further upgrading the communities’ living conditions.
In the face of widespread poverty and malnutrition, we’ve enabled 81% of children to receive child support grants. Through partnerships, we directly combat malnutrition, providing families with nutritional support, including multimicronutrient supplements for young children, nutritional porridge for older children, weekly food parcels for the most food-insecure households, and food garden start-up kits.
Significant progress was made over the last year towards governmental adoption of One to One’s methodology for community child and maternal healthcare. After extended discussions, One to One presented its approach at a provincial meeting in February. The meeting concluded with an agreement to scale up One to One’s work across the province. The next phase involves rolling out Enable
training to all health facilities in Nyandeni, and eventually, the entire Eastern Cape. Fifty government master trainers will be trained, who will then pass on the training to community health workers. This training will primarily be provided by our experienced Mentor Mothers, supported by our programme team and a recently hired qualified nurse.
Almost 0% mother-to-child HIV transmission rate after more than 1,700 births, when 27% of the mothers we work with are HIV+
91% of children are fully immunised (2016: 34%)
75% of pregnant women attend four antenatal appointments (2016: 27%)
Ayanda, a 26-year-old, pregnant and newly diagnosed with HIV. Mentor Mother Nokwanda met her during a household registration. Noticing Ayanda’s denial about her HIV status, Nokwanda enrolled her into the Enable program and provided continuous counselling.
Ayanda initiated Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and remained compliant. When pregnancy complications arose in the 5th month, Nokwanda referred her to Canzibe Hospital. On October 28, 2022, Ayanda gave birth to healthy twin boys, both tested HIV negative at birth.
We are already meeting 2 of the 3 targets in the UN 95-95-95 strategy. 97% of pregnant women are aware of their HIV status (2016: 76%); Almost 95% of HIV+ women are adhering to ART (2016: 47%)
Ivan, a five-year-old malnourished boy weighing just 10kg, joined the Enable program in 2022. He immediately started receiving fortified nutritional porridge and Mentor Mother Zanele provided nutrition education to his caregiver and monitored his progress. His mother received seedlings to start a nutrition garden and is now growing various vegetables. Ivan, now weighing 13.5kg, is thriving thanks to improved nutrition, a child support grant, and up-to-date immunizations.
OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS, THE MENTOR MOTHER MODEL HAS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH OUTCOMES OF 5,777 MOTHERS AND UNDER 5S
South Africa’s challenge is meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals for child and maternal health, vaccination rates, and HIV infection. Our proven model is ideally suited to tackle these issues. Over the next three years, we plan to widen our Mentor Mother model across the province, training government health workers and aiding government clinics. This will extend proactive, accessible healthcare to tens of thousands more families. One year into phase three of our Enable Programme, we’re aiming for a broader, lasting impact, with the potential to benefit 112,500 mothers and under-5s per year at a cost of £3 million.
AND WE ARE PERFECTLY PLACED TO ACHIEVE IT© Lindokuhle Sobekwa/Magnum Photos
“Being a Mentor Mother, I make clients realise that this is not the end of the world for them. They can still get up and go on to achieve their dreams and not just sit around waiting for the day they will pass away.”
Mentor Mother Funeka Mentse
After a challenging period of disruption due to COVID-19, we are heartened to see our Better Together Programme, a pioneering initiative run in partnership with Groote Schuur hospital, bouncing back to its full range of activities. This programme is among the first of its kind to assemble young people living with HIV and other chronic health conditions in order to alleviate feelings of isolation and stigma. By teaming up with Groote Schuur hospital, we are carving a new path for support groups that are led by peers and that help young individuals navigate their illnesses on physical, psychological, and social fronts.
Our Peer Mentors continue to inspire us. They’ve proven to be reliable, competent, and have led engaging, participant-heavy groups.
Over the past year, we have seen 10 dedicated Peer Mentors running sessions that have reached 138 young people through weekly group meetings and individual counselling. The activities and sessions have evolved to be incredibly diverse and innovative. Groups often kick off with an engaging activity, such as karate or hip-hop dance classes, which have been a big hit with the participants. These activitydriven sessions often open up the floor to more profound discussions once the activity concludes.
What’s more, we’ve witnessed an exciting development as participants have started proposing their own topics for sessions, increasing the programme’s participantdriven nature. To ensure comprehensive support, all group sessions continue to be co-facilitated by a professional psychologist who can address any arising issues on an individual basis. Even with the return of in-person meetings, our virtual communities on WhatsApp and Facebook remain active, with Peer Mentors providing additional support through telephone calls.
Recognising that a child’s chronic illness reverberates through the entire family, Better Together extends its assistance by providing parent support groups in waiting rooms and offering specific support for families identified as at-risk.
However, we’ve observed that the economic difficulties faced by these young people and their families pose a hurdle, as they sometimes struggle to afford transport to the hospital. As we move forward, we aim to factor in transport costs into the program’s budget to ensure those most in need can still access our support. We’ve also noted an increased demand for peer and mental health support from young people living with HIV.
To understand the impact of the Better Together Programme, we’ve initiated research to examine its effect on factors such as adolescents’ resilience, internalised stigma, adherence behaviour, and mental wellbeing.
Our Peer Mentors continue to inspire us. They’ve proven to be reliable, competent, and have led engaging, participant-heavy groups. They have stepped up to take on additional groups and introduce new topics. One Peer Mentor has even transitioned into an administrative role within the project, and several have moved into their first jobs, with the confidence and skills they gained through their mentoring experience playing a significant role.
Looking to the future, our objective is to widen the reach and deepen the impact of the Better Together Programme. With funding from PEPFAR that our South African team secured, we’ve been able to extend the programme to Victoria Hospital and its feeder clinics in Cape Town. Here, a team of eight Peer Mentors will support 100 young people living with chronic conditions and 90 of their parents or caregivers. Additionally, we’ve developed a toolkit for replication which has been shared with organisations in Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa, and presented at the PATA Summit attended by healthcare workers from 26 sub-Saharan African countries. As part of our scale-up efforts, we’ve developed a mobile health app, mHealth, which has the potential to enhance recruitment, capture real-time data, improve our understanding of the project’s impact, and serve as a valuable information-sharing resource.
Last year marked a remarkable year for Future Leaders, deeply impacting the young individuals involved in our programmes. We work towards empowering these young people, many of whom seek sanctuary in the UK, to reach their full potential and contribute positively to their communities.
As we move into the next programme year, we aim to expand our programmes to reach more young people, given the evident demand – we received nearly 150 applications for just 30 slots this year. In the coming year, we’ll conduct four cohorts and aspire to leverage the experiences of our alumni to further drive this mission.
Daniel Hall, Programme DirectorThis year, we conducted two leadership cohorts along with various alumni events. Our programme, comprising nine expert-led modules, covers topics like employability skills, creative writing, confidence building, and communication. Our objective is to unlock and develop each participant’s inner potential. Along with the workshops, students undertake readings and assignments and receive a Certificate in Professional Leadership through the CIRCL coaching programme.
We incorporate lived experiences into our approach by recruiting our programme graduates as interns. They assist in managing the programme and contribute insights for our direction and strategy.
• We received almost 150 applications
• Applications were supported by 37 separate referral organisations
programme.
• We received applications from 43 towns & cities across the UK
• Our cohorts were 45% male and 55% female
• Graduates have an average age of 23 Students represented 18 different nationalities
• Over 95% attendance rate across all cohorts
• 100% of graduates feel more confident and empowered in navigating life in the UK since completing the programme
• 100% feel more able to contribute positively to their communities since completing the programme
• Over 70% feel they have a clear plan for the next two years of life since completing the programme
• 100% of graduates would recommend Future Leaders to a friend
100% of graduates feel more confident and empowered in navigating life in the UK since completing the
JRAN is an online community, supported by One to One, of over 150 organisations aiding displaced people in the UK. Its free membership offers updates, research, and event details to anyone interested in refugee support.
In 2023, it further expanded its nationwide connections across the refugee sector to include educational institutions, health services, and volunteer groups. Its extensive experience uniquely enables JRAN to unite frontline organisations in providing direct, systemic solutions to refugee challenges.
Network development is a key JRAN goal, initiated when collaborating with New Citizens’ Gateway to finance therapy sessions for young refugees. To identify sector needs and strategic gaps, JRAN maintains email communication with its members, event attendees, and Roundtable Forum participants.
JRAN has held a series of forums focusing on the emotional wellbeing challenges encountered by displaced people in the UK, and the accessibility of relevant services. Previous forum findings, field experiences, and ongoing relationships with key aidproviding organisations indicate a persistent need for emotional wellbeing support for refugees, families, and trauma victims. One forum report insight emphasised the need to initiate mental health support earlier, given that achieving refugee status in the desired country can take over a decade.
In response to this, JRAN maintains an online directory of member organisations offering crucial support to new arrivals in the UK.
Its extensive experience uniquely enables JRAN to unite frontline organisations in providing direct, systemic solutions to refugee challenges.
In its first year, iThemba targeted maternal health in remote Enable Programme villages. They successfully raised half the funds (and matched it through our Triple It campaign) for a mobile clinic.
The iThemba Women’s Giving Circle has now been running for over a year. This philanthropic initiative for women across the world, to support the empowerment and wellbeing of other women, is already making an incredible contribution.
In its first year, iThemba targeted maternal health in remote Enable Programme villages. They successfully raised half the funds (and matched it through our Triple It campaign) for a mobile clinic. This clinic now reaches 1,500 women and children monthly in over 20 villages, ensuring that the first 1,000 days of children’s lives receive the medical care and attention that is so important.
The name iThemba, meaning ‘hope’, ‘trust’, and ‘faith’ in Xhosa, the local language of the Eastern Cape. epitomises their communityled, peer support projects.
For more details on iThemba, please contact sharon@onetoonechildrensfund.org
We are pleased to report a positive and strengthening financial picture across One to One Children's Fund. Whilst the pandemic certainly impacted our income and expenditure, our loyal donors ensured not only our survival but our ability to innovate and adapt. Now, as we move on from the worst of COVID-19, we see steady growth in our income and expenditure.
The figures shown here are from our very latest audited accounts. They show over 90% of our expenditure is invested in our programmes, delivering life-changing and life-saving interventions for children, young people and mothers. They also show a strong return on investment on those funds invested in fundraising – over the past year, ever £1 invested has yielded £12.70 in income.
Our huge thanks to all those individuals and organisations who have trusted us with their charitable investments over the past year. We hope you're pleased with the results.
£1,178,609
£1,158,023
TOTAL INCOME 2022-2023 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 2022-2023 Donations from supporters and events: £501,109Every day, in the remote, impoverished rural communities of the Eastern Cape of South Africa, One to One’s 35 Mentor Mothers set off to cover part of the 100km2 of their ‘patch’. The acclaimed South African photographer, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, was commissioned by One to One to document the lives and work of these unique women.
The resulting photographs were shown at a special exhibition at London’s Bernard Jacobson Gallery in November, 2022.
Please get in touch for details of a new art exhibition planned for 18-25 November 2023: sharon@onetoonechildrensfund.org
Tel: (+44) 020 7317 7040 www.onetoonechildrensfund.org
Email: office@onetoonechildrensfund.org
Registered Charity No. 1086159
One to One Children’s Fund Old Town Hall 213 Haverstock Hill London NW3 4QP
Trustees David Altschuler, Jenny Altschuler, Emma Bell, Lawrence Gould, Gary Lubner, Mary MacLeod OBE, Russell Mishcon, Jonathan Penkin and David Thompson
Ambassadors Jenna Coleman, Naomie Harris, Becky Kroger