6-4-09

Jon led us to the Masibumbane HIV/AIDS mission in Mpophomeni, Kwazulu-Natal, an outreach branch of the Methodist Church. Mduze Zwane is the pastor, and he oversees the dozen or so programs and projects that we learned about today. The most exciting one we got to see was an agricultural project, again. This was a successful subsistence farm that was well-protected, grew enough to eat and some to sell on top of that to supplement the dies and provide some security. The two gardens this woman kept up were perhaps 8X5 square meters, with the space well utilized and plantings well timed for the providing food consistently throughout the different growing seasons.
The agricultural support begins with fertilizer, straw, seedlings, and fencing for free, and with the initial effort put in by the client, is the assisted with finances and marketing through the program. A similar sister project involves crocheting, where woman are given the raw materials for satchels and purses, which are then bought back by the institution, which withholds 1/3 in a banking system for the clients in case of an emergency, and if nothing happens, then the client receives a bonus at the end of the year. The system is refreshingly transparent, with the leaders often coming from within the program to take up positions.
Another branch of Masibumbane involves the HIV/AIDS pandemic heavily. They provide counseling and support for both pre- and post- testing families. Right now they were working with 28 families, with 27 people on ARV's. Support includes a pre-hospital transitional facility that provides spiritual, nutritional, and emotional support for clients who either don't have someone else to support or whose caregivers have other commitments for a period of time. I got the impression the waiting list used to be much longer for the 4 beds, and that the people in the beds used to be in a much worse state before the ARV's. Progress is being made, but there are still times when the clinic's four beds and modest cupboard don't come anywhere close to caring for the need in the very extended community for which this clinic seems to make itself responsible.
Out of 500,000R that Masibumbane receives, 50,000 goes directly towards food.