Fikelela AIDS Project

Their HIV/AIDS Task Teams help integrate HIV/AIDS awareness into church processes by organizing church services dedicated to World AIDS Day and candlelight memorial days. Services that are focused on OVC, sexuality, and violence against women further contribute to destigmatising HIV/AIDS in communities and churches. These teams also run support groups for HIV positive people, provide home-based care and food parcels and offers support to various hospitals and hospices. Fikelela’ OVC programme is run at their children’s centers where orphaned children are cared for and assisted in being placed in a foster home. ‘Survivor Africa’ youth sexuality, a 7-week course is provided to church confirmation classes, which deals with issues of sexuality from a Biblical perspective. A peer education programme called "Agents of Change"  in collaboration with GOLD Peer Education that is in partnership with the Department of Education, is offered to youth nominated by their peers. These young people are trained as peer educators and teach a 20-session life skills programme to various youth groups. All of Fikelela’s activities are made possible through strong partnerships with NACOSA, Phillipi Trust, and Sibanye that provide training for the orphan carers and support group facilitators. The PAWC, Marais Hospital, Brookln Chest Hospital, Red Cross, Tygerberg Hospital, and various churches provide material support in the form of food parcels, educational toys and clothing. Fikelela’s funders include, CORDAID, Various Churches, Community Chest, City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Department of Social Services.

Innovation
Integrating HIV/AIDS awareness and education into the Anglican Church framework helps with destigmatising the HIV/AIDS pandemic within religious communities.

Effectiveness
13 churches are running support groups with an average of 30 members per group, totaling at 390 people. 700 youth have been reached in their Survivor Africa training courses. 26 churches have implemented the Agents of Change programme. In this programme, 90 facilitators have been trained, and 951 young people have attended the course. HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns have reached a total of 5510 people. These totals are for the period from January to September 2007.

Poverty Impact
Out of the 132 parishes in the 3 dioceses, 115 have started task teams. There are currently 522 OVCs supported by Fikelela’s two children’s centers and partner churches that care for OVC in the areas of Nyanga, Guguletu, Elsies Rivier and Worcester.

Sustainability
Funding for Fikelela is secure, as CORDAID is committed to funding the peer education programme for another 2 years. Anglican AID (DFID) will provide funding for another five years.

Replication
Given the abundance of religious organizations in communities, the Fikelela model can be easily replicated in these poor communities. The essential ingredients to success is mobilizing and motivating these organizations to become involved in addressing the pandemic and providing the necessary support to the task teams in the form of training, networking, organizational development and activism.

Partnership

• Gold Peer Education Programme
• National Association of Child Care Workers
• Care for Kids (Non Governmental Organisation)
• Sibanye (Non Profit Organisation)
• CordAid
• Community Chest
• City of Cape Town
• Western Cape Department of Social Services