Morning Star Children’s Centre

In 2000, Morning Star provided care for 8 children with funds coming from the Provincial Department of Health in the Free State.  Since that time, the centre has out-grown its initial capacity, and now accommodates 90 children with 70 more on a waiting list.  The children currently on the waiting list, and their families, receive food parcels, clothing, and assistance in applying for social grants.  In addition to the primary function of the organisation, which is to provide a quality, caring educational environment for HIV-infected children.  The programme has now reached a point where it is able to contribute to the larger community through outreach programmes. 

The Free State Department of Health secured land and buildings for the project while also contributing free utilities, medication, and porridge. Although initially totally dependent on the Free State Departments of Health and Social Development for sustainability, Morning Star has become increasingly self-supportive and Government now provides less than half of the funding. With such provisions taken care of, the centre is able to focus on providing optimum daily care to pre-school children in the form of nutritious meals, appropriate medication, plenty of stimulation and lots of love. 

The ethos of the centre has allowed the children under their care to improve their health and learning skills.  As a result a number of the children have become well enough to graduate and move on to Primary School.
To help offset the cost of running Morning Star a Child Sponsorship Programme in the United Kingdom translates into Debit Orders of 20 Great Britain Pound (GBP) per child per month, on a regular basis, which accounts for 34% of total funding. 100 children have been “adopted” by families in the United Kingdom through this programme.

HIV/AIDS has affected more than 40% of the population in the Free State, resulting in more than half of the children in the programme living with grandparents due to the passing of parents. Consequently, the centre has established a “Gogo’s Club” that functions as a support system for the Grannies.  The club meets quarterly, and food, drink, and transportation is provided by the centre to encourage participation.  Also, Morning Star runs a monthly support group for caregivers for children at the centre.  At present there are 70 to 80 adults attending those meetings.

There are also 2 income-generating projects, geared towards caregivers, which have been established to help address the poverty in the Free State, Matjhabeng region.  The first project includes a Food Garden, which is used for supplying food to the day care centre and generating income through selling extra produce at the local market.  The companion to the Food Garden is the Tunnel Agricultural Project, utilised as a training tool in special food production skills for locals, many of them HIV/AIDS victims.  Between those 2 projects; 10 people are employed.  Another project designed to support poverty alleviation in the area is the Teshedisang Women's Project, in which women undergo basic skills-training in paper-making and embroidery in order to produce hand-embroidered shirts and bags to be sold in England.

Innovation

The project is innovative in that it is a day-care facility solely geared towards providing care for HIV/AIDS infected children.  As such, Morning Star's orientation is focused directly on positively benefiting the health and well being of children in the programme.  In addition, the children’s' needs are not seen in isolation from the needs of the people who care for them, and it is on this premise that support and assistance is provided for their caregivers.  This programme provides a holistic model for the care of HIV/AIDS infected children, but acknowledges that part of this holistic care must incorporate the psycho-social, social, and economic circumstances of their caregivers.

Effectiveness

More than 50 children attend the Centre daily while another 40 children, already in primary school, come for medical and other assistance.  30 of the children who have previously attended the centre since its inception have become well enough to attend primary school, and 40 of the children currently attending day-care are in good health. 

Poverty impact

Morning Star directly impacts 500 – 1000 people each month through services offered by their poverty alleviation programmes.  Many families of the 70 children on the waiting list receive food, clothing, and assistance with applying for government grants (38 of the families whose children attend or attended the day-care programme no longer require monthly food parcels as a result of finding employment or accessing social grants).  Also, 20 adults currently benefit from the job creation programmes through the project.
 
Sustainability

Morning Start's strong partnerships with government, local NGOs, and international donors will ensure sustainability.  The project receives free electricity, water, rent, medical supplies, vitamins, fortified baby milk, and porridge from the Provincial Department of Health.  The Provincial Department of Social Development provides 26% of the project's funding.  A Child Sponsorship Program in the United Kingdom translates into Debit Orders of 20 Great Britain Pound (GBP) per child per month, on a regular basis, which accounts for 34% of the programme's total funding. 
Replication
Morning Star is in the process of establishing satellite day care centres in townships in the Welkom area as a response to the needs of the local community.
 

Partnerships
•Municipal and Provincial Departments of Social Development
• Municipal and Provincial Department of Health
• Lejweleputswa District Municipality
• Matjhabeng Local Municipality
•  AngloGold Chairman's Fund
• Sasol
• British High Commission
• United Kingdom Sponsorship Programme
• ABSA Foundation