THE WOZA MOYA PROJECT
The Woza Moya Project runs a community-care and support program in the Ofafa Valley, about fifteen kilometers from the town of Ixopo in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Project began in April 2000 as a community-based response to the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS. It is a vast hilly region, with almost no electricity, telecommunications or sanitation. One 30 km road winds its way through the area.
The Ofafa area is home to about 23,000 people. It is a community seriously affected by HIV, AIDS, poverty and a lack of resources. Recent statistics reveal that 47% of the pregnant women presenting themselves at the prenatal clinic in Ixopo are HIV positive. Of general patients referred for voluntary counseling and HIV testing in a five-month period, 78% tested positive. The vision of the Woza Moya Project is that each child, woman and man in the Ofafa Valley community will have the medical and social support, food security, education and resources they need to overcome the impact of HIV and tuberculosis in their lives.
The Woza Moya Project currently has a staff of twenty, supplemented by thirty community-based care-workers, serving upwards of 8,000 people, providing home-based care, food security, emotional support, paralegal services, early childhood development programs at the on-site play center and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions. The Woza Moya Project is widely respected throughout South Africa, where it is considered a model community response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Africa.
For nine years the Gavin and the Teaching and Poetry Community have partnered with The Woza Moya Project to provide funding and support.Over the years over $130,000 has been raised to build a Children’s Center, pay for school fees and provide food for families affected by HIV and AIDS.