Project: SIBAMBENE AIDS Programme
Partner: Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo, under Archbishop Pius, A.Ncube
Our programme is called SIBAMBENE AIDS Programme (i.e. We work together) and is a programme of the Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo, under Archbishop Pius, A.Ncube.Our programme has been working since 1994 in the areas of HIV/AIDS and Orphan Care with the following objectives :
• Care of the terminally ill in their homes
• Information and prevention among young people
• Holistic approach to assisting orphans and children in difficult circumstances
Since the operational area is very large and scattered, the financial support we get from CRS (Catholic Relief Services, USA) and Project Support Group (Zimbabwe) is not sufficient for all needs. Therefore, we want to select a manageable area for partnership with your Cultural Society, i.e. two mission stations 120 to 165 km south of Bulawayo in the arid region of Matabeleland: Minda and St Joseph’s Catholic Missions, covering 12 civic wards with approximately just over 6000 households. The work on the ground is carried out by teams of volunteer carers.
At Minda Mission there is an orphan training centre, called SIKHETHIMPILO CENTRE, meaning “We choose Life”. It was established in 1998 with the aim of imparting life skills and psychosocial support for orphans and OVC (Orphans and vulnerable children).
The direct participants are:
a) Children affected by AIDS
b) Guardians of orphans
c) Community leaders
d) Youth in Behaviour Change Programmes for in and out of school youth
e) Community volunteers (Home Based Care and Orphan Care.)
f) Teenagers heading households after the death of their parents.
g) Members of staff