Igama La Mi Ngingu Ifeoma - My name is Ifeoma......everyday i learn a little more Zulu:)
I just came back from a visit to "Gozololo" an orphanage and community center in the Kwamashu Township north of Durban city center. I have been told that this is THE toughest township in South Africa....either right above or right below Soweto in Joburg. It felt pretty peaceful to me while I was there. I went with a few of the community organizers that attended the Project Build workshop that I held yesterday. The Director of the center "Miriam Cele" is an amazing woman that works with a network of grandmothers in her township to provide help to orphaned children in her community. She works with grandmothers because AIDS is swiftly wiping out their children's generation leaving the grandmothers to care for their grandchildren. I am inspired by them because they are not held back by the fact that the government does not give them financial assistance. Through perseverance they were able to raise funds to develop three orphanages/community centers. Their hope is to build 50 more centers in all of the townships of Durban. These centers serve to connect the community to local health centers, and HIV/AIDS assistance. Each center is built incrementally and reflects their funding structure. As they aquire more grants the center grows. I attended one of their HIV/AIDS support groups to learn more about the work that they do..........talk about overcoming obstacles.......
on my way to the AIDS Foundation....
My trip to the AIDS Foundation of South Africa was great. I met with Mandla Nyuswa - a Project Officer who gave me some great insight into the types of programs that NGOs provide communities affected by AIDS. Most importantly we discussed the connection between architecture and organization management. Having a physical structure (and the design of the space) helps an NGO build capacity in a number of ways......
I just came back from a visit to "Gozololo" an orphanage and community center in the Kwamashu Township north of Durban city center. I have been told that this is THE toughest township in South Africa....either right above or right below Soweto in Joburg. It felt pretty peaceful to me while I was there. I went with a few of the community organizers that attended the Project Build workshop that I held yesterday. The Director of the center "Miriam Cele" is an amazing woman that works with a network of grandmothers in her township to provide help to orphaned children in her community. She works with grandmothers because AIDS is swiftly wiping out their children's generation leaving the grandmothers to care for their grandchildren. I am inspired by them because they are not held back by the fact that the government does not give them financial assistance. Through perseverance they were able to raise funds to develop three orphanages/community centers. Their hope is to build 50 more centers in all of the townships of Durban. These centers serve to connect the community to local health centers, and HIV/AIDS assistance. Each center is built incrementally and reflects their funding structure. As they aquire more grants the center grows. I attended one of their HIV/AIDS support groups to learn more about the work that they do..........talk about overcoming obstacles.......on my way to the AIDS Foundation....
My trip to the AIDS Foundation of South Africa was great. I met with Mandla Nyuswa - a Project Officer who gave me some great insight into the types of programs that NGOs provide communities affected by AIDS. Most importantly we discussed the connection between architecture and organization management. Having a physical structure (and the design of the space) helps an NGO build capacity in a number of ways......
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