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Mother and Baby Support Group

The Family Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa

Through this project we support a total of 19 HIV-positive mothers and their babies. We provide:

  • Food parcels to improve health
  • HIV/AIDS education to help protect their health and to improve the babies' chances of being HIV negative
  • Spiritual counseling, as having hope is vital and it is well documented that it generally leads to patients living longer
  • Basic skills training, such as knitting and sewing to help generate a sustainable income
  • Assistance in building happy experiences and memories. An important aspect of our work is to promote short-term and long-term goals and also to provide positive experiences for the mothers and their babies. This is accomplished by activities such as monthly birthday parties, excursions, and projects such as tree planting
  • Help with obtaining government grants. One of our associates guides the applicants through the process by helping them to obtain the necessary paperwork, such as affidavits and ID, and directs them to the correct government offices where they can obtain further support

To those who have TB and are HIV positive, we provide:

  • Nutritious food parcels which make a marked difference in the individual's health
  • Basic skills training, such as knitting, sewing
  • Vegetable gardening, including learning how to grow vegetables for their own consumption. This has both nutritional and therapeutic value
  • Literacy classes
  • Help with obtaining government grants
  • Spiritual counseling and support, which includes helping individuals to begin accepting and talking about their status
  • Health education: HIV/AIDS education, TB, high blood pressure education, etc.

Originally Published in 2008.