INDIMA NOGAWENI MDINWA PREPARES TO MOVE INTO HER NEW HOME THE LIMA/TEBA DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER JULY 2011

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1 INDIMA THE LIMA/TEBA DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER JULY 2011 NOGAWENI MDINWA PREPARES TO MOVE INTO HER NEW HOME MONTH YEAR VOL. # ISSUE # The Teba Development and Lima construction team for Elliotdale Housing are pleased to announce that they have recently completed the first housing unit, which will be handed over to the first beneficiary, Mrs Nogaweni Mdinwa. This forms part of the overall project to complete 1000 units over a two year period. The Elliotdale Rural Sustainable Human Settlements Project involves a partnership that exists between the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements, the Development Bank of South Africa, Teba Development and Lima and ACG architects. Nogaweni Mdinwa is an elderly lady who has dreamed of moving away from the mud hut she currently lives in and into a more spacious and sturdy home, that would be more comfortable and secure for both her and her grandson to live in. Mrs Mdinwa was one of the first beneficiaries identified by the ward committee in Elliotdale; because of her vulnerability she could not generate a steady income and sadly has no family members to look after her. Nogaweni Mdinwa I was so excited when I was first approached with the housing catalogue and had a choice of many different house types to choose from. I chose the L-shape because I liked the large living room space, said Mrs Mdinwa. All beneficiaries are given options to choose from, including various house designs, alterations, additions, solar power, fencing, water tanks, sanitation and wood stoves. I have watched everyday as the local builders brought my home to life. I am so grateful that they were able to grant me the home of my dreams, said Mrs Mdinwa. While Mrs Mdinwa prepares for the big move into her new home, hundreds of beneficiaries around Elliotdale can expect to share in the same excitement throughout the year as several more houses reach completion. The construction management team joins Mrs Mdinwa next to the first completed house for the Elliotdale Housing Project Dustin Mills, Brighton Shumba and Mike Ndzamela from Lima, share in Mrs Mdinwa s excitement Pumzile Xalisa applies the final coat to the new home 1

2 ELLIOTDALE HOUSING ZIMISELE MEJINI: PROFESSIONAL BUILDER IN THE MAKING For twenty-two years, Zimisele Mejini earned his wages by building houses and working MONTH YEAR as a bricklayer for various contractors. However, his life was transformed VOL. # ISSUE when # he was enrolled in a builders training course for the Elliotdale Housing Project, which is currently being managed by Lima and Teba Development, with funding from the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements. The Community Work Programme (CWP) granted funding for participants to undergo training in order to equip them with the appropriate skills needed to construct houses in an expert manner. Dustin Mills, project manager of Elliotdale Housing, has described how delighted he is that Zimisele was the first person to return from the training eager to put his newly found skills to the test. A total of sixty people have benefited from the training courses provided. Zimisele could not stop thanking CWP for allowing him to expand his building expertise and proudly listed his improved abilities of installing doors and windows; of knowing how to control mortar joint thickness; using different shell bedding techniques and the ability to read housing plans. He has now progressed from working for a contractor who provided him with a daily wage and occasional work, to being a small scale contractor who is now pushing productivity to maximise his income. Zimisele describes his feeling of accomplishment when he looks back at a completed house and knows that there will be many more. His future goals are to continue working for The Elliotdale Housing Project while growing his new business and providing work opportunities for others. Zimisele supervises his labourers while they mix mortar Mrs Nothobile Spolo is very pleased with the quality of workmanship from Zimisele on her new home Zimisele casts a slab in one of the new houses THE ELLIOTDALE HOUSING PROJECT IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN: 2

3 COMMUNITY WORK PROGRAMME RED CROSS PROVIDES CWP PARTICPANTS WITH FIRST AID TRAINING The Department of Co-operative Governance has Nokulunga Ngobese, social development manager at provided participants of the Community Work Lima, added that she is highly impressed with the Programme MONTH (CWP) YEAR with accredited health care manner in which Red Cross conducted VOL. # ISSUE their # training training. The South African Red Cross Society has and mentioned that Lima is considering appointing been selected to equip the participants with basic Red Cross as their primary service provider for future medical skills for home based care purposes. courses in First Aid and Home Based Care. Babs Subramanian, training co-ordinator of Red Cross, said that the training took place in the Eastern Cape as well as KwaZulu-Natal, where a total of 196 participants were assessed and found to be competent. The participants explained the usefulness of having completed their home based care training, saying that it is far easier to assist the sick within their homes than trying to get them to local hospitals which can be far-off and costly. Patrick Ncgobo, a Red Cross facilitator, added that the impact of the First Aid Training goes beyond merely helping the CWP participants who attend the course. These CWP participants then return home and teach other home based care volunteers what they have learnt, thus teaching them how to improve their basic care of handling wounds, fractures, resuscitations, burns and bites, said Mr. Ncgobo. Red Cross and Lima representatives gathered together to honour the CWP participants. Training co-ordinator of Red Cross, Babs Subramanian, awarded the participants with their certificates in First Aid. CWP PARTICPANTS CLIMB THE LADDER TOWARDS CAREER SUCCESS The South African Department of Health have appointed five participants, who have been working under the Community Work Programme (CWP) in Pietermaritzburg for the last year. They will take up their positions as Community Health Care workers, as of July These hardworking ladies took part in the Red Cross Training in Msunduzi, where they attained their certificates for completing level one in First Aid. They regard their new job opportunity as an outcome of their productive contribution to the CWP, and will always be appreciative to Teba Development and Lima for providing them with employment during a time when they lacked appropriate skills to find work elsewhere. Since 2007, the CWP has been a stepping stone to new work opportunities for some of its participants. The above CWP participants eagerly await the commencement of their new positions as Community Health Care workers. From left: Thobile Dlamini, Nompumelelo Sibanyoni, Thenjiwe Madlala, Jabulile Kowane, Xolisile Ntuli 3

4 COMMUNITY WORK PROGRAMME THE TEBA DEVELOPMENT AND LIMA TEAM DISCUSS THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF HIV WITH OONAGH O BRIAN The Community Work Programme (CWP) team met with Oonagh O Brian, MONTH an YEAR international academic from Edinburgh, to help her VOL. # ISSUE # understand the social pressures that exist at the different CWP sites which influence those people living with HIV. Reducing food insecurity, gender inequality, and improving the livelihoods of many disadvantaged people were topics of discussion that the CWP team expanded on. It was generally felt that small amounts of regular and predictable income can be extremely important in ensuring that people have healthy options that maybe crucial in helping improve health and prevent new HIV infections. CWP can therefore play an important role in improving health. Duncan Stewart, Managing Director of Lima, added to this saying that CWP provides a job safety net for a wider range of participants, helping them earn their wages and gradually assisting them to move up the employment ladder. It was discussed amongst CWP facilitators that although HIV infected people may comply with antiretroviral (ARV) treatment; it will not be successful without the regular intake of food. CWP provides solutions to these problems by creating linkages between our food security activities and home based care. While our home based care facilitators tend to sick people within their homes, our food security sector helps maintain homestead gardens within the same vicinity, said facilitators during the discussion. Gender inequality may enhance gender based violence in many communities, and as a result, it was discussed how important it is that this disparity be challenged. Fikile Nxumalo, from Teba Development, described how the CWP has helped to alter the stereotypical perceptions of gender appropriate jobs. People are taking pride in the fact that they can maintain a job through CWP which makes them less selective. Men are now choosing to do home based care or helping out at crèches and a large number of women are coming forward to do work in the field of construction, said Mrs Nxumalo. Oonagh O Brian was impressed with the discussions from the meeting and believed that the CWP, without doubt, assists with contributing important improvements in health as well as prevention and care for HIV. She also raised a suggestion that further research could be carried out in order to statistically monitor the success and socio-economic impact of the programme on health outcomes as well as the other outcomes currently being measured. Oonagh O Brian visits the Sibusiso Orphanage in Msunduzi, which is supported by the CWP Sibusiso Orphanage was identified as a vulnerable crèche. Now, CWP caregivers have been trained to look after the children Sibongile Mabaso (far left) and her mother, Thandazile (middle) show Thulisile Mbhense, from Lima, their flourishing homestead garden 4

5 CONTACT LIMA RURAL DEVELOPMENT Head Office Contact Details Postal Address MONTH YEAR Tel: (033) PO Box VOL. # ISSUE # Fax: (033) Website: Dorpspruit 3206 Contact the Managing Director Duncan Stewart Duncan@lima.org.za Cell: Contact the Marketing and Communications Specialist Sandra Badenhorst sandrab@lima.org.za Cell: Click on the links below and join us on our social networking sites: Lima Rural Development LimaRDF YOUR RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS: 5