Vuselela Ulwazi Lwakho Drop-In Centre

BACKGROUND

Vuselela Ulwazi Lwakho Drop-In Centre is an HIV/AIDS awareness project targeting young people who live in the surrounding informal settlement Diepsloot. The center focuses on both people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Most of the activities facilitated by the center are Life Skills based. The project is operated from a yard and two shacks (tin houses) in Diepsloot.

Diepsloot is an informal settlement situated just north of Johannesburg in South Africa’s Gauteng province. The community was established in 1993 when “squatters” began to settle unoccupied land build shacks in the area.

Some HIV/AIDS life skills sessions take place in the tin shacks on site and others at schools and houses through door-to-door campaigns. Major activities of the project focus on peer education, counselling, workshops targeting parents and youth, awareness campaigns, and IEC Talks. Trained and supervised peer educators facilitate most of these activities.

Though the center is lacking in terms of resources, it has been a place where the youth feel comfortable to congregate after school. They pass time by sharing concerns and information about issues affecting them and their families in their community. Those who are trained as peer educators use the opportunity to run sessions on HIV/AIDS and Life skills education. Parents and community members support the project through active participation in the center's activities or as serving members on the board of governance of the organization. The center is part of the local service providers’ forum and work closely with the local clinic for referral purposes. Vuselela is also a member of the Diepsloot Witkoppen AIDS Committee.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANIZATION

To increase the level of HIV/AIDS awareness in the community of Diepsloot.
To provide effective counselling, pre and post blood testing to any member of the community who makes the request.
To conduct focus group discussions each month with various community groups (especially the youth) on issues of HIV/AIDS, STI's, prevention, and condom usage.
To facilitate support groups for PWA's every week.
To increase advocacy for prevention of HIV/AIDS, STI's, and the use of condoms.
To advocate and negotiate with other organizations to assist in training at lease ten peer educators and lay HIV counselors per annum.

For more information you can contact VUSELELA at:

Vuselela Ulwazi Lwakho Drop –In Centre

Cecilia Stephina Sato (Director and Founder)

Tel.: (011) 4625072

Cell Phone: 0828984770

Email: cssato@mweb.co.za

Postal Address

PO Box 458

North Riding

2162