Hi there,
My name is Kevin Conway, I'm thirty years of age and I work for Respond!, initially in the IT dept, and lately on our projects based in South Africa.
Hardenberg: We are developing a respite centre for orphans and vulnerable children who have lost a generation of parents to HIV/AIDS. Thousands of them as young as twelve are now the head of their household, often taking care of 5 or 6 siblings. The respite centre can cater for up to 50 children and also provide treatment for people with HIV/AIDS. Its first weekend attracted nearly 2,000 children; none were turned away, and for one weekend they were able to be children again.
Shoyamoya: This is a shanty town of 10,000 basic houses built from wood pallets and metal sheets. It is situated beside a dump where raw chemical, industrial, household and hospital waste is dumped. Yet thousands of households use the dump every day to find nourishment, where mouldy bread or curdled milk is a treat. We are building a drop in centre for the aged and a treatment centre for the thousands with HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. For those in mortal agony this alleviates the further misery of walking up to twenty miles to receive critical, life saving treatment.
Kokstad: We are building 750 units of homes, integrating lower and higher income households as well as providing all the necessary social services. Respond! through Sivile! is also providing training courses in building, carpentry, rudimentary plumbing as well as sending out Respond! staff from Ireland; Terry Keogh to provide training in Nutrition & Sustenance and Myself to provide training in IT.
So thats it, I'm pretty scared of whats going to happen, I have a pretty good life, but I'll regret it if I didn't do it.
