AAF News
Upcoming Fundraiser
26/7/2010
Following the success of the Charity Harness Racing Evening in 2009, AAF will be having another Racing Evening in 2010. Come along to enjoy a night of fun and entertainment as guests of AAF.
Thursday 2nd September 2010
6.30pm - 11pm
Penrith Paceway
$60 per individual ticket ($550 for a table of ten)
- Entry and Racebook
- Guest at Official Sky Lounge Function
- Full buffet dinner and drinks
- Second chance ticket draws
- Entertainment
- Lucky Door Prize
- Auction
Contact Geoff Hoskin on 0418 223 691 or 4655 2799
School Partnership Project Update
23/6/2010
In 2009 AAF established a pilot School Partnership Project. The aim of this project was to establish links between schools in the Okhahlamba Municipality KwaZulu Natal South Africa and Australian schools to foster and expand mutual understanding, friendship, and co-operation between students and teachers in South Africa and Australia .
As a partnership its intended outcomes are to increase awareness of each others' cultural, social and economic and health circumstances. It was hoped that for teaching staff in both countries there would be an opportunity to exchange skills and knowledge.
St Peter's Anglican Primary School Campbelltown, established a link in February 2009 with a Zulu primary school of 800 students near Bergville KZN. Since then there has been regular exchanges of letters as children on both sides of the Indian Ocean learn about each other. St Peter's students fundraised to supply an electric water pump to ensure a regular supply of clean drinking water and an irrigation system for the school vegetable garden. This assists the sixty orphaned children reliant on vegetables for food. This partnership has exceeded all expectations.
In August 2010 Ms Bongekele Radebe (Miss Bongi), a teacher at the Zulu school will visit St Peter's for three weeks. This will be an opportunity to share teaching skills and for students of St Peter's to learn first hand about Africa and Zulu culture. Bongi will attend St Peter's School Term Service in August and will be interviewed at St Peter's Church at the 9.45am service on Sunday 8 August 2010.
Photo Left: Bongi Radebe with some of her students, with Linda Ozols of St Peter's School who visited in April 2009 and presented a laptop from St Peter's. Photo used with permission.New Project in Kenya
5/6/2010
At its April Board meeting directors reviewed an application received from Springs of Katartismos Africa (SOKA) to support an Orphans and Vulnerable Children's (OVC) Project in Kenya . The OVC Project addresses the lack of social support and interventions for persons living with HIV-AIDS, the lack of awareness and appreciation of the HIV-AIDS crisis amongst all sections of the community particularly amongst young people and the Orphans and Vulnerable Children crisis.
AAF support will reach pregnant women and children adversely affected by HIV-AIDS, particularly those at risk of being left without parental care should their parents become sick and unable to work and care for them. Parents who contract HIV and seek no diagnosis or treatment are vulnerable to AIDS illnesses, incapacity and invalidity, unemployment and the consequent inability to provide and care for their children.
Young people are particularly at risk as a consequence of diminished self-value and an increase in risk-taking behaviour resulting in the increased likelihood of HIV infection.
The programs goal is to reach children and families living in the Ruaka and Limuru areas of Central Province Kenya (just outside Nairobi) with a planned outreach to the Nyeri area three hours west of Nairobi. This project will:
- Support orphans and vulnerable children to receive basic nutritional intake, education, social and life skills support.
- Provide young women with family planning and contraceptive information as well as HIV prevention education.
- Educate youth to reduce risk taking behaviour by providing outreach programs to schools.
- Empower parents to sustain their children by encouraging them to seek treatment for HIV and training opportunities as appropriate.
- Provide outreach programs to people living in rural villages.
- Provide good nutrition for people infected by HIV by supporting the establishment of kitchen gardens.
Photo Above: Rev Bernard Kabaru of SOKA with a typical family who will be supported through the OVC Project. Four of these six children are cared for by their grandmother who also cares for two other children whose mother is no longer caring for them. Photo used with permission.
