"...at the same time I met in the deepest misery people, who took their situation with dignity: not to give up, to make the best out of everything, to give the children hope and a better perspective. This strategy to procede continuously - I met very often."                                          (Horst Köhler, former German President)

Help to self-help

Step 7: We stabilize the remaining relatives, typically HIV-infected mothers in poverty and without job, through help to self-help.

At times, the children and the teenagers supported by us still have relatives. Often, these relatives are not able to provide guidance and support to the children because of poverty and illnesses. Nevertheless, we consider it important that children maintain their relationship with close relatives, mothers or fathers as long as possible. 

And we help in cases where the mother or the any other relative is not able to provide for a proper home or food.   Based on experience this support to the remaining relatives is critical.  Without such assistance, children would continue to mobilize support for their sick mothers and relatives through crimes and prostitution.

Winfrieda Valerian and Janeth Hatibu have learned to grow vegetables and sell them on local markets. Other mothers work as tailors or sells used clothing.

Social workers of our project partner TRMEGA take care of such cases, usually mothers in poverty or sick. We try to improve as much as possible the living conditions (e.g. housing) and provide for food, medication, clean and dry beds. The mothers form a self-help group "MVC-Mothers" that receives guidance and training for future independence, including a small start-up capital to create a small business.

Step 8: We provide guidance to orphans and youth through "Life-Skills training” that they could not receive from their parents.

Children and teenagers, who grow up as orphans, often lack some basic knowledge – “transmitted" to them by parents or other close relatives. This basic knowledge includes many “real life” issues that are important for development of their personality. We have asked our project-partner (TRMEGA, MVC-Program) to prepare teenagers from early ages for an autonomous and responsible life based on so-called "Life-Skills Trainings".

 

This group training covers issues such as behaviour in groups, management of aggression, self-picture, building trust, communication with others, contact with money. It also includes family planning and counselling.  The fact that our support will need to end one day is also one of the key messages.