Ecological agriculture, HIV/AIDS

¥

Program background

Since a democracy was established in 1994 following the long years of apartheid (racial segregation), South Africa has been working to build a democratic social system where all races can live in harmony. However, at present in South Africa the gap between rich and poor is growing. JVC has been working at grassroots level in poor urban areas and rural areas in South Africa since 1992 in order to bring back some of the confidence and hope that was lost during the apartheid years.

Summary of activities

1. Rural development

In rural areas where agriculture fell into decline under apartheid, black people now want to use their land effectively to improve food production. In nine villages in the Cala region of Eastern Cape province, we are carrying out training on Natural Farming so that people can grow crops organically using local resources such as manure and local agricultural products.

In July 2006, we conducted the evaluation of the project. We analyzed the findings regarding the popularizing of natural farming and the increased diversification of vegetables, crops and fruit trees.

In 2007, we will conduct Training of Trainers (TOT). Through the TOT, the farmers who have performed well in natural farming will enhance their knowledge and capacity to teach others. We aim to have strong local human resources to take initiatives after JVC finishes its activities in Cala region in 2008.

We will also conduct advocacy work on Massive Food Production (MFP) and GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms). Both MFP and GMO have been promoted by agribusiness and the South African government and they cause the loss of diversity in of landuse and force farmers to pay huge expenses for seeds, chemical fertilizer and pesticides.

2. HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 12.9% of the population (5.5 mil-lion people) have been infected with HIV. HIV/AIDS has a particularly severe effect amongst poor people and children. However, the response of the South African government has been slow, especially in rural villages where there is little aid or information, and large numbers of people are not receiving care or medical treatment. JVC is cooperating with the Japanese NGO SHARE in the northern province of Limpopo to support People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and children who have lost their parents through AIDS.

In 2006, we cooperated with the local NGO TVAAP (Tivoneleni Vavasati AIDS Awareness Project) to support an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign and to provide homecare for patients. We also created mutual support and informationsharing groups for HIV patients who have previously suffered from discrimination and isolation due to their illness. However, it emerged that there were problems with financial mismanagement at TVAAP and after lengthy discussions in JVC we decided to stop cooperating with TVAAP.

In 2007, we will work with the local NGO Pholoshong to strengthen its organizational capacity and provide training such as Treatment Literacy Training on HIV/AIDS and Vegetable Garden Training to boost nutrition. We will also give support to the care givers who take care of the patients, orphans and vulnerable children in the community. In addition, we will support HIV Patient mutual support groups to gain knowledge and information on HIV/AIDS.