Our Partners:

Hlumani HIV/AIDS Project, Scenery Park, Eastern Cape, SA
The Hlumani Project was initiated in September 2002 by Big King Camshe and his wife as a way of aiding their local community in the fight against AIDS. Big King Camshe recalls asking himself “how can I save my country?” after “seeing children and youth die of AIDS right in front of me.” It was upon pondering these questions that Big King decided to quit his job and begin the Hlumani HIV/AIDS Project. Hlumani is a home-based care project which serves the township of Scenery Park and its surrounding areas: Kayelitsha, Highwaygardens and Reeston. Hlumani focuses its programming around HIV/AIDS education and domestic violence issues and caters to orphans, youth and vulnerable children. The Hlumani Project first partnered with Ikhwezi in 2003 when Big King Camshe started volunteering at Ikhwezi. Hlumani works hand in glove with Ikhwezi by referring patients to Ikhwezi, monitoring Ikhwezi patients and transporting patients to and from Ikhwezi. In turn, Ikhwezi provides Hlumani with practical tools and resources, such as home-based care kits, which help in the day-to-day operations of Hlumani.

Khulani Community Care Centre, Reeston, Eastern Cape, SA
The Khulani Community Care Centre was formed in 1998 as a way of addressing HIV/AIDS issues in the Khulani community. The Khulani Community Care Centre currently has seven voluntary members, who collectively run a daily soup kitchen, an AIDS patient support group, a child care centre and perform home-based care for those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Khulani refers HIV positive patients to Ikhwezi and Khulani in turn, receives practical and financial support from Ikhwezi. In fact, Omnimed Ltd., (a partner of Ikhwezi) has recently agreed to fund the complete renovation of the Khulani Community Centre’s children’s nursery.

Niagara College, Welland, Ontario, Canada
Niagara College has one of the largest International Education and Development (IEDD) Departments in Ontario and a history of international experience in publicly and privately funded projects. It has a clear mandate to increase the internationalization of the college, to promote global consciousness, and to create opportunities for Canadians to gain international experiences. The IEDD has coordinated and delivered international development projects in over 15 countries via Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) funding, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) bi-lateral agreements, and the World Bank. Currently the IEDD is executing contracts in Argentina, Trinidad, Peru, and South Africa. Niagara College, via the ACCC and CIDA-funded Sustainable Skills Development (SSD) Project, was introduced to the Ikhwezi-Lokusa HIV/AIDS Wellness Centre at its inception in 2003. Niagara College has mobilized funding for Ikhwezi through Rotary Clubs of Canada, medicinal donations through the Not Just Tourists organization, and has placed six CIDA-funded young professional interns directly at the centre over the last three years. The interns provide program and organizational support for Ikhwezi. When Ikhwezi recently expressed the need for managerial capacity building and Saturday Learners Program expansion, Niagara College recognized the opportunity to strengthen its existing relationship. Thus began the collaboration between Niagara College and Ikhwezi in the “Other Half” project which is currently underway (and described in more detail in About Ikhwezi.)

Sophakama Care Centre, Duncan Village, Eastern Cape, SA
The Sophakama Care Centre was formed in November 2002 as a way of serving the sick and abandoned in the Eastern Cape township of Duncan Village. The centre currently has 25 voluntary members which care for vulnerable children and perform home based care for those infected with HIV/AIDS and other related illnesses in Duncan Village. The Ikhwezi-Sophakama centre partnership began in August 2003 when Dr. Ngumbela was introduced to the Sophakama Centre by one of her patients. Since then, a great partnership has developed wherein the Sophakama Centre refers HIV patients to Ikhwezi and Ikhwezi in turn, donates blankets, food stuffs and the like to Sophakama.

Walter Sisulu University, East London, Eastern Cape, SA
Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has been an active partner of Ikhwezi since the centre’s conception. WSU students have faithfully volunteered their time to Ikhwezi over the past three years. WSU students have volunteered their time during Sunday clinic days when Ikhwezi was not open to the public during the week for clinical practice and they continue to volunteer as peer educators during the Saturday Learner’s Program and at fundraising events at the centre. WSU has also generously donated computers and their expertise to Ikhwezi when needed.

Our Sponsors

The Ikhwezi Wellness Centre would like to thank our sponsors for their generous past and continued monetary support:

ABSA Foundation, SA
http://www.absa.co.za/absacoza

Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
http://www.dal.ca/

Department of Education, Eastern Cape Province, SA
http://www.ecprov.gov.za/

International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), Columbia University, USA
http://www.columbia-icap.org/

Johnson & Johnson, SA
http://www.jnjsouthafrica.co.za/co_credo.asp

Niagara College, Canada
http://niagarac.on.ca/

Not Just Tourists, Canada
http://www.njttoronto.ca/

Rotary Club of East London, SA
http://rotary9320.org.za/clubs/east_london.htm

Shell South Africa, SA
http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=za-en

Walter Sisulu University, SA
http://www.wsu.ac.za/