Saturday, October 17, 2009

58% more HIV, AIDS organisations funded by department of social development

By Khanyisa Tabata
17 October 2009


The Department of Social Development has more than doubled the number of organisations it funds which support people living with HIV and AIDS.

In a written reply to a Parliamentary question raised by political parties in the National Assembly, Minister of Social Development Edna Molewa said the department had funded 2 691 home and community based care organisations in 2008/2009, up from 1 579 in 2007/2008.

Home and community based care organisations provide services to individuals and families infected and affected by HIV and AIDS, including child-headed households.

The department had also upped its support for home and community based care organisations in the Northern Cape, from 92 to 116 and the Western Cape, from 168 to 275 between 2007/2008 and the last financial year.

Molewa said the home and community based care approach allowed children and their families to have access to services nearest to their homes.

According to data from the 2001 census there were 229 714 child-headed households in the country. Limpopo had the highest number of child-headed households at 53 229, followed by the Eastern Cape at 38 886 and KwaZulu-Natal at 38 052.

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