Team PATA

Clinic Projects

Income-generating Projects

Kidzpositive Beadwork Project

From beaded flags and logos to bookmarks, conference name holders, glasses strings, keyrings, pens and more, the Positive Beadwork Project produces beautiful customised beadwork and provides income for over one hundred HIV/AIDS affected women.

Every order gives the mothers an opportunity to generate income to support their families and regain a sense of dignity and pride. Kidzpositive buys products as they are completed. The Beadwork Project currently has over 100 mothers making money through it. The Project is purely a job creation enterprise with up to 80% of the purchase price going directly to the mothers. The Project offers a possible model for a facilitated self-help industry to support for the daily needs of HIV/AIDS affected families in the wider community. Attempts to link with similar projects and to develop new sites have been begun. Our Schools Initiative encourages awareness among learners through their involvement in selling our products and a special label links the school to the project.

Factbox

• Mothers can earn between R100 and R200 per week.
• Total earnings by members June 2002 to January 2006 : Just under R2m
• Largest single order: 10 000 AIDS pins
• Most challenging order: 5000 flags of 33 different countries for the Commonwealth Games
• Stars of Hope made in 2006: 3 803
• Our wish list: A steady stream of orders. Each and every one is valuable to us - as small as 15 items or as large as 5000!

The beadworkers are skilled in the use of the beadloom to produce beaded flags, AIDS ribbons and a variety of other designs, including company or conference logos, keyring tabs, bookmarks, tie wristbands.Other products include beaded pens, and beadstrings for use as glasses holders, or to hold conference name tags. Christmas products include the Star of Hope, mini angels and Christmas pins. Products can be created to suit customers requirements, see our products pages for more information.

The project is part of the Kidzpositive Family Fund, which is dedicated to improving the health of HIV-positive children in Southern Africa. Visit www.kidzpositive.org for more information.

Keiskamma Artwork and Tapestry

The Keiskamma Trust

It is our guiding principle that the battle against HIV/AIDS in rural South Africa cannot be won by medical intervention alone.

The Keiskamma Trust exists to foster hope and health as well as pride and self respect amongst the people living by the Keiskamma River, a desperately poor area of the Eastern Cape. By combining Aids treatment, Art Projects and Education Initiatives the Trust has been able to take the fight against Poverty and HIV/AIDS to the very heart of the community.

The Keiskamma Art Project

This community initiative provides many people from Hamburg and neighbouring villages with the skills, materials and training to create beautiful artworks. In so doing, people grow respect for themselves and generate vital incomes in an area of limited employment opportunities. The Keiskamma Art Project's most famous artworks to date are the Keiskamma Altarpiece and the Keiskamma Tapestry. Both large artworks carry the message of hope in the fight against HIV/AIDS to audiences around the world.

http://www.keiskamma.org

Connaught clinic, Zimbabwe: Disclosure game

The Soldier Game' (Beaded disclosure kits from Connaught Clinic in Zimbabwe)

At the 2007 PATA conference in Swaziland, the Connaught team wowed other participants with their creative beaded disclosure kits called 'The Soldier Game'. The game can be used to explain to children (over the age of 6, as well as to caregivers) how the virus works and why it is important to take their medicines regularly.

The idea was first conceived in 2004 by Nicola Willis, paediatric nurse and founder of AFRICAID. At the moment, the sets are made by local artists, but Connaught clinic plans to train teenagers involved with the clinic to make them and to turn the venture into an income generating project.

Nursing sister Rita Phillip from the clinic thanked Kidzpositive Beadwork Project (Cape Town) for donating beads they could work with. The game can be purchased either directly from Connaught clinic or through the Kidzpositive Beadwork Project at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.

'The Soldier Game' costs US $50.00 (this excludes packaging and postage) and can be ordered from beads@kidzpositive.org. The game includes soldiers (CD4 cells), red balls (viruses), dark balls (resistant viruses), stars (the different ARV drugs) and the T-shape (opportunistic infections). All proceeds from the beadwork will go directly to the Connaught clinic.

Connaught Clinic is a family Care Centre situated about 7 km from Harare City Centre. There are currently 1572 patients enrolled. According to Rita Phillip, their biggest challenges are transport, food, school fees, books, stationery and school uniforms. At the moment, excitement is mounting within the Connaught team as a new clinic is being built so that they can expand, and they hope to move in at the end of May. Good luck!

• Advocacy Officer
• Personal Assistant
• Portuguese Tranlator

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PATA and Kidzpositive Western Cape Adolescent Workshop poster.