Sad loss
Last weekend the staff and many community members attended the memorial service and funeral of Desmond Mkhwamubi, who passed away after a short illness. Desmond joined the organisation in October 2009 as manager of the community & healthworker programme. He then stayed on with the organisation after the government took back the HCBCs. He then headed up our TB programme and promotion of palliative care networks. We will remember Desmond for his gentle manner and willingness to come alongside people, giving them advice and guidance in a sensitive and thoughtful manner. He was also passionate about training and helped many healthcare workers to develop their skills. He is dearly missed and will be a challenge to replace.
New structure; same vision
In July, we look forward to a completely revamped organisation to take us into the future. In the last few months, we have done a lot of work on reviewing the way we work. We have seen that there have been inefficiencies and poor coordination and we have stretched ourselves too far geographically as well as creating an ever growing expectation among the community we serve.
With a reduction in funding, we have seen the need to alter our approach and are making the following changes:
- Reduce the geographical area we cover; to be based around our satellite offices
- Focus on the family;same staff help orphans and sick people in one family, rather then one staff visiting the orphans then another visiting the sick people
- More emphasis on sustainable development; helping people to help themselves rather than doing everything for them
However, our vision remains the same. We will still support those who are most vulnerable in the community including the sick and children. We still have a social security department assisting with grants. We still have a nurse assisting with palliative care and TB work. We will continue to make a difference in Jozini District!
