Wola Nani is Ithemba main partner in South Africa.
This association gathers HIV+ women and men (in smaller proportions), and aims at supporting them with income generating activities to help them support themselves and their chidren.

Supporting women with HIV

Ithemba works in South Africa in conjunction with the Wola Nani association which was started in 1994
by Gary Lemont. He had met a group of women who discovered they were tested HIV+
in a antenatal clinic and who were unemployed. He then had the idea of creating a support group and counselling, and at the same time he looked for ways of generating income for those people
who were unemployed as well.
It started with a group of 12 women and it's been growing eversince up to 250 now.
This figure can be multiplied by 5 considering the children and families benefit indirectly from
the association support.
50 women from Wola Nani are now involved in the Ithemba project, 30 with the bulb project, and the others with the bead work and lampshades project.

Cape Town, a city surrounded by townships
Remains of Apartheid, result of the deportation of black populations outside of the city in the seventies,
Townships have grown around the city.
Khayelitcha is the main one, gathering a population of 400 to 500 000 people.
Since the end of Apartheid, the government has launched a progressive rehabilitation program
but the conditions remain really poor. Tuberculosis and Aids are devastating many communities,
but the support of many NGO's, especially MSF (Doctors without borders) brings hope to many.

Wola Nani association in Khayelitsha's Township

Wola nani has an office in town, but it's main structure is based in Khayelitsha.
It's organised as a safe house, with no Wola Nani signs or AIDS signs:
It's just a place where things happen.
Support groups, counselling and income generation project are administrated from here.
A small workshop has been settled there also for papier mache work.
but most of the women work from their homes.

The purpose is to encourage disclosure and educate the household how to care with someone with HIV.
Three groups per week are run and they have been consistantly well attended with an optimum number
of 15 to 20 people attending each session. Through the work of these groups,
a growing number of women have found the strength and support in each other and from Wola Nani staff,
to disclose their HIV+ status to friend and partners. Disclosure and living positively in the community
is an incredible achievement for women in South Africa.

3 permanent volunteers work for the association, 2 in the city and one in Khayelitsha,
and more can be recruited as volunteers for special needs.
4 staff members operate now, supporting 250 to 300 women.

Women with HIV

Gloria is one of the women of the Wola Nani association working on the Magpie bulbs.
After 15 years of marriage, one of her 2 chidren has been diagnosed HIV+ after the appearance of symptoms.
It was obvious to her that her husband was the one who infected her, given she hadn't had any relationships
with other man. But instead of admitting the fact, this man rejected his wife and children.
She even tried to warn her husband's new girlfriend that she should beware and protect herself,
but she did not believe her, saying he was healthy. He died since then, and she is now infected as well.

At least in this association, women can gather and exchange experiences, support eachother and cope
more easily with their lives. In fact, many of them have to hide the fact they are positive,
in order not to be rejected, or see their child rejected as well.
This makes it even harder to leave a normal life, when you have to ask your partner to use condoms,
without telling him you are positive...

Income generating activities supplied by the association

> Objects

Wola Nani initiated its activity with two main products:

-The papier maché project includes bowls and frames.
21000 pieces have been produced last year.

-The aids beeded rubans, the safety pin banggles are sold all over the country in several gift and decoration shops.

The Ithemba collection has developped this activity with the collection presented on this website.


> Home care

Wola Nani has trained people for doing homecare,
and pay them for the visit. It's also easier for them than to employe people for that purpose that they can't afford.
It's an income generation project, plus delivery service, and it strenghtens the links between women.
Emergency food parcel are delivered to women in need.

> Counselling

-In conjunction with the association Dessine l'Espoir, Wola Nani has developped a counselling program to support psychologically women and bring a medical approach with the program "Espoir pour les townships"

(download PDF presentation of the program)

Other activities of the association

Wola Nani takes also part to educational and awarness campaigns, together with schools and churches.
Some actions are also organized on week ends in shopping centers to teach people about safer sex,
condoms distributions. Wola Nani is also introduced into the medical network, and if some clients need
a special assistance, Wola Nani can refer them to a hospital.
On the other hand, antenatal clinics are the main reference source for Wola Nani,
because that's were women from township communities get tested for HIV.
and people know by word of mouth now that Wola Nani can support people.