Bishop Simeon Trust

Leth’ithemba Educare

Leth’ithemba (pronounced “Letty-temba” and formerly known as Kwase-Kwaza) is a project caring for people infected and affected by HIV/Aids in the township of Katlehong, approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Johannesburg. As its name suggests, it is both an education project and a Home Based Care project.

Home Based Care involves trained ‘volunteers’ visiting patients in their own homes to provide basic care, counselling and some practical support, especially if the patient is bed-bound. Around 170 patients are being cared for at any one time, and the caregivers usually visit in pairs.

The education component is a pre-school catering for nearly 100 vulnerable children from the locality: some may be children of the patients being visited by the caregivers, and a number of the children are HIV positive too. The pre-school provides two good meals a day for the children – who may otherwise not have anything to eat at home. The pre-school follows the government curriculum for Early Childhood learning, preparing the children for primary school from the age of 7.

None of the caregivers, teachers or cooks at this project receive a salary for their hard work. Some caregivers receive a government ‘stipend’ – an allowance of £70 a month – but this is erratic and in common with other similar projects in South Africa, is usually not paid at all during the months of April to August, when the government is changing from one financial year to the next. This “dry season” as it is known locally causes untold hardship for the caregivers and their families, especially as it coincides with the cold winter months when extra fuel needs to be bought.

The Bishop Simeon Trust contributes stipends to the workers who don’t receive government allowances, and we also fund many of the project’s running costs.

Leth’ithemba has received some well-known visitors over the years. Sir Michael Parkinson, a Patron of the Bishop Simeon Trust, visited on behalf of Comic Relief during 2002 and fell in love with the project, rescuing it from possible closure as the pre-school building was about to be sold at the time. Since then, Sir Michael has continued to raise funds for Leth’ithemba through his TV appearances and charity golf days and the like. We are indebted to him for his continued support.

WATCH A VIDEO OF SIR MICHAEL PARKINSON’S VISIT HERE:

Other visitors to Leth’ithemba include Leona Lewis, winner of TV’s Pop Idol, and her short film was broadcast on various networks in aid of Sports Relief in March 2008. You can watch this here:

Current Needs:

The Department of Health in Gauteng Province pays approximately half the running costs of the Leth’ithemba project, leaving the Bishop Simeon Trust to find about £1,000 per month to cover workers’ stipends not met by government, plus telephone, petrol, book-keeping, food, cleaning materials, disposable gloves and other consumables. If repairs are needed to the premises or vehicle, these additional costs also need to be found.