Broadlink was recently in a position to be able to contribute soft goods to the NET HIV/AIDS Youth Project, through business partner I Burst. This organisation that supports children orphaned by aids has grown from humble beginnings and continues to provide a valuable social service under extreme conditions.

Here is an excerpt on the founding story edited from their website …

Situated 30km south of Johannesburg Net HIV/AIDS Youth Project is a youth managed organisation caring for children infected by HIV/AIDS. It is located in Sweet Waters and surrounding informal settlements, Thumlamtwana and Weillers Farm.

In 1999 a group of unemployed youths, founded the organisation and started caring for children orphaned by AIDS. Seeing that the number of children orphaned by AIDS was increasing at an alarming rate, Joseph Tshabalala the founder of the organization, mobilised the youths and asked them to assist him in his non-profit organisation.

He drew the youths away from drugs and other abusive substances. Nnini Mokhali did the cooking for the children using a single paraffin stove. Operating from a very small worn out shack, with extreme temperatures was not at all easy. When it rained, the shack flooded and the children were forced to squeeze into a small dry corner.

Without any financial support from any institutions, they collected money amongst themselves and bought a 25l can of paraffin which they started selling to the community as no-one uses electricity in the informal settlement. With the little profit that they made, they bought 12.5kgs of cake flour and started to bake home-made-fat-cakes which were sold and the profit made was used to buy food for the children. More youths become supportive and helped the organisation to excel, despite the financial difficulties that were encountered.

They run a small ill-equipped library in order to promote a culture of reading and literacy, which is used mostly by youths for studies. A food garden project helps to feed the children at the centre. They also run a brick-making project and use their donated printers to do CV'S for people in order to generate funds. They are no longer struggling with rent money since the U.S. Ambassador's Small Grants Program is funding them including purchasing of income generating equipment. Although the funds cannot be used to buy property, renovate or buy a new bakkie, it does play a very big role in turning Net HIV/AIDS into a self-reliable organisation - like buying school material for their kids and paying of school fees.

They also run a poultry and egg project with 500 laying chickens. They rely on these projects and any other donations to pay for the rent, transport and hospital bills and other expenses. Without any form of support from our local government, they continue to strive to make a difference in their communities.

For more… www.nethivaids.org.za