Grant #18
Umvoti AIDS Center Playground
June 17, 2013
When Tamira Jones went to visit fellow Peace Corps alum Justin McAmmond at the Umvoti AIDS Center in South Africa, she was particularly struck by the children orphaned and/or infected by HIV/AIDS.
Every day over 50 children between the ages of 5 to 14 come to the center where they are fed, offered homework support and given leadership skills through the center’s Cubs & Scouts programs. Some of these children, as young as age 14, are now head of their household and required to care for younger siblings having lost their parents to AIDS.
The center also offers school uniforms, school fees, monthly food parcels, bereavement counseling and psycho-social support, though there is no playground for the children.
So, in an effort to provide a more joyful, lighthearted outlet for the kids, Justin (now in his seventh year at the AIDS Center) is building one! Kudos to Justin for all that he’s doing at Umvoti, and to Justine for submitting this application on his behalf.
Learn more about the children at Umvoti and the playground on their Facebook page, here. Have your own project that will solve a problem, cultivate community or spread joy? Apply for an AWB grant here!
