Children presented with school uniforms, made possible by Topsy's support.
Topsy's fieldworkers visit an average of 2,000 clients per month
The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation provided a grant of £20,000 to cover core costs and funding for a Development Manger in 2007/08.
The Topsy Foundation, a fully-registered and internationally-respected South African Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) and UK registered charity, partners with rural communities, empowering people infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS through medical care, social support and skills development.
Since the disease has an impact in every area of life, the work of the Topsy Foundation seeks to intervene commensurately. It has a vision of flourishing rural communities where people have the tools for change and where young people, in particular, are productive members of society, in spite of the impact of HIV and AIDS and poverty. Its work therefore has a strong focus on children.
Topsy runs three main programmes:
• Community Outreach Programme.
• Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care Clinic.
• Skills Training.
Topsy’s interventions are characterised by the provision of medical and social services (with a strong emphasis on wellness) to people and families who do not otherwise have ready access to such services. Typical interventions include the provision of professional medical treatment (including antiretroviral therapy) to people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs) and the treatment of other illnesses; the holistic care of orphaned and vulnerable children; the provision of food and nutritional supplementation to households threatened by malnutrition; and job creation to help alleviate poverty.
The Topsy Foundation partners with communities in and around the crossroads of the Mpumalanga, Free State and Gauteng provinces. Activities take place from a central project site at Grootvlei, in Mpumalanga Province, called the Topsy Sanctuary.
Visit the The Topsy Foundation website.