There is a desperate need for capacity development, networking and greater dialogue with government in the home and community based care sector. The Department of Health has told us that there are over 50 emerging community based care organisations in the Western Cape alone – with no coordinating body to support them and no network to give them a voice.

The sector faces an ever-increasing burden of care as Government rely more and more on home based carers to deliver their HIV and AIDS care strategies. Many of these organisations don’t have a shortage of funds – what they lack is the capacity to administer the funds effectively and negotiate contracts fairly with government.

With no coordinating body, the sector risks duplication of services, less effective provision and funding going unspent. It also risks leaving home based carers – who perform the most psychologically taxing and essential service in our communities – un-heard and forgotten.

Originally initiated as a mentoring service by the Caring Network, our Home Based Care project now forms part of NACOSA’s broader mentoring and capacity building programme. The project focuses specifically on organisations that provide home based care services for clients who are bedridden, terminal and/or disabled as a result of HIV/AIDS and TB.

Community Based Care Coalition
NACOSA has revived its home based care programme with the appointment of Neziswa Mdaka who is bringing new energy to developing a Community Based Care Coalition.

The new Community Based Care Coalition (CBCC) will draw together the home and community based care sector under one umbrella – building capacity, providing a platform for debate and shared learning and giving home based carers a real voice in the Western Cape. We hope the Coalition will be a vital part of government and civil society’s battle to turn the tide on HIV and AIDS in the Western Cape.

Many thousands of people living, and caring for those, with HIV and AIDS rely on community organisations to provide their most basic day-to-day needs. Without adequately supporting civil society we risk leaving these people alone and without support at a time when they need our help the most.  Download the CBCC Terms of Reference

Community based care hero
Florence Hetjies came out of retirement to coordinate the home based care services for the Plettenberg HIV and AIDS Forum. Living in Knysna, she relies heavily on her own reliable Ford Fiesta to reach clients in the far corners of communities including Qolweni and Kranshoek. It is her pragmatism that shines through her work. With over thirty years of experience in nursing she provides her team of home based carers with valuable and often life saving oversight to secure the necessary services and medical supplies for each and every client. In the words of her adopted daughter, Noleen, "Florence doesn't just work home based care, she lives it in every aspect of her life."