Chris Rock's wife collaborates with the Family Africa

http://www.familycare.org/network/family-africa-hiv-aids-program

     Family Africa is registered with the US based Family Care Foundation-  a 501(c)(3) public charity

This Saturday Malaak Compton-Rock (wife of the actor Chris Rock and founder of The Angel Rock Foundation) came to open the playground she has donated for The Family Africa’s Free Day Care Centre for the children of HIV positive women and orphans. We arranged a big birthday party for our children at the same time so that the whole day would be very special with hot dogs, crisps, lollies and toys. Beth ( 15yrs) and Tirzah (14yrs)face painted the children and Chris made balloons and entertained the crowd. Portia(10yrs) worked hard making the hot dogs and organizing the toy distribution. Malaak arrived with 30 teenagers from Brooklyn, New York and thirty mentors.

The children gave a little performance and the women from the HIV positive support group sang and danced receiving a great response from the visitors.  The teens from New York then gave out lucky packets to 85 of our children and we in turn presented the teens with a FIFA 2010 World Cup blanket as a souvenir of their stay in this country.  The event was a big success and we are all absolutely thrilled with our fantastic new playground.   

Above: Chris chatting with Malaak about our trip to the states.

Below: Beth giving out FIFA blankets to Malaak and the teens from "Journey for Change'

Above: Jake displays the blankets with Malaak.

Below: Portia handing out the hot- dogs she prepared.

Our team heads off to America

As we received overwhelmingly positive responses from the many international visitors in South Africa during the World Cup, we are bringing our youth team to the US with the goal of presenting our program at various youth correctional centers across the US and Mexico. The team will be in the US between the 26th of Sept until the 22nd of October.  On the 12th of September 3  members of our team went ahead to Texas to attend a Youth Missionary Training Camp:

For 3 minutes of inspiration for your day watch this music video

:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtdS7S9Qc5Q

Some of our team members, 8 of whom will be going on the trip for the States.

HIV/AIDS Education

HIV/AIDS School programmes:Interactive programmes for Primary and Secondary Schools using music and drama and encouraging active student participation.
The programmes are an audio visual extravaganza covering the basics of HIV/AIDS education through a dramatic fast moving show. It covers information on how the learners can protect themselves, destroys the many myths which surround HIV/AIDS and promotes a positive response to people living with AIDS from a Christian perspective.We also take the programme on the road all around South Africa such as Soweto, Alexandra, The Cape Flats, Bloemfontein, East London etc and into surrounding African countries of Namibia and Zambia.
Beneficiaries: 33,000 students so far.

For secondary schools: A new addition to the show is an anti drug song emphasising how drugs and alcohol are important factors which hinder wise decision making. The teenage programme includes a drama called Captain Condom which hits teenage sexual relationships head on in an unforgettable way .The desperate need for this form of education is underlined by the fact that, sadly, in some of the schools where we run this programme there are pregnant girls as young as 11 years old.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2hqV2xHgU


For primary schools: Although much of the material covered is the same as in the secondary school programme, the direct approach to sexuality is replaced by the Stranger Danger and how to get help if close friends and relatives are behaving inappropriately towards the children. Puppets are used effectively to tackle these highly sensitive topics.  Poster and essay competitions (with prizes) are used as a follow up tool to reinforce learning and to ensure the students have grasped the basics of the programmes   We have received excellent feedback from students and staff through out the country.   

World Cup 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aapyOu5buOc 

Above: Triple Fusion being filmed for Univision

We recently had the opportunity to do presentations during the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. With the help of a group of our young missionary trainees we put together a values/faith based program presented through music and drama which we were able to perform on the main stages at several of the official FIFA Fan Parks, and we also performed an adapted version of our program within the stadium precincts as street theatre.

Triple Fusion Dance troupe performed over 30 times during the 2010 World Cup

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP460quSi1c 

  

The 'Everything Drama' was performed for thousands of people and had a tremendous impact on many lives.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3AWBjW1FeE 

During the World cup we were able to use creative arts such as Free Face-painting and Stilt walking  to attract Soccer Fans to our outreach and thereby have a chance to minister to them. 

For an overview of some of the street outreach that The Family Africa Youth Mission organised and performed please watch this link. ( Playing2win was an outreach working title during the World Cup)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq93oJgjKzg

'Real Hope for the Future'

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtdS7S9Qc5Q
The Family Africa is a faith based organisation bringing real hope for the future to thousands of people from previously disadvantaged groups in South Africa. We follow a holistic approach to welfare involving the mind, body and spirit. To this end we work on three levels:
1.Short Term:
Immediate relief through feeding schemes, provision of clothing and blankets and response to local disasters.
2. Medium term:
Education and training including basic skills training, HIV/AIDS awareness programmes in primary and secondary schools and the production of materials to assist prevention and promote attitude change.
3. Long Term:
Spiritual, emotional and psychological support.
Taking a look at our history and our residential training centre
Since it opened 10 years ago, our residential training centre has trained full time volunteers from many different countries: South Africa, United Kingdom, America, France, Mexico, Italy and Australia, Portugal, Spain, Germany. At present we have 26 adults and children from seven countries living and working together.
The residential centre serves several important functions and acts as a training centre for the volunteers where they receive instruction in counselling, project management, fund raising, HIV/AIDS education, public relations etc. It also provides accommodation and food for the full time, unpaid volunteers so that they can reach out into the community based projects of HIV/AIDS support groups, children’s clubs, HIV/AIDS education in primary and secondary schools as well as youth counselling and Christian leadership training courses. Projects which are ongoing 52 weeks a year only take place because we have the residential centre as our base.
The centre also runs camps for teenagers throughout the year where young people are encouraged to follow positive values and make important life choices as well as participate in team building exercises. Approximately 25 teenagers at a time benefit from these in house camps.
Seminars on the topics of parenting, education and counselling also take place on an occasional basis. Our centre also acts as place of rest and recuperation for some of our volunteers who are now based in other African countries such as Zambia or Nigeria, where the field conditions are often very difficult.
We have a real need to find sponsorship for the running costs of our training centre so that not only this very worthwhile training can continue but also the valuable community projects which depend on the centre for their continued success.