Interview with UBA’s social worker
Questions With…
Skwayi, Ubuntu Africa’s Social Worker
How did you come to work for UBA? Have you done any HIV/AIDS-related work prior to your involvement with this organization?
This is my first time working with HIV-positive children. Before, I was going to court for children and helping them apply to government grants. And then from there, coming to Ubuntu Africa, was positive challenge for me.
Working at Ubuntu Africa, what is something that has struck you the most?
From being here, what struck me is the way that the children are living. Most of them are living in poverty and [it’s hard because] in these families, you can’t just take ARV treatment with nothing in the stomach. Most of them are not cared for by their families, and there’s that feeling that they need love. I wanted to make a difference for these kids and their families.
As part of the comprehensive care component at UBA, everybody here seems to have multiple roles combined into one. Can you briefly describe what you do?
On Mondays I have appointments with children and I do assessments, and on Tuesdays, I conduct the support group with the parents. Wednesday and Thursday I go out for the home visits—[you need two days because] in the informal settlements they don’t have streets so we have to leave the car and walk. Friday is all the admin work. Counseling happens almost every day.
In your experience, have you found that the Khayelitsha community supports UBA and its work?
[At first] the parents were not supportive. But now, they are starting to . We also have a support group for the positive parents and for the foster care parents, but in time we are going to split and divide the group [because the two groups] don’t have the same problems.
What has been the biggest success you’ve had here, or something you’ve been the most proud of?
I am proud that this organization is being known by the community. They [families, children] are coming in numbers from the whole of Khayelitsha. Every person, even the parents when they are in the clinics, talk to other parents who bring more children here.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for HIV-positive children in Khayelitsha?
I think for me, the biggest challenge is at school. The teachers are not educated [about HIV] and don’t understand that sometimes [the kids] are sick and have lots of absences. Some of the parents don’t [mention that] their children will be out of school and I can’t just say to the teacher ‘this child is HIV positive.’ [As a result,] the children are falling behind.
*Note: as part of the government aid program for HIV treatment, the children must go into clinics in person to collect their ARV medications.
What goals do you have for the future of UBA—both personally and for the organization as a whole?
I think for me, for UBA, I am seeing this place expanding to other places, not only here in Khayelitsha. The people outside Khayelitsha want some organization like this.
There are many challenges in your line of work. Is there one challenge in particular that you feel is difficult to address? Why?
I think the most difficult challenge is when the child comes in here and the parents did not disclose [to the child that they are HIV-positive]. Sometimes we have to sit down with the parents and tell him or her the importance of disclosing to the child.
Have you seen a lot of changes in parents and children after they started attending our program? Please give examples.
Yes. You know, some of the children when they came in here for the first time, they were so withdrawn. They didn’t want to eat, they didn’t want to mix with the other children, and as time goes on, they are free and playing. Even the parents, in their support group, they are supporting each other. As a facilitator, I don’t do much. The parents do the welcoming, and [discuss] about the group, and how they feel…for us, we want them to stand on their own feet.
The kids are brave and very strong. They can stand for their rights. One child here was talking about her status and she said “Okay, I’m better because I know my status.”
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