CHoiCe Trust

Background:

CHoiCe Trust was established in 1997 to promote and provide health services to farm workers in Mopani District, Limpopo Province.  The organisation soon expanded to support the health needs of rural community members through the provision of health trainings and mentoring to community caregivers.  From this basis in home-based care, CHoiCe Trust grew in its mission to provide more holistically for the health needs of the beneficiaries; this included introducing a programme focused on the rights and vulnerabilities of children, the needs of farm workers, the training and mentorship requirements of community-based organisations and community care workers, the health concerns of patients and their family members, and promotion of HIV prevention, care and support. The organisation currently works to address vulnerability in communities by focusing on building capacity and directly intervening to improve resilience on different development challenges and provides direct health services in support of national, provincial and local objectives and plans.  CHoiCe continues to implement programmes around health issues, poverty alleviation, rights realisation and environmental concerns.

Mission, Vision and Objectives:

Vision

The vision for the future is the empowerment of communities to take responsibility for their own wellbeing thus enhancing the quality of their lives

Mission

To engage and collaborate with vulnerable communities and key stakeholders to identify wellbeing needs with CHoiCe facilitating health action for change Specific organisational operations, carried out in Limpopo Province will aim to:

• Increase participation amongst community members
• Enhance capacity on health issues amongst community members
• Enhance capacity amongst community structures
• Improve health, education and social development of children
• Increase access to key health services

The strategic goal of the organisation is to achieve healthy and resilient households from the rural, vulnerable communities in Limpopo Province.

Key Services and Expertise:

In order to achieve the strategic objectives of the organisation in a manner which is sustainable, CHoiCe focuses on community and systems strengthening to ensure that the legacy of all interventions is continued for future generations.  CHoiCe’s activities are implemented in Mopani, Capricorn and Vhembe Districts; CHoiCe’s main office is located in Tzaneen with a satellite office in Thohoyandou. Through a committed and diverse staff component (including nurses, social workers, trainers/facilitators, development practitioners and agroecologists), CHoiCe carries out the following key services to its various beneficiaries: Accredited and non-accredited trainings and awareness raising, in courses which focus on developing the capacity of Community-Based Organisations, Community Care Workers and community members.  This includes:

• Health focused training (such as Stigma and Discrimination; and Behavioural Change Communications)
• Provision of palliative care training for health professionals and Community Health Workers to improve provision of palliative care
• Development focused training (such as Organic Food Gardens using agro-ecological and conservation agriculture practices; Wash, Sanitation and Hygiene; basic understanding of Climate Change Adaptation; Voluntary Savings and
• Loans and Income-Generation Activities)
• Organisational development training (such as Governance, Financial Management, Human Resource management, and Fundraising) of community-based organisations and other community structures
• Awareness raising takes place through campaigns and events on themes identified as relevant by communities
• Mentorship and support:  CHoiCe recognises that training sessions are one approach to capacity building but that consistent support and mentorship is necessary to ensure consolidation of learnings and practical implementation of knowledge gained.  The team of trainers and facilitators also provide mentorship to individuals and structures which are trained.  This includes around the implementation of home-based care; organisational development; environmental concerns and challenges; household economic strengthening interventions

Direct palliative care support services to patients in the community:  based on referrals from the Department of Health, CHoiCe’s palliative care nurse provides support to patients who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, with a focus on pain management, psycho-social support and counselling on grief and loss with family members

Additional services have included:

• Community dialogues based on the Community Capacity Enhancement Methodology:  promoting a participatory approach, CHoiCe facilitates the creation of platforms with community members to identify their own concerns, discuss and explore options for addressing these concerns, and mentorship to task team members elected by communities and mandated to carry out the identified action plans.  Themes that have been addressed through dialogues with communities include: HIV and AIDS; Gender-Based Violence and Gender Norms; Maternal and Child Health; and environmental challenges (such as access to water)Implementation of evidence-based interventions for children and caregivers: CHoiCe works with community-based facilitators who conduct sessions with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their caregivers. This includes sessions based on ‘Let’s Talk’ sessions as part of DREAMS Family Strengthening’, and ‘Families Matter Programme’ and ‘Vhutshilo’ methodologies.
• Care and support to HIV infected and affected children:  in order to create circles of support around children, CHoiCe works within households to build capacity so that the family members are able to meet the needs of the vulnerable children.  Direct support provided to children includes with regards to treatment adherence, monitoring of viral loads and support to health facility visits, counselling and recreational activities.
• Support to community-based monitoring and advocacy for strengthening of accountability in the provision of quality, accessible and affordable health services by creating a feedback loop between services providers and key populations receiving services and increasing capacity and capability of key populations to identify local challenges and priorities, allowing them to advocate for improved services and monitor changes for AGYW accessing health services.
• HIV Prevention services: Implemented in Vhembe District, CHoiCe provided a comprehensive package of services for MSM (men who have sex with men) which aims to reduce the incidence of HIV amongst this key population group. Activities are implemented by a clinical, social work and peer educator team, and include bio-medical interventions (including PrEP initiation and HIV testing services), structural interventions (aiming to address stigma and discrimination and ensure the provision of psychosocial support), and behavioural interventions (such as risk reduction counselling and awareness).

CHoiCe’s services focus on improving the overall wellbeing of rural communities, building resilience and capacity.  Interventions are aimed to direct and indirectly benefit Community Care Workers, peer educators, Community Based Organisations, traditional leadership, orphaned and vulnerable children and their households, farm workers, migrants, patients and clients, and other community members in rural villages and areas.