Who we are

Hlokomela is an award winning HIV and AIDS educational and treatment programme targeting workers, including foreign migrants, in the agriculture, nature conservation and tourism sectors in The Greater Kruger to Canyons area located in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The programme aims to reduce HIV vulnerability through peer education, raising of awareness, prevention and treatment. The project has been running successfully for the past 11 years and is currently rolled out on 71 sub project sites. An estimated 25 000 people are reached annually through the activities of the programme.

Vision

Create a culture of caring that empowers all

Mission

To provide quality, all-inclusive health care to everyone in the Kruger2Canyons Biosphere Region

What we do

Hlokomela’s services and projects are focussed into three main areas of priority; Healthcare, Income Development Projects & Administration.

Health

Health services are aimed at providing awareness, treatment and care to Hlokomela’s beneficiaries.

Hlokomela creates awareness of HIV/AIDS through almost a hundred care givers (Nompilos) who work on farms and at hotspot areas such as shebeens, truck stops and taxi ranks. Community dialogues are also used to create awareness. Mobile HIV Testing Services (HTS) offer free HIV testing to 31 000 people per year.

Once a client has tested positive for HIV/AIDS, he/she can access treatment at one of Hlokomela’s 10 wellness clinics. Services offered at the wellness clinics include anti-retroviral treatment, Primary Health Care (PHC), cervical and breast cancer screening as well as early cervical cancer treatment. Once a client has received treatment, the Nompilos provide care and support to them at their work place or in their community.

Income Generation Projects (IGP)

Although Hlokomela is largely dependent on donor funding, the organisation is constantly striving towards self-sustainability by means of its Income Generation Projects.

The Herb Garden grows and sells fresh herbs and herb products commercially and is complemented by the Community Garden which grows fruits and vegetables.

The Charity Shop sells second hand clothing and shares floor space with The Hlokomela Sewing Project. With the help of volunteers, Kombucha (a fermented tea drink) is also brewed and sold to Charity Shop customers.

A newly established MiniChess franchise offers crucial early childhood development skills and education to young children. Hlokomela believes that well developed cognitive skills and reasoning abilities within our clients/patients are a wonderful asset in reaching targets and successfully internalising health awareness campaigns.

The Hlokomela Tours are social interest excursions to the organisation’s main points of interest, showcasing the organisation’s selling points. These tours have the potential to become a major source of income, through funding opportunities and donations, but also serve as a great one on one marketing tool with international guests from a range of global industries and sectors.

Who we serve

Farms in the Mopani District not only employ permanent workers, but also a large number of seasonal workers during picking seasons. Many of these seasonal workers are migrants from other areas of South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere in Southern Africa. Hlokomela currently provides services to workers and their families on 71 sub project sites in the Hoedspruit community, as well as to a number of employees on private nature reserves adjacent to the Kruger National Park. An estimated 25 000 farm workers and their families benefit directly from Hlokomela services. Each month, Hlokomela helps approximately 1 700 clients access HIV Testing Services (HTS), and helps 2 000 people living with HIV receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) at three Wellness Clinic sites and 7 mobile sites (Hlokomela, Bavaria, Richmond, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Ngala, Thornybush Waterside, South African Wildlife College, Singita Lebombo, Phelwana and Timbavati Foundation). Hlokomela’s public awareness campaigns provide information about HIV and AIDS to the entire community.

Where we do it

Hlokomela’s geographical focus is The Greater Kruger to Canyons Area, with our main base of operations focused in the Hoedspruit and surrounding communities in the Maruleng Municipality, Mopani District in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The Mopani District, adjacent to Kruger National Park, is predominantly a fruit and game farming area with a large population of seasonal and migrant workers. Hlokomela also works in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province. This area is mostly residential with government being a prominent employer. In 2016 Hlokomela will also work in Thaba Chweu Municipality in the Ehlanzeni District of Mpumalanga Province. Mining, forestry, commercial farming and tourism are the major economic drivers in this area.

Funders

Community Partners

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