Volunteer Therese introduces you to the community HIV project in a township in Port Elizabeth South Africa where she volunteered.

1. Welcome to Emmanuel Advice & Care Centre, Xwanoxolo, Port Elizabeth. The primary activity of
the organisation is to make home visits to people living with HIV. Staff consists of five care
givers, three support staff and two crèche teachers.

2. In addition, the organisation runs a crèche for pre-school kids enabling their parents to go to
work. Check out the boy (front row, red and yellow t-shirt) giving you the fingers!

3. And then they all went crazy!

4. And then in for a close up!

5. This is the container that is used for an office which is common in South Africa.
Outside temperatures are about 25 to 32O
C. The temperature inside the office can be up to 35O
C
making work extremely uncomfortable. In addition Port Elizabeth is very windy. Most afternoons
include a dust storm, but the heat demands that the windows stay open for ventilation, therefore
each morning is spent removing a heavy layer of dust before any office work can begin.

6. The planned roof project will include a corrugated iron roof extending from the back of the
container to about 4 meters in front, so that it covers the concrete area to the left side of the
door. This will reduce the temperature inside meaning that the windows can stay shut even when
it’s windy. The extension at the front to provide a much needed shaded area.

7. Here , the carers are holding a workshop to discuss nutrition. By 10am it’s impossible to sit in the
sun in this way. Since the proposed roof extension will extend 3-4 meters to the front of the
office it will provide a shaded porch area which will make meetings like this much more
productive.