Caption: Women in Lusikisiki in Transkei, Eastern Cape, carry home their firewood. (Photo courtesy of VSA)

Note: Click for enlargement of map.

South Africa

2007/2008 allocation: $1.72 million

Snapshot

The end of apartheid in 1994 has seen a revolution in South Africa's political system. After Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki became the country's second democratically elected President for the African National Congress (ANC), the once-banned party.

Unfortunately poverty in South Africa hasn't experienced such a dramatic turn-around. According to the World Bank, South Africa's income masks vast differences between rich and poor. Within the 22 million people living in poverty , 75 percent do not have access to running water and over 30 percent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 25 percent of the population is affected with HIV/AIDS, which is another significant challenge facing development in South Africa.

The Development Project Fund (DPF) is the primary channel of NZAID assistance for projects in South Africa.

NZAID priorities

The South Africa Programme is based on the South African Government's Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) framework. The following objectives have been highlighted as priorities:

Education: access to basic education
Health: HIV/AIDS initiatives
Leadership and government: public sector capacity building
Civil society: capacity building

Within the country, the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape areas have been identified as a focus for assistance, due to comparative disadvantages.

NZAID on the ground

Mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS in selected vulnerable communities

The South African Government has a strong commitment to supporting community-based organisations (CBOs) working in HIV/AIDS. However many challenges remain and small CBOs often find they do not meet the eligibility criteria for government funding. The Aids Foundation of South Africa has identified a need for an interface between the government and CBOs. The Foundation helps to direct funding towards strategically placed CBOs, whilst providing technical support for programme implementation and organisational development.

NZAID is providing assistance to the Aids Foundation of South Africa for their work in the KwaZulu-Natal area. The Foundation is targeting 8 CBOs that work with vulnerable communities not already receiving mainstream HIV/AIDS interventions. NZAID has committed NZ$450,000 for this project over three years