Partnership in Development

How Humana People to People has grown from second hand Clothes Collection to establishing Partnerships with governments, companies and donor agencies in and outside South Africa, all for the development and upliftment of disadvantaged communiites.

When Humana People to People in South Africa was formed in 1995, it did not have much money. It started its Clothes Collection of second hand clothes in order to start its first project.

Today, Humana People to People in South Africa is basing its economy on partnerships with governments, companies and donor agencies inside and outside the country. We call it Partnership in Development. The organization has formed partnerships with a range of other players in the development field, ranging from small to large donations, some as a one-off support, and others in a long term commitment. Humana People to People in South Africa has established its own Partnership Unit and also works together with the Federation Humana People to People in this endeavor.

One of our first partnerships was with the Department of Health in Gauteng, Region 6. The department offered funding to some of the health activities in Child Aid Doornkop and decided to be a partner in starting up the first TCE area in Bramfischerville. The partnership has continued up to today, where Child Aid is implementing Home Based Care and Voluntary Counseling and Testing with funding from the department. This partnership has been used as a model to establish partnership with Departments of Health in other districts. Humana People to People in South Africa has a proven record regarding health services in many of its programmes and can thereby assist the government in fulfilling its objectives. In 2007, a three-year agreement was signed with the Department of Health and Social Development in Limpopo to pay for health promotion activities in two Child Aid and one Hope Project.

In Child Aid Doornkop, we have now entered into partnership in development with other government departments, such as Social Welfare, Public Works and Labour. The activities cover preschool education, programmes for orphans and vulnerable children, learnership programmes and skills training. When TCE in Bohlabela was established, an agreement was signed with the District Municipality for three years support to the programme.

Humana People to People in South Africa has also received funding from the National Development Agency (NDA), which works in conjunction with the Government.  The first partnership with NDA was established in 2004 offering major support to the first TCE area in Limpopo. In 2006, a new partnership was formed offering support to start Child Aid in Sekhukhune District.

Within the corporate world, we have been able to establish a number of partnerships. The largest is with Johnson & Johnson, where we receive donations from both its American and South African branches. The partnership started with funding for Children and Youth Club activities and Home Based Care in Child Aid Doornkop. Later Johnson & Johnson decided to fund the start up and operation of the first TCE Area in South Africa, in partnership with the Provincial Department of Health, Gauteng.

Johnson & Johnson has since then continued and increased its support TCE to both Johannesburg and Sekhukhune. Together with Johnson & Johnson, we have developed the TRIO programme, which is a programme in TCE that offers support to people on ARV treatment. Johnson & Johnson has continued its support to the Children and Youth Clubs in Child Aid Doornkop. In 2004, Johnson & Johnson won the Stars of African Award for its engagement in TCE.

Humana People to People in South Africa has also entered short and long term agreements with other corporates, such as Metropolitan, Microsoft, Innovation Group, Dell, Adcorp, ABSA, BP and De Beers.

Another major channel of funds has been from foreign governments via their missions or embassies in South Africa. The largest donor has been USAID with the PEPFAR programme (President’ s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). The partnership with USAID was initiated in 2005 with the TCE programme in Bohlabela (today Mopani and Ehlanzeni). A partnership with USAID was also established for the Ambassador’s Girl Scholarship Programme, which offers scholarship and support to 300 girls in two Child Aid projects.

Other embassies that have also offered support to Humana People to People projects , hereunder the New Zealand High Commission and the Belgium Development Corporation (both for Hope Humana Durban).

Furthermore, we have received funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Since 2002, the Foundation has offered support to Child Aid Doornkop to cover a range of activities, such as building a preschool network, strengthening the support for orphans and vulnerable children and management training of staff, and in 2007 we embarked on a partnership in a training programme for community facilitators.

Finally, through our membership of the Federation, Humana People to People in South Africa has received funding from other member associations, such as the US based Planet Aid, Inc.

The year 2007 ended on a good footing, as an Agreement was signed with the National Department of Health to be a sub-recipient of funding from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to scale up the TCE campaign. HPP-SA was one out of 14 organizations to receive this funding.