I’m just back from another incredible field visit to see the projects supported by GAGA UK in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa. I was only there on a day trip, so it was a bit of a whirlwind visit, but it was so wonderful to connect with the partner projects again after 18 months and to see all of the incredible developments in that time. One of the reasons for my visit was to obtain some new photographs of the projects, and so I took along with me Jason and Tasmin from JMC Studios (a talented photography studio based in nearby Ballito).  All of the photos in this post were taken by JMC studios.

Our first stop was 1000 Hills Community Helpers. GAGA UK has historically funded the Baby Wellness Clinic at 1000 HCH, but we were also there to photograph and tour the whole site.

I’ve been to visit 1000 Hills Community Helpers twice before, and each time I find it more extraordinary than the last.  There is an incredible energy in this bustling community centre, which was started as a feeding programme under an acacia tree over 30 years ago by founder Dawn Leppan. Over time it has grown to the remarkable project it is today, made up of six key initiatives: in addition to the Primary Health Care Clinic, there is a Preschool, Kitchen, Skills Development Programme, Garden and Community Outreach. What I love about 1000 Hills Community Helpers is that it’s humming with activity from the moment you set foot on their beautiful and vast campus, and there’s a real sense of community ownership. Everyone seems to be pitching in and doing something to benefit each other and the centre as a whole. 

We first photographed the feeding programme. In the Valley of 1000 Hills (this rural part of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) the unemployment rate is estimated to be around 48-50%, according to Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust. The high unemployment rate contributes to undernourishment and other socio-economic challenges in the region. Thanks to this initiative at 1000 Hills Community Helpers, the surrounding community can count on two nutritious meals a day free of charge. When we arrived, volunteers were churning huge vats of delicious smelling stew for lunch, but it was mid-morning at this point and the kitchen volunteers were handing out sandwiches. Children and their families sat at long wooden tables, happily eating, playing, talking. They didn’t mind us buzzing around photographing them.

 

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Next we saw the Baby Wellness Clinic which runs weekly on a Tuesday. The Baby Wellness Clinic is an extraordinary and vital aspect of the health of young mothers in the impoverished rural community. This is a safe space where mothers can come weekly to access healthcare for their newborns free of charge. The clinic truly provides a lifeline to those new mothers who have found it difficult to access the healthcare system and have fallen through the cracks. 

Mothers were sitting with their babies in the crowded waiting room, showing just how much of a need there is for this kind of free healthcare service in this marginalised area. We were kindly allowed to photograph a couple of the consultations, where the nurses and clinic staff weigh the baby and examine them for any issues, then have a discussion with the mother about how she’s doing and if she has any questions or concerns. The mother is then sent away with materials to care for her newborn – items that many of us take so for granted like nappies, cream, formula, bottles, and wipes. For these mothers, many of whom are teenagers or still finishing school, there would be no other opportunity to obtain these basic necessities.  

We then briefly visited the craft shed and observed beautiful handmade crafts, made by ladies in the community. The work was stunning and our colleague who was guiding us on the photography tour told us that often companies will visit the centre and buy the crafts in bulk, allowing these families to earn some desperately needed income. The team also exhibit the crafts at local markets.

 

Next we stopped by the preschool and creche, where the holiday camp was in full swing (South African schools break for the winter holidays in July). The children were delighted to spend some time with us and the photographs will speak for themselves about how much fun we had playing with them.

  

Our final stop on the tour was the garden project. The garden is lush and beautiful, stretching to far reaches of the campus and generates a sustainable income for the centre. As our colleagues at 1000 HCH explain: “Our gardening project run by our dedicated gardening team has opened many new opportunities for the members of our community to learn such a valuable skill. Growing our own fresh fruit and vegetables has enabled us to provide for the community and in turn, allow our community members to start up their very own gardens from the skills they have gained from the project. Every week many long hours are put into the maintenance of the garden and crops, ensuring the project's sustainability. We have been able to grow the most awesome fresh organic vegetables for use in our kitchen as part of our feeding scheme. It has always been our goal to generate employment through skills development for our garden team, we are pleased to say that this dream is starting to become a reality. We have begun selling our fresh produce to well-known stores generating income for our garden team while providing them with valuable skills that they can pass on for generations to come.”

 

After visiting the garden project it was time to say goodbye, but not before catching one last incredible birds-eye shot of the beautiful campus – Jason did this using his very cool drone.

 

 

If you’ve been inspired by this blog post, we would so appreciate your help. We are continuing to run our online campaign for the Baby Wellness Clinic at 1000 Hills Community Helpers throughout the summer. Please consider making a donation through this link.

Thank you so much for your support and interest in our work. Watch this space for my next post which will be about our second stop of the day: Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust!