It is the beginning of Summer here, but so far you wouldn’t think  so. It has been very wet and cold, which of course has been blamed on us for bringing it!

We are still very much  finding our feet and meeting up with people, but the few items of news we’ve heard, have mostly been really positive.

Tsa Lapeng, which is the arts and crafts project setup in Makgolokoeng, is going from strength to strength. Their range of products has more than quadrupled and they are now supplying to many businesses in the area. Rheola’s, where we are staying, is having an arts and crafts festival from tomorrow, where all of their items will be displayed. It’ll be very difficult not to buy lots of their pretty creations.

I think the most exciting thing that has occurred in Tshwaranang, as we mentioned a few months ago, is the newly employed social worker Vanessa. We discovered that it is through our  and a few other large donations that this has been possible – so our work really is making a difference!

We’ve yet to go into Hope House as one of the children has mumps, but we are very much looking forward to hanging out with them. 10 of the children do not have families to go to for Christmas, so I imagine that they’ll be coming round to ours for films, presents and pizza!

The cards are being sold at £2.50 for a pack of 6, and we can post them out to you if you can’t collect (i.e. if you don’t live in Sheffield!). Please contact us to order yours today!

Postage and packaging costs are as follows:

1-3 packs – £3

4 packs- £4

5 packs- £5

More than 5 packs- please email us to discuss a price.

We’ve taken a break from organising events over the Summer, so its been great to see that the money has still been coming in… So far this year NNN has received £2,404, of which £414 has come from events and £1,990 has come from our fantastic donors.

All in all, this means we’ll be on course to raise around £5,000 this year, and hopefully more when we get going with some events!

During this time we’ve been able to distribute £2,493 to the projects we support, that’s £1,689 to the Raffa Home and £804 to Tshwaranang Community Centre.

This is continuing to make a huge difference in the lives of those in those communities, so a massive thanks to everyone who has contributed.

If you’d like to give, or contribute in any way, why not visit our get involved page.

Join the Facebook event by clicking here and invite all your friends.

The event is genuinely top quality- we love supporting and promoting local music because we think we’ve got some of the best stuff around! Check out the myspace pages (go to the event for more details) to find out what you could be hearing, stick a reminder on your phone, and come down next Wednesday to the Forum bar in Sheffield for a great evening.

Half price drinks, donations on the door- a good deal, a great selection of musical treats, and some (even if we do say so ourselves) excellent causes. What more could you ask for?! See you there!

Also huge appreciation to Paul Costello who curated the quiz.

Check out our events page for what’s coming next!

When discussing the problem of HIV/AIDS in India the first thing to note is just how young it is. That’s not just a reference to the estimated million children who have lost one or both parents to the disease, but to the historical fact that the first recognised case of the disease was in 1986.

That’s only 24 years ago.

A Guardian article on the issue a few years ago makes the point that the plight of the vast- and ever growing- numbers of AIDS orphans in India ‘goes virtually unnoticed’, with aid agencies warning that ‘children affected by Aids are being ignored and increasingly left to fend for themselves.’ World Vision report that the stigma attached to the disease means that children orphaned or affected by HIV/AIDS can be denied education or entry into some orphanages and are often, as a result, ‘forced into child labour’.

The boys in the Raffa Home are an average of 16 years of age, with most being born in or around 1995. That’s less than 10 years after the first case was discovered in Chennai, and 4 years before the second phase of India’s National AIDS Control Programme (NACP II) was launched. The first phase started in 1987, as an almost-immediate response to the problem. The first phase had focused on ‘surveillance, blood screening, and health education’, whilst the second phase began with the stated aim of ‘reducing the spread of HIV through promoting behaviour change’. Avert, an international HIV/AIDS charity, states that it was crucially only in 1999 that ‘the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme and the provision of free antiretroviral treatment were implemented for the first time’.

1999. That means for the residents of the Raffa Home, along with thousands of other children born earlier that decade across India, it was already too late.

The good news is that the campaign for treating and preventing the epidemic continues, with the third phase launched in 2007. This focuses largely on preventing the disease through various awareness-raising campaigns, including advertising, which is necessary because of the huge stigma that continues to be associated with AIDS in many communities.

The problem is that a mere 1/6 of the money is reported to be being spent on treatment. The most common anti retroviral (ARV) drugs, essential to keep the onset of AIDS at bay for all HIV sufferers, are not widely available in India, with an estimated 1 in 4 individuals receiving the level of treatment they need. This is down to a number of factors, including unequal distribution of resources across the vast sub-continent. There are also problems with those individuals who build up immunity to the most commonly used ARVs, as the so-called ‘second line’ drugs are costly in India due to patenting laws.

The Raffa Home is in Delhi, the country’s capital, and resources are not so scarce here as in some more rural areas. This means the boys are able to access the ARVs they need. As a result, along with the consistent support they are offered by their family and community, and the persistent prayers of supporters, they are all growing strong and healthy. Children born with HIV do not have any guarantees, and their loved ones cannot take a long life expectancy for granted, so their ongoing health and vitality is truly a cause for celebration!

This is only the tip of the iceberg- HIV/AIDS is a complex subject and the history of its recognition and treatment in India is convoluted and ever-changing. The important thing to remember is that because of organisations like the Raffa Home providing basic but vital services to protect, love and support orphans of the disease, we can look ahead with hope.

Could you support the work of the Raffa Home today? Please click on the donate section to give whatever you can. It really does make a life-changing difference to each and every child in the Raffa Home.

We’d also like to take a moment to thank those of you who have attended events in the last year, we’ve put on eight different events in the past twelve months and raised over £1000 from them- this has been entirely down to people turning up with their wallets, so thanks to every one of you!

If you want to support us more regularly, you can do so by clicking on the donate page of the website. Helping individuals across the world is as easy as that!

For the last couple of years, they have been desperately needing a social worker, to help with placement of children and babies. The local government has only one social worker to cover approximately 100,000 people, so, unsurprisingly, they don’t have much time for an orphanage of thirty children.

This month, finally, Tshwaranang are interviewing for a social worker to work with them. They are hoping to get local businesses to support this, but your donations could be very helpful too!

Simply go to the donation page, and set up a monthly donation, to help support this very important work!

2011 has been a busy time so far!

Chris and Kat had a beautiful baby boy on Jan 30th, Joen James Lowry, and Lucy and Jon got 2 baby rabbits, Fidget and Charlie, last week.

So lots of learning and crying and squeaking going on in the lives of the Trustees (mainly from Jon)…

In other news, the January Swap Shop raised just under £100, so thanks to those who came along! We hope you are enjoying your new year bargains.

The next thing to put in your diary is the Feb 27th gig at the Green Room, Sheffield. Watch this space, or check the facebook page for details.