GoGo Trust

The GoGo Trust is a registered NPO providing care and support for widows and orphans living in townships in Port Elizabeth South Africa. We have been working in the Kwazakhele and surrounding townships since April 2002. We operate using a Christian World View to provide help and support for Widows and Orphans affected in the HIV AIDS pandemic. " pure undefiled religion before God the father is this to care for widows and orphans in their time of need"




Who or What is a GoGo? If you are a Xhosa or a Zulu speaking African a GoGo is one of those wonderful, wise woman who are the backbone of many African families. In many Kwazakhele Township homes GoGo's ( grandmothers) support the orphans of their children who have died of AIDS.




The Aims of the GoGo Trust are:

• To use a Christian Foundation upon which help and support can be given to assist Widows and Orphans living in a township communities affected by the HIV/AIDS Pandemic



• To gather the GoGo's of Kwazakhele and Neighbouring townships together for encouragement and support and assist the GoGo's to facilitate care for Orphans living in their own families and surrounding communities.



• To provide physical, spiritual, emotional and educational support to orphans living in GHH ( Granny headed Households) AHH ( Aunt Headed Households) and CHH's ( Child Headed Households) To expand the income generating projects initiated by the GoGo's namely two sewing projects and a beadworshop run by GoGo's.



• To provide the local and overseas communities with an opportunity to assist in the care of AIDS orphans living in the township communities.

Widow's side of the Trusts Activities

Tuesday Leadership Meeting; Every Tuesday Widows who are leaders in their communities and local churches gather together for fellowship encouragement and teaching. The AIM of this meeting is to strengthen and support existing widowed Christian Community Leaders and to assist these ladies to support and care for AIDS orphans within their families and surrounding communities. The teaching in this group takes the form of Discipleship in the Christian faith ; Financial management, and Leadership training; The GoGo's are served a nutritious meal during this meeting and given bread to take home for their Grandchildren. The ladies attending this group each have a soup cell which they run in their own homes throughout the week. Currently we have 10 Soup Cells reaching over 300 people a week in Kwazakhele and surrounding communities. The AIM of these soup cells is to draw the community members together for support. The Foundation of these groups is based upon Acts Ch 2 v 42 " All the believers devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and to fellowship and to the sharing of meals and to Prayer" NLT . The GoGo's utilise the soup made in these cells to feed orphans in their communities on their way home from School and community members receiving drug therapy for TB and for HIV/AIDS. In this way GoGo have been resourced to be an instrument of assistance to Community members and orphans living in their communities.


Two of these soup cells have sewing projects to generate income for the GoGo's working in them. The GoGo's participating in these projects make items such as bedding, towels, school clothing, traditional clothing and many other clothing Items. The income generated through these sewing projects is divided amongst the GoGo's working in these sewing projects. The GoGo Trust has provided resources for establishing these projects i.e. renovating buildings, purchasing benches and sewing machines.





Beadworkshop Mama Evelyn and her family are excellent beadworkers. They have a beadworkshop in their home and are serving a growing local and over seas market. 75% of of all beadwork sold goes to the person who has made the bead work item . The remaining 25% goes into the GoGo trust to replenish stock.





Just this week we have sent 75 AIDS ribbons to Holland for a PHD students graduation. " God takes the raw materials and creates something beautiful out of a few glass beads a some fishing wire!!!! Dignity restored through income generation as people help themselves. WOW



Orphans side of the GoGo Trust Activities


Vukukhanye Pre School
Vukukhanye ( In Xhosa means to stand up and shine) Our pre school was established in 2004 and is run by a pre school teacher(Nthombekeya) from Kwazakhele Township and a pre school teaching assistant( Nobuthembu) .




Nthombekeya and Nobuthembu have both completed ACM ( Action Child Mobilisation) training . ACM is a pre school curriculum created for the African context which is based upon Christian principles and Doctrine and has a creative and extensive school readiness programme. The children love it!!! We currently have 39 children between the ages of 4 to 6 years. Many are orphans. All are from a poor area of Kwazakhele township called Vuku. The children attending our school are served a nutritious breakfast and lunch. This week they went on an outing to the aquarium. Our children love outings.





This was the first time our children went to the beach. " Jesus did make the sea to be noisy" that's what one of our children said.








Vukukhanye Children's Church.

" Jesus is our supper Hero" " I am never going to crawl again" That's what the children sing LOUDLY !!! We have a team of young people who have been running Children's Church every Sunday for 3 years. This is the Body of Christ Working. Its noisy its fun its quiet its moving. To see children receiving from Jesus the Lover of their Souls. The Children love him. Their Testimony is God is Good. In the midst of adverse poverty and hopelessness HOPE is seen and the adults in the community gather to hear the songs of our children singing to a good God who is their FATHER. they know Him as "Father to the fatherless Defender of the Widow"They know Him as good, Just and generous. That is what had been demonstrated to them. WOW what a testimony of Grace and Mercy leading to Victory.


SISONKE SOPHUMELELA (In Xhosa means Together we can overcome and is our Orphan Care Programme)

Through this aspect of the GoGo Trust we provide help and support to Orphans and Vulnerable Children ( OVC'S) living in the townships communities. We administrate this programme from an office facility in Kwazakhele Township and have a manager and four Child Care Workers. All of the staff are Christians and committed to the care of orphans living in the township communities.

We currently have 69 families in this programme consisting of 249 children and Young People. Our approach to support the children in our Programme consists of the following .

• Weekly home visits to all of the families in our programme


• Weekly Support Groups ( Currently we run support Groups Monday through to Friday)


• Accompanied Food Shopping


• Provision of fuel for cooking and home lighting


• Support through Prayer and Counselling


• Activities including Camping, running club, dance, poetry, play writing and outings( Movies and going to the local beaches) Some of our Young People are currently finishing NVQ level one in Sailing.
  
• Educational support: Payment of school fees, tertiary education placements in local colleges, study skills programmes, provision of school uniform and after school study programmes. During the last school half term holiday we ran an employment training course to teach our Young people in grades 10 -12 how to seek employment. The programme included how to look for a job, how to write a CV, how does an employer think and how to present oneself interview.

This a picture of one of the families that we visit each week . Each Child Care Worker (CCW) is allocated 15 families. Their responsibilities are to carry out home visits to all of their families each week and write a report identifying aspects of need and giving feedback regarding the effect of our intervention. The CCW's also coordinate and facilitate orphan support groups for their allocated families which they host in the office facility in Kwazakhele township and in various high schools and primary schools throughout the township communities. The support Groups are always facilitated through a Christian World View. The CCW's are currently hosting support Groups relating to the "Power of Choice". The foundation of all that we do is "Mercy Leading to Victory"


This picture was from a soccer programme which uses a Christian
Foundation to teach young people " Sexual Purity" . Our young people learn t a lot and had FUN !!!!!







Our young people are taught how to take responsibility for them selves with resources they have been given . We have a back garden initiative whereby our young people grow their own vegetables in their own "back gardens".










This is Gibbs Sisonke Sophumelela Manager taking some of our children shopping to buy food and household items in a local super market in Kwazakhlele





The symbol we have for this programme is an umbrella. Our young people feel we are like an umbrella of care over them.