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Thusananga began in 2002 when Dr. Clare
Murphy met with community leaders from Barkly East’s 2 townships.
It was painfully clear that everyone felt the disastrous effect
of the HIV epidemic. HIV had become to most of the rural poor,
a death sentence.
25 volunteers were trained by a local hospice nurse
(from Middelberg) and started working with Dr. Murphy to provide
a palliative care service to people terminally ill with AIDS.
The Hughes family from Ireland, bequeathed a
large sum of money to the Sephton family, to put to good use
in Barkly. In consultation with local social workers and Thusananga,
it was decided that the money be used to buy a property in Barkly
East, in order to provide a home for vulnerable children. Khaya
Lokukhanya was born.
Very early on, it was obvious to us that terminal or
end-of-life care was not enough. It seemed illogical to provide
palliative care without addressing the other crucial issues
like:
- How to prevent the spread of HIV
- How to stay well when living with HIV
- How to organise to care for those children/young adults
made vulnerable or orphaned by HIV
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