Nazareth House Johannesburg
1 Webb Street, Yeoville • Phone: 011 648 1002 • NPO: 038-257
P.O. Box 15933. Doornfontein, 2028 Fax: 011 648-9789
Email: fundraiser@nazarethhousejohannesburg.org
Website: www.nazarethhousejohannesburg.org
Where love Matters most Caring for:
Abandoned / orphaned HIV+ babies and children.
Destitute, terminally ill aids adults.
The financially burdened and destitute, frail aged and mentally challenged.
A Brief History
In Johannesburg, the Nazareth House story began shortly after the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand. In 1894 the Mother General of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth in Hammersmith England was asked by the Reverend Father Schach, the Prefect of the Apostolic of the Transvaal to send six Sisters to start a Home in the new town of Johannesburg. The objective was to care for the home-less human causalities of the sprawling mining camp that was Johannesburg. The first House was a simple five roomed cottage in Yeoville. From these humble beginnings grew the institution that is Nazareth House today.
Caring for the Children
Social Workers, the Children’s Court and the South African Police refer abandoned children and babies to Nazareth House. Nazareth House is registered to care for 30 children up to the age of 10 years. All the children are HIV+. We are entrusted with caring for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs—we provide 24 hour care, nutritious food, clothing, education, specialised nursing and medication.
Many of the children are on ARV therapy and we are proud of the fact that they live long past their “expected lifespan” because of the good nutrition, healthy living environment, medication and lots of TLC. They attend the local nursery school and primary schools, have fun playing in the gardens, going on outings, baking cakes, reading, watching TV, and listening to music.
St. Basil’s Hospice
The adult AIDS patients (usually teenagers or young adults) that are referred to Nazareth House are destitute, usually suffering from malnutrition and neglect and are terminally ill. At present we have hospice facilities for 22 patients. Because of the stigma attached to AIDS, the patients that come to Nazareth House are often shunned by their communities or they have lost most of their family to the disease. They are cared for with compassion. We are very proud of the fact that we now have a 70% survival rate. This social service is a gift for the patients and of enormous assistance to the overcrowded hospitals and clinics in the area.
Caring for the Frail aged and Mentally challenged
In the fast paced world in which we live, communities often have neither the inclination nor the resources to care for the frail aged and the mentally challenged. Not to mention the time, patience, compassion and dedication required in caring for them. We care for 125 financially burdened frail aged and 10 destitute, mentally challenged women. We provide these folk with shelter, good food, clothing, medication, entertainment and 24 hour care. We have an Occupational Therapist who comes weekly giving therapy to the elderly and the mentally challenged. Our Social worker assists the elderly where necessary. On the property we have a hairdressing salon, tuck shop and library for the residents use. Nazareth House is more than just a home to these residents, it is a place of safety and hope.
Outreach Programme
Our Outreach Programme is a commitment to love and help those who are less privileged. One of our Religious Sisters (who is a qualified Nursing Sister) has for the past years done work on a daily basis at the Home Based Care Centre in Hillbrow, Johannesburg . The area that Sr. Bridget serves is the informal settlements within the infrastructure of down town Johannesburg, Hillbrow, Berea, Bertrams, Yeoville etc. Some of the shelters that these people have made for themselves are in rat infested unused underground garages, warehouses and factories where there is absolutely no sanitation, water supply or electricity. Sr. Bridget counsels, feeds and ministers to the needy AIDS victims and their families, as well as the poor and destitute in the inner city and surrounding areas. She hands out food, clothing and blankets where possible.
Community Shop
We continue to serve the community of Yeoville and the shop is doing well. We are grateful for all clothing and household goods donated towards this cause.
Clinic of Hope and Love
Our Out-Patients Clinic at present is treating 5000 people who are suffering from Aids. At present we have 2000 people on ARV drug therapy and 3000 people in HIV care. There is an ever growing number of people coming for treatment as many of them cannot receive treatment from Government Hospitals as they do not have the necessary papers. We have many challenges facing the clinic, one of them being the breaking down of discrimination and ignorance. One of our counsellors has often come across patients who believe that the disease is caused through witchcraft. The consequences of this is very dangerous.