Our mission 

is to reduce the number of new HIV infections in children and young people, especially those who are orphaned or otherwise vulnerable due to AIDS 

We aim to

 

o         Inform children and young people about HIV

o      Empower children and young people to self-advocate and protect themselves from HIV

o      Care and support for orphans and vulnerable children

o      Reduce stigmatisation of people living with HIV

o      Create a community-based organisation which will become self-managed within 5 years

 

        

MADaboutART's HIV educational centre at Nekkies  

 

 

Our programmes are designed to

 

o         Provide engaging, youth-friendly, accessible HIV education

o         Build self-esteem, self-confidence and life skills in children and young people

o         Encourage support and empathy towards people living with HIV

 

‘I never made choices for myself, everything was decided for me. Now I can decide’

 

MADaboutART's HIV and empowerment programme for children and young people uses art-based and narrative therapy interventions and experiential learning to build knowledge, skills and confidence. We have established a purpose-built arts and education centre at our base in Nekkies, a township outside Knysna in the Western Cape of South Africa where we run after-schools MAD clubs where children aged 10 upwards can learn about HIV and AIDS and how to protect themselves in a fun and safe environment. We also undertake outreach work with affected and vulnerable populations, both directly and by training teachers and youth workers. We collaborate with libraries and art galleries to create HIV art competitions and community awareness exhibitions. We have just begun our first programme with pre-school children.

 

To ensure we build a sustainable programme MADaboutART is training a team of ‘Youth Ambassadors’ - peer educators who are becoming fully skilled in delivering HIV education to children and young people using our unique mix of arts-based educational interventions. In time these young people will take over management and development of the MADaboutART programme in Nekkies. Each Youth Ambassador undertakes a quality-assured training programme and has access to ongoing mentorship and training opportunities. 

 

It is our organisational vision to invest in the community, providing opportunities for personal development and employment whilst ensuring quality delivery of the MADaboutART programme.