Our Community

The Atteridgeville/Saulsville townships, 20km west of Pretoria (Tshwane), has a estimated population of approximately 500,000 with fast growing informal settlements (or “shacks”) suffering from the traditional ills of urban poverty: no amenities such as water and electricity, high level of interpersonal violence, lack of facilities, etc. Households are often headed by women or older children and have very low or no income: A tangible testimony of the devastating impact of Aids on the social fabric.

Approximately, 16% of the South African population is living with HIV/Aids. Current estimates are that HIV/Aids affect 40% of those in the 17-40 age group. Factors driving the epidemic are complex and reinforcing one another. The financial and emotional cost of the epidemic is very high especially for those who are ill as well as their families and carers. Hospice care is not widely available to the previously disenfranchised South Africans and as the problem grows, the needs also grow. The only hospital in Attridgeville cannot provide an appropriate level of care due to poor resourcing.