Dear Friends,
Christmas has arrived in such a hurry this year! As aboard, we attempt to slow, count our blessings, and thank our countless supporters for believing in us as we endeavour to bring life, hope, and joy to our African family which AAF is honoured to partner with.
Thank you for walking with us in 2022 along the broken, dusty roads on bruised feet as we reach countless forgotten lives – to feed, teach, encourage, and love, whilst always reaching upwards to instil personal worth, in precious souls many of us will never meet.
At Christmas (as we hug our own loves and treasure the abundance God has blessed us with) we thank each of you for standing alongside us… From whom much is given much is expected and we are honoured to be gifted this certain time and place – to reach out our arms, away from tinsel, ourselves and our own tents, across the oceans to soils hardly any of us will tread.
Our Foundation harvest in 2022 has been beautiful. It has yielded bountifully from dusty African fields, watered by a special kind of Camden love, and has harvested not only food for the hungry, but also much eternal hope for the soul.
On behalf of the ‘least of these’ Merry Christmas and a blessed 2023
Jane Gray
AAF Board member
2022 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to dominate the daily lives of Australians, South Africans, and the global community during the 2022 reporting period. Restrictions were continually present, as governments sought to curb the spread of the virus. Significantly, South Africa first reported the Omicron variant of COVID-19 to the World Health Organisation on the 24th of November 2021. While the country focused on the COVID-19 pandemic in this period, the challenges faced by people living with HIV infection intensified.
In addition to the collision of these two pandemics, the people of South Africa have faced a raft of environmental and political challenges in this period. South Africa has faced drought of an extreme nature, followed by heavy rains and flooding causing many deaths, loss of homes and schools.
The arrest and jailing of former President Zuma sparked widespread riots and looting in the cities and towns in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province. Fires were started, businesses were firebombed, shopping centres were looted, livestock was stolen and highways were blocked.
Teenage pregnancies and malnutrition escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The School closures across South Africa during the pandemic also had a heavy impact, with many girls failing to return.
Despite these challenges, the African AIDS Foundation (AAF) has continued to focus its work on life skills development for orphaned and vulnerable children and youth in rural South African communities. I am inspired by the resilience and courage of the people we support in Africa, who have laboured mightily to persevere against a litany of challenges.
I am heavily indebted to the many AAF volunteers in Australia and South Africa and the generosity of our donors, who have enabled our Foundation’s good work to continue throughout a second pandemic period. As travel restrictions ease, we look forward to visiting South Africa to assess areas where AAF can expand its reach.
Dr John Schwarz OAM
Chairman