Lilly and Stop TB Italy launches Gugulethu Project
A fundraising project to help uplift the community of Gugulethu, particularly those affected by tuberculosis, was officially launched in Gugulethu last week. This project, made possible by Stop TB in Italy in association with the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership, will enable the Gugulethu community to continue receiving the much needed monthly food hampers and also assist with the refurbishment of sections of the Gugulethu Clinic.
The estimated amount to be donated to the community over the next three years is approximately US$140,000 (over R 1.1 million), with both Stop TB Italy and the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership committing to raising more funds. These funds are being donated directly to the non-profit organisation, Yizani Sakhe, based at the clinic. Head of Yizani Sakhe (which means “Come Let Us Build”), Bongiwe Rafa, says that these funds have already made a major difference in the community.
“With the initial money received from Lilly and Stop TB Italy, we have started to renovate containers at the clinic which we use as aftercare facilities for children in the area. We have painted the containers, bought furniture and stationery and we are also hoping to get electricity in the containers soon. We have also started distributing monthly food hampers to over fifty families,” Rafa says.
In November 2007, a group of Italian journalists visited the Gugulethu Clinic which treats thousands of local patients, particularly those infected with HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. These journalists were particularly affected by this visit, witnessing firsthand the dire situation faced by many of these TB patients and their families. On their return to Italy, they felt that they needed to do something to help this community affected by poverty and diseases such as TB. With assistance from the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership and Stop TB Italy, a fundraising project was initiated to collect funds to support local health structures and to improve the conditions at the clinic, particularly focusing on children affected by TB in the community.
"The Lilly MDR-TB partnership is grateful to Stop TB Italia, for having the passion to raise funds and pursue such an uplifting project in Gugulethu. It is through such supportive initiatives that our efforts to fight MDR-TB reach the affected communities and contribute to improving the living conditions of many. We are also pleased with the work that Yizani Sakhe is doing for the Gugulethu community and want to reassure them that we are in this together, and for the long-haul,” says Dr Zi Chapanduka, Medical, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Director at Lilly South Africa.
"In order to win the battle against tuberculosis we should also fight all the socio-economical factors that highly contribute to the spreading of the infection and to the development of the active diseases, especially in children," says Dr. Daniela Cirillo, Stop TB Italia's general secretary.
