Chairman's Fund grant makes real difference to Wits' "Agincourt Unit"

From 2010 to 2012, the fund provided almost R2.9 million towards Agincourt's three-year project, titled HIV Treatment and Care in Rural South Africa: Strengthening Private and Public Services.

The funding for this project has subsequently allowed the Agincourt Unit to extend its area of work from 21 villages and about 70 000 people, to the current 27 villages and 90 000 people. Geographically, these rural communities lie north-east of Hazyview in the Ehlanzeni District Municipality of Mpumalanga. It has also been able to undertake and evaluate larger interventions, focusing particularly on children and adolescents.

In particular, the unit is now better equipped to support some of its HIV-related work, as well as strengthen medical assistance by evaluating and using community information.

Focus work on the high-priority conditions

The Agincourt Unit's founder, Professor Steve Tollman, noted that the grant is making a real difference to the work of the Agincourt Unit.

"Areas such as the one described above are often overlooked because they are difficult to access and work in. The grant from the Chairman's Fund is therefore of enormous value, as it allows us to focus work on the high-priority conditions in a rural community and mount a more effective public health, public sector and social response."

The Agincourt Unit was established in 1992 by Professor Tollman as a research unit of the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. It later became the only Medical Research Council Research Unit focusing specifically on rural health and development issues.

Some of the organisation's objectives include informing the development of an integrated system for chronic infectious and chronic non-communicable disease care. It also includes evaluating policies and programmes, such as assessments of Anti-Retroviral (ART) impacts, and the provision of ART through the public and private systems.

The work of the unit provides evidence for policy and planning in a number of disciplinary fields including health, social development, education and agriculture.

The chairman of Anglo American's Chairman's Fund, Norman Mbazima, concluded that the fund's consistent support of the Agincourt Unit is influenced by the fund's core principles.

"The Chairman's Fund is completely dedicated to assisting South African communities to secure sustainable futures by supporting organisations that have the capacity to effect positive and tangible results in critical areas, such as health.

"We are, therefore, delighted to be able to support the Agincourt Unit as through providing integrated insight into rural health and development, the organisation is helping to create more prosperous lives for several communities in need."