Vulnerable Children's Fund

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) was an early Freeplay Foundation partner for VCF and Lifeline radios support its work with child-headed households. The radios act as ‘tutors’ to those children unable to attend school, by providing access to news and weather and youth-oriented programmes such as Soul Buddyz.

A 2005 distribution of radios took place at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) in Johannesburg, during Nelson Mandela’s 87th birthday party. During the distribution, children were encouraged to discuss issues directly affecting them, including access to information and communication. Madiba’s message was: “knowledge is power and it should be received however and wherever”. Children receiving radios become “guardians” who are strongly encouraged to take community responsibility for sharing the knowledge they gain from radio access, via listening groups and clubs.

The Freeplay Foundation has developed a number of partnerships with other children organisations including the Children’s Institute and Siseze Educational Trust in Ingwavuma and Noah. The Children’s Institute and Siseze Educational Trust gave support to a ‘Growing up in a time of AIDS’ radio project in 2005. The project directly involved children in radio programme development and was intended to reduce stigma and develop public awareness about lives of children affected by AIDS. Radios distributed in 2005 to six primary schools with which Siseze works in Ingwavuma revealed the potential for broadcast programmes to enhance their teacher support activities. Teachers tuned in daily via Freeplay Lifeline radios to Ukhozi FM’s English in Action half hour program. They led their classes through a variety of songs, poems and other activities designed to help develop their orphan listeners’ spoken English.

Another VCF partner, Noah, nurtures AIDS orphans in community-based models of orphan care, through which individuals from communities are guided to set up their own community "Ark": a network of accountable support armed with skills and confidence to care for their orphaned and vulnerable children. More than 100 Arks have been established in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. In October 2006, Freeplay Foundation distributed 30 Lifeline self-powered radios to Ark guardians. As a “guardian” of the radio a child is expected to put it at the service of his community. This encourages their acceptance as welcome members of local community. The children get invited to neighbours for meals and are encouraged to bring the radio with them.

Children, Youth, HIV/AIDS.

AIDS orphans are among the most isolated, stigmatised, and vulnerable children. A Lifeline radio integrates them within their community. Through radio education they avoid disease, acquire education in life skills and gain advice on income-generation.

The project organisers believe that broadcasts about HIV/AIDS inform and empower the young, and help them prevent disease and bear discrimination as HIV/AIDS orphans. Radio aims to give them the power to protect themselves. “The children need radios for practical information, educational programming, and guidance that is no longer available from parents or other adults in the community.”