In the past quarter, Starfish and our local partners have reached thousands of vulnerable individuals across seven provinces through our essential education, nutrition, and healthcare programs. We are deeply grateful for your generous contribution, and we are proud to share the profound impact your support continues to make possible.
Our static clinic in KZN continues to make a huge difference to the health of people living in a region devastated by HIV/AIDS.
This quarter, you helped us to:
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A 9-year-old girl was successfully treated for a severe ear infection by our Wellness Wagon healthcare team and fully healed within days.
A 17-year-old boy was referred to a physiotherapist and speech therapist by one of our Wellness Wagon nurses; this vital intervention helped him secure a disability grant, providing crucial financial support for him and his family.
Following a home visit, our Wellness Wagon nurse discovered a four-year-old boy suffering from chronic septic sores on his head. She immediately arranged a referral to a local health facility and updated his immunisation records to close any coverage gaps.
Thanks to your help, just this quarter, our Wellness Wagons provided:
2210 TB screenings
108 HIV tests
110 deworming treatments
28 home visits
2172 children's consultations
235 hospital and clinic referrals
Operating in the KwaZulu-Natal province, our Maternal Health Team delivers a 1,000 First Days programme, ensuring comprehensive care for mothers and children from pregnancy up until a child's second birthday.
This quarter alone, our team supported 338 women and 273 babies, conducting 451 home visits for those unable to travel to the clinic. These efforts represent a vital step toward improving infant health outcomes in a region severely impacted by poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, while also providing mothers with essential emotional and mental health support.
Angel's story
Angel came to our clinic while pregnant, unemployed and under significant financial and emotional pressure. She was HIV positive and had an adolescent son undergoing treatment for cancer. Through our local partner, we provided counselling, baby parcels, food support and assisted Angel in accessing government grants. The 1000 First Days programme also provided information on breastfeeding while taking medication, which reduced her concerns about the cost of formula and allowed her to focus on supporting her son through his treatment. Her son is now happier, playing with friends using crutches and showing interest in his schoolwork.
In South Africa, widespread malnutrition means that 3 in 10 children are stunted, resulting in irreversible physical and cognitive damage. Our ECD centres supply free, nutritious meals for attendees, full of fresh fruits and vegetables. For many of the children who attend, these are the only meals they eat in a day. Centre staff are trained to monitor the children for signs of malnutrition as well as other physical and mental health issues.
Thanks to your support, we served 54,656 nutritious meals this quarter, giving the children we support the best possible foundation for learning and growing. We also supplied Vitamin A supplements to 93 children identified as deficient, protecting them against vision loss, growth impairment, and severe infections.
Xolani's story
Your donations allowed us to support three-year-old Xolani whose parents are unemployed and rely on a single child support grant to make ends meet. Healthy food was hard to come by at home, but he now gets two high-quality meals a day at his ECD centre and is happy and healthy.
Our ECD centres build the foundational skills children need before entering primary school. Through structured play and interactive activities, children build early literacy, numeracy and motor skills. For children requiring extra help or inclusive education, teachers create individualised learning plans alongside specialised support, including speech and physical development exercises.
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This quarter ECD staff members undertook Trauma-Informed Training to better understand the potential impacts trauma can have on people and how best to respond. Armed with deeper insight into how trauma manifests in behavior, our team is better prepared to listen with empathy, respond with patience, and build environments of genuine safety and trust.
Pupils from a neighbouring primary school joined children at one of our ECD attendees in KZN for a fun half-day read-aloud session. While our young learners had the chance to enjoy listening to stories, the school children had the chance to build their confidence in reading. Community partnerships like these generate additional learning opportunities for the vulnerable children we support, helping them to grow and succeed alongside their peers.
This quarter we took 45 children with disabilities on a field trip to a wildlife sanctuary, giving them the chance to experience new things, make friends and feel included. These activities are often inaccessible for the communities we work with.
As well as receiving a traditional education, we believe disadvantaged children deserve the chance to participate in fun extra-curricular enrichment activities. Starfish continues to work with local organisations to provide enjoyable arts and sports activities to benefit young people and the wider community.
Arts programme
Over the last few months, our youth club attendees at our arts centre in KZN got involved in making crowns, woven baskets and beautiful beaded waist belts. Practical craft activities such as these help children and young people develop patience, concentration, and confidence and encourage creativity and problem-solving.
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Celebrating Women's Month
For Women’s Month we supported a variety of schemes to promote gender equality and encourage caring and respectful attitudes towards women.
In one such scheme, participants created a mural promoting awareness of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It depicts a family and expresses the importance of love, respect and safety within relationships.
During one of our art sessions, children created handmade cards for their female relatives and guardians. Their colourful drawings and heartfelt messages expressed deep gratitude for the care and guidance they receive every day from the key women in their lives.
The Good Guys Club
Our ever-popular Good Guys Club began with the goal of empowering boys within their community and addressing gender issues and widespread inequality. Now expanded, the programme combines football, life-skills education, and activities such as quizzes and chess to foster teamwork, critical thinking, and healthy habits. Supported by dedicated parents and teachers, the Club promotes positive masculinity, teaching boys responsibility, respect, and empathy while helping them make positive life choices.
In this last quarter, the boys participated in local municipal football leagues, collaborated on team leadership challenges and participated in practical activities such as caring for the garden and planning and preparing healthy meals. Centre staff note an encouraging increase in positive parental involvement, for instance parents are increasingly attending meetings, communicating with facilitators, and showing interest in the boys’ progress.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable support, and hope you can see the significant impact your collective donations have had on vulnerable communities in South Africa.
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