Executive Directors Report

1. Opening remarks:

2010 was an exhilarating year for the organization. We celebrated out 40th anniversary by hosting a Gala Dinner for our volunteers, staff, donors, stakeholders and friends of LifeLine.The organization’s revenue grew by 27.98%

2. Achievements in Existing Projects &
Services:

24 hour line: LifeLine Ekurhuleni is one of six centres providing 24 hour lay counselling services. 3199 crisis calls were attended to. The number of calls has decreased by 1.17 % as compared to the previous year. In terms of the types of calls being received there has been a marked increase in HIV and AIDS, Depression, Rape and Suicide calls. Female callers 2392 and 1049 Male callers. 112 email counselling requests were received.

Face to face counselling has increased by 17%. 1273 persons accessed counselling at the four LifeLine offices.

322 persons accessed counselling at the Benoni office, 122 at the Vosloorus office, 257 at the Daveyton office and 572 at the LifeLine Tsakane service point.
The trauma team provided trauma support at 17 different companies. 452 individuals accessed trauma support services as part of our corporate trauma support service.

Training Unit:

Two Personal Growth Courses were facilitated throughout the year with 59 participants followed by a Counselling Course with 18 participants.

The following Corporate Training and Awareness Programmes were facilitated and increased substantially by 55%:
• Workplace Peer Educator Training for Aveng Manufacturing: 8 participants.
• HIV Awareness for Brinks Company. 15 staff and 4 managers reached.
• HIV & AIDS Awareness for Liviero & Son PTY (Ltd): 500 staff (20 groups of 25).
• HIV & AIDS Awareness for McCarthy: 41 staff reached (16 at Boksburg branch and 25 at Wadeville branch).
• HIV & AIDS Awareness for 30 Caregivers from Witfield Retirement Village.
• Work place peer educator training for South African Airways: 11 participants.
• HIV & AIDS Awareness for Diff & Gearbox Centre: 14 participants.
• HIV & AIDS Awareness for Sebenza Forwarding & Shipping (PTY) Ltd: 25 participants.
• HIV & AIDS Awareness for Pilot Crushtec: 55 participants.
• Home-based Caregiver Training for inmates taking care of terminally ill fellow inmates.

Correctional Services Outreach:

823 inmates received pre and post HIV and AIDS counselling at Modderbee, Boksburg and Nigel Prisons.

Monitoring Project:

3550 children in conflict with the law were detained in police holding cells throughout the year. The Monitoring team monitor 51 police holding cells on a monthly basis and an additional 41 on a quarterly basis.

Intermediary Project:

1214 children between the ages of 3 – 18 years were assisted by the Intermediary Team to testify via closed circuit system in 7 courts. Our assistance has increased since the previous year by 51.75%. The team hosted a Christmas Party for 100 children residing in Daveyton/Etwatwa area who have been through the Intermediary service. The children were treated to a day full of fun, games and gifts.

Duduza Regional Victims Office:

322 face to face counselling sessions were conducted throughout the year. 44 male and 204 female and 53 male community members were assisted at intake level at the Duduza Regional Victims Office. Of the 257 persons accessing services 27 were victims of rape, 61 were in abusive relationships and 57 were experiencing family problems.

Ikhaya Lethemba:

LifeLine has been contracted by the Dept of Community Safety and Dept of Social Development to provide mid to long term shelter counselling services to victims of gender-based violence within the Ikhaya Lethemba One Stop Centre based in Braamfontein. LifeLine has a team of 5 Social Workers, a Social Auxilliary Worker, Creche Teacher and 15 volunteers. Besides Counselling the team provide paralegal support, advice and guidance and Early Childhood Development (ECD) services. 239 women and 305 children were admitted into the shelter between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011. 221 residents were victims of domestic violence and 18 were victims of rape. 948 counselling sessions and 22 group work session with 60 women were conducted. 160 women exited the shelter during the course of the year. 45 children accessed early childhood development services at the crèche. 63 women accessed paralegal support services from the LifeLine Family Justice Liaison Officer. 36 of the 63 women were victims not resident in the shelter. They required paralegal advice on the following: 41 rape, 16 domestic violence, 1 divorce, 1 custody, 2 theft and 1 sexual harassment.

3. Completed and Terminated Projects:

Victim Support Services:

The LifeLine Victim Support Team provided supervision to volunteers at 11 police station based victim support centres from 1 April to the 31 December 2010. Services were terminated due to poor attendance by volunteers and the Dept of Community Safety and South African Police Services inability to ensure regular attendance of their volunteers.

Debriefing and Mentorship:

LifeLine was contracted by the Dept of Health to debrief and mentor 60 counsellors based at clinics and facilitate the payment of their stipends from 1 April 2010 until the 31 March 2011.

4. New Projects:

Peer Education Project:

Six volunteers were recruited and trained in October 2010 to conduct community awareness talks and door-to-door campaigns. Over a six month period the team had reached 9 446 community members across the Ekurhuleni through presentations on gender based violence, HIV & AIDS, suicide, depression and anxiety at schools, clinics and through door –to-door campaigns.

Community Champions Project:

We have began engaging with stakeholders in the Payneville community in February 2011 about introducing the “Building Community Heart” programme. The core purpose of the programme is to:
(i) Build a community that is strong and nurturing, that cares for one another (young and old).
(ii) Communities throughout Southern Africa embracing emotional wellness, mobilizing for social change and building a collective community heart with caring and courageous responses to their unique challenges.

The project has 4 phases:

PHASE 1: ENTRY INTO COMMUNITY AND PARTNERSHIP-BUILDING
To influence, motivate and mobilise relevant gatekeepers, stakeholders and community members towards active participation in the Project
PHASE 2: FACILITATION OF COMMUNITY TALK CIRCLES
To create a shared sense of ownership of the community and identify its strengths and challenges
PHASE 3: EMOTIONAL WELLNESS ENHANCEMENT / EMPOWERMENT
To build knowledge, promote interpersonal familiarity and trust through contact and sharing, improving emotional intelligence and social skills
PHASE 4: COMMUNITY ACTION
To generate responses to community issues that integrate individual and collective concerns, values and beliefs.

Participation in National Awareness Campaigns:

LifeLine Staff and Volunteers participated in the following awareness campaigns:
Valentine’s Day: Condom Distribution Event outside Daveyton Mall. 400 shoppers reached.
Child Protection Week: 24 – 30 May 2010
Awareness campaign on Dangers of Social Networking Tools like Mixit, facebook and twitter was facilitated at Rosebank College and Benoni West Primary School. Total number of 214 children were reached.

Women’s Month:

Outreach to Churches in Daveyton: 186 community members reached.
90 women from the Vosloorus Community were sensitized to the dynamics of violent relationships.
The Duduza Team hosted a Women’s Day Event profiling the Regional Victims Office and LifeLine’s role in it. The event was attended by 120 women.
16 Days of Activism of no violence to Women and Children
1348 community members were reached through the 4 day Door-to-Door Campaign on domestic violence and adjustment disorder with anxiety in Daveyton. Presentation on gender-based violence and distribution of promotional material at Kempton Park Police Station: 63 community members reached.
Intermediary Team and representatives from Actonville SAPS, EMPD, SANCA, Dept of Justice, Men’s Forum conducted a gender-based violence awareness session at Actonville Spar. 1000 community members were reached.
The Duduza Team participated in the SAPS Roadshow travelling through Duduza, KwaThema, Tsakane, Nigel, Springs, Dunnottar and Devon educating the community on gender-based violence.

World AIDS Day:

1 898 community members were reached through the awareness campaigns run at the local taxi rank and hostel in celebration of World Aids Day. Intermediary Team facilitated a Candlelight Ceremony at LifeLine Benoni on the 1st of December 2010.

World Suicide Prevention Day:

Exhibition of LifeLine Services and distribution of information brochures at the Daveyton Mall.

Marketing:

Print media:

22 articles were featured in the Benoni City Times, Boksburg Advertiser, The African Springs Reporter and the Star Newspaper.

Radio:

Six radio interviews were held:
Counselling Manager on East Rand Radio regarding Personal Growth Training.
Fundraiser on East Rand Radio regarding the Gala Dinner.
Daveyton Site Manager on East Rand Radio regarding the Condom Day Event held in Daveyton Mall.
Vosloorus Site Manager had two interviews on Kasi FM regarding LifeLine Services.

Television:

Ikhaya Lethemba Manager was interviewed on SABC 1 regarding the 16 Days of Activism Campaign.

Social Networking:
LifeLine started social networking on Facebook in April 2010. We currently have 138 members. We are currently using facebook as a means of communicating our services and events.

Fundraising:

LifeLine Ekurhuleni hosted its annual Golf Day on the 25th of February 2010.

Training of staff and volunteers:

As part of the organisation’s commitment to growth and development staff and volunteers attended a number of trainings and workshops, namely

• New staff members attended the LifeLine Ekurhuleni Personal Growth Course.
• The Social Work Team attended Clinical Coaching sessions throughout the year.
• Social Workers, Social Auxilliary Workers and selected lay counsellors attended a Trauma Support and Counselling Course.
• Social Workers attended a Human Trafficking Workshop.
• Ikhaya Lethemba volunteers were trained in bookkeeping and underwent the Personal Growth Training.
• Volunteers and Staff attended Rape Wise and the collection of DNA Forensic Evidence Training.
• Refresher Counselling skills courses were facilitated for outreach volunteers.
• Staff and Volunteers attended the LifeLine Southern Africa Champions Training.
• Staff and volunteers attended the in-house Stress and Adjustment Disorder Training, Self Injuring Behaviour and Suicide Prevention and Intervention Training
• Staff and volunteers attended the facilitation skills training.
• Staff attended the Dept of Justice Victim’s Rights, Human Rights and Sexual Offences Act Information Workshops.

• Managers attended a Project Management Training.

Gratitude:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers (telephone, outreach and victim support). Without each of you and your contribution to LifeLine Ekurhuleni we would not be able to operate our services and provide such a valuable contribution to Ekurhuleni community. You each bring your passion, time and support to the tasks you fulfill and for that I know that both we and Ekurhuleni community members are grateful.

To the Staff I thank you for your work, time, effort, passion and support. Your dedication and professionalism is appreciated. It has been my pleasure to work with each of you.

To the Board I would personally like to thank you for your leadership and strategic direction, time, effort and passion for the staff, volunteers and services that LifeLine Ekurhuleni provides and especially your support of myself. Thank you to our service partners – our sister LifeLine Centres and LifeLine Southern Africa, to our NGO Partners (especially Ithemba Rape Crisis and Kidz Clinic) and our government stakeholders.

A very special thank you to our donors for their continued commitment to ensuring financial sustainability of the organization. We could not have weathered the economic storm without you. Special thanks to: Giesecke & Devrient, the UNODC, Lotto, Mediclinic, Springbok Health fund (SAA staff), New Seasons Investments, Consol Glass, SEW, Glynnwood Hospital, MLift, Tsogo sun, Feedem, Dispack, B3Funerals, 1one, Boitshoko Road Construction, Semenya, Tourvest, Revlon, Nelsini’s, Copper Tubing, and individuals who participated in our golf day and who continue to support us on a regular basis.

It has been my greatest pleasure and honour to lead LifeLine Ekurhuleni, I would like to thank the staff, volunteers, sponsors and the Board for their support.

Lorraine Macdougall
Executive Director