CARE in South Africa

South Africa is one of the richest countries in Africa, but a decade of democracy has not been able to undo the apartheid legacies of poverty and inequality. Unemployment, crime and corruption as well as HIV and AIDS drain public support for South Africa’s hard-won democracy.

In South Africa we:

fight HIV and AIDS
improve health care
help families to improve their income, for example by giving them access to cheap loans

In a 2004 survey, South Africans ranked unemployment—estimated at between 27 and 41 percent—as the country’s most serious problem. More than five million people are infected with HIV and AIDS in South Africa, making the virus one of the greatest threats to the fight against poverty.

Our work tackles poverty in the country, halts the spread of HIV and AIDS and helps those affected by AIDS to improve their livelihoods and get good healthcare. We also hold the government to account - ensuring it fulfils its responsibility to help end poverty and provide services - from hospitals to schools - for the people.

CARE in action:

Fighting HIV and AIDS
Migratory workers who travel between South Africa and Lesotho looking for work are among the most vulnerable to HIV and AIDS, so our work to tackle the spread of the virus overlaps between the two countries. We have also started working with partner organisations on HIV projects in Swaziland.

Working at the local level
CARE works at a provincial and a local level - rather than directly with the national government of South Africa - where the greatest challenge lies in translating national policies into programmes that actually work at a community level.

We help people set up savings and loans groups so they are less vulnerable to changes in economic policies and food shortages and we also help them find new ways of earning money by giving them new skills or helping them look outside of traditional job markets.