THE COMMUNITY

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa suffers from a 39.1% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, much higher than the 29% national average. Elderly grandmothers (ngogos) are left behind with the primary responsibility of caring for orphans and vulnerable children of afflicted parents. To support the children, the ngogos practice subsistence agriculture. They experience great physical strains from manually carrying water from nearby streams to their gardens which takes time away from other daily activities, such as educating the children.