May’khethele Programme
Funded by USAID, the Children in Distress Network (CINDI) implements the Preventing HIV in Vulnerable Populations: Orphans, Vulnerable Children, Adolescents & Youth (OVCA&Y) Programme in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Affectionately known as May’khethele (“My Choice”), the programme strengthens family systems and supports children, adolescents, and caregivers affected by or living with HIV to achieve the four USAID benchmarks of being Healthy, Safe, Schooled, and Stable.
Geographic Reach and Targets
CINDI has been a USAID partner since October 2007, implementing across five KwaZulu-Natal districts — eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, Harry Gwala, uThukela, and Zululand — serving beneficiaries aged 0 to 24 years.
The current five-year funding cycle (2018 – 2025) targets 65 702 Orphans, Vulnerable Children, Adolescents and Youth (OVCA&Y) beneficiaries through a comprehensive, family-centred case management approach delivered by ten implementing partners.
Districts and Sub-District Coverage
- eThekwini: North, South and West regions
- uMgungundlovu: Msunduzi, Richmond and Impendle
- Harry Gwala: uBuhlebezwe and uMzimkhulu
- uThukela: INkosi Langalibalele and Alfred Duma
- Zululand: eDumbe, Pongola and Abaqulusi
Programme Approach
The programme is implemented through a Comprehensive Case Management Model and Primary Prevention Programming in schools and communities.
Services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team of caseworkers, child and youth care workers, social workers, and nurses employed by district partners.
CINDI Implementing Partners
- Community Care Project (CCP) and National Association of Child Care Workers (NACCW) – eThekwini
- LifeLine Pietermaritzburg (LL-PMB) – uMgungundlovu
- Vukuzithathe Health and Family Welfare Organisation (VZ) – Harry Gwala
- Thembalethu Care Organisation (TCO) and Sikhona Care Centre (SCC) – uThukela
- Dumbe HIV/AIDS Action Group (DHAG), Sakhisizwe Community Development Organisation (SCDO), Injongoyethu Women’s Organisation (IWO) and Sinethemba Hope Organisation (SHO) – Zululand
CINDI 2025 SAPR Narrative Repor…
May’khethele prioritises:
- Children and Adolescents Living with HIV (C/ALHIV)
- Children of HIV-positive caregivers
- Survivors of sexual violence and gender-based violence (GBV)
- Children of female sex workers
- Children with disabilities
- Double orphans
- Children affected by COVID-19 or household instability
Services Provided
Comprehensive Case Management
Individualised family care plans focus on the four USAID benchmarks:
- Healthy: HIV testing, ART linkage and adherence support, TB and STI screening, PMTCT follow-up, and sexual-reproductive health education.
- Safe: Protection and response services for child abuse and GBV, counselling, and psychosocial support.
- Schooled: School enrolment, attendance monitoring, and re-enrolment of children who have dropped out.
- Stable: Access to social grants, birth registration, and parenting and economic-strengthening support.
Children in Distress Network (CINDI), funded by USAID, implements the Preventing HIV in Vulnerable Populations, Orphaned and Vulnerable Children, Adolescents and Youth (OVCA&Y) in South Africa. CINDI’s programme affectionately named May’khethele (MyChoice) is implemented in five districts in KwaZulu Natal, namely UMgungundlovu, eThekwini, Harry Gwala, UThukela, and Zululand for beneficiaries aged between 01 to 24 years. CINDI has been funded by USAID since October 2007.
The current 5-year funding cycle which commenced in 2018 saw CINDI reaching 117 000 OVC with services in its first year. The targeted vulnerabilities in children has been refined each year to ensure that resources are targeted at children in most need, which led to a reduction in target to enable intense focused service delivery. The current target is 55 030, prioritizing Children and Adolescents Living with HIV (CALHIV), Children of HIV Positive Primary Caregivers, Children Survivors of Sexual Violence, Children of Female Sex Workers, Double Orphans, Children with Disabilities, and Children Adversely affected by COVID-19.
CINDI contracted Implementing Partners (IP), in each district, who employ different cadres of workers including Caseworkers, Social Workers, and their Auxiliaries, Child and Youth Care Workers, and Linkage Officers to provide direct individual services to vulnerable children at a family level. The current CINDI Partners are Community Care Project and National Association of Child Care Workers in eThekwini, LifeLine Pietermaritzburg in UMgungundlovu, Vukuzithathe Health, and Family Welfare Organisation in Harry Gwala, Thembalethu Care Organisation in UThukela and eDumbe HIV/AIDS Group in Zululand.
CINDI partners engage beneficiaries with one or more vulnerabilities agreeing to the sub-population determination criteria as prescribed by USAID. A prescribed case management process is applied to deliver services and individualized care plans monitored and updated on a quarterly basis by a cadre of workers including lay personnel, child and youth care workers, professional nurses, social workers, and their auxiliaries. Services are provided in two streams; Comprehensive Case Management and Primary Preventive Programming. Services included reaching OVCA&Y in schools and communities with HIV Prevention interventions utilizing evidence-based curricula that include Vhutshilo 1 and Skillz Core in the Preventive Programming.
Comprehensive Case Management involves individual and family-based approaches in promoting support for children to meet the following four benchmarks:
Healthy
Stable
School Access
Pragramme Partners
CINDI has collaborated with numerous reputable organisations that implement programmes pertaining to HIV Prevention and Treatment Support as well as those providing psychosocial services to vulnerable populations. In eThekwini, UThukela, Zululand, and UMgungundlovu Districts, an ongoing collaborative working relationship, underpinned by signed MOUs, exists between CINDI and Health Systems Trust, who provide clinical services to children enrolled in CINDI’s May’khethele Programme. In Harry Gwala CINDI is supported by Maternal, Adolescent & Child Health Institute (MatCH). TB HIV Care is the partner that provides biomedical services at a community level, including but not limited to, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Health Testing Services (HTS), and Sexual Reproductive Health Service (SRH) to adolescents enrolled by CINDI in the same programme.