A brief glance back at the year

Looking back can be a very enriching exercise, which results in seeing how far we have come and the lessons that we have learnt along the way. As 2008 slowly starts to draw to a close, we look back on the year that has been and study our progress.

A few projects stand out in my mind as giant leaps forward for The Darling Trust as an organisation.

The first one is the HIV/AIDS campaign that we ran on farms around Darling in August. The Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management put together a play called 'Lucky the Hero'. The play focused on the importance of knowing your HIV status. We travelled to farms around Darling with the play. After the play, the TB Care Association provided free testing for those who wanted to be tested. During the month, we reached approximately 700 people, of which 245 people were tested.
A number of crucial lessons were learnt during this exercise, not least of which is that there is still a desperate need for HIV/AIDS awareness, education and testing in our area. We look forward to finding new ways to reach those people in our area who are not exposed to the usual sources of information on HIV/AIDS.

A second project that was a major step forward for us was the evolution of the crafting group into an independent cooperative. Of all our achievements in 2008, this is definitely one of the most special ones. In 2006, The Darling Trust set up a crafting group, mainly as a training organisation - the initial idea being that people would be trained and then move on to other organisations. At the end of October this year, the crafters' group officially became an independent cooperative. They make their own decisions, design and develop their own products and ensure that their admin and financial records are kept up-to-date. The Darling Trust provides their workspace free of charge and acts as a mentor for the Cooperative. The crafters have taken genuine ownership of the cooperative and their work is of the highest quality. If you are ever in Darling, be sure to come and visit the Darling Craft Cooperative at Evita se Perron and you will be able to see for yourself the creative and exciting atmosphere that abounds!

These are only two of the bighlights in a year that has seen major changes and developments for our organisation. As we look back, we also start to plan our way forward. 2009 is looking bright!