Viva Foundation of South Africa

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The Viva Foundation of South Africa (Viva), founded in 2006, is a registered charity with the aim to alleviate poverty and promote family values.

The mission is to establish a Viva Village within every squatter camp, slum, ghetto and other high priority poverty area, which will serve as a hub for service providing in order to meet the expressed and felt needs of those communities.

The ultimate vision of the Viva Foundation is the transformation of squatter camps, slums and ghettos into safe and stable neighbourhoods, where young and old can find education, recreation, employment and business opportunities.

Current Programmes:
• The Viva Village, Alaska Informal Settlement, Mamelodi East for OVC Family support, skills and small business development
• The Viva Back-to-Health and Crisis Centre
• The Viva Family to Family Virtual Adoptions – a sponsorship programme for Orphans and Vulnerable Children and the families that provide them care
• Undefiled – A programme to support victims of sexual abuse, to promote morality among the youth and promote restored sexuality and marital fidelity
• HIV awareness and prevention campaign - Publishing of teaching materials and a cartoon for illiterate adults and children

At the Viva Village several programmes are offered to address the needs of the community and reach the goal of ultimate transformation. An extensive home-based programme has as its objective, to strengthen the capacity of underprivileged families to support orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. The organisation also has a strong HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign aimed at illiterate adults and children.
At the Viva Village there is a Day Care and Pre School, offering children quality care, education and 2 meals a day.

There are skills development programmes and adult basic education and training, as well as business development training in order to enable adults to equip themselves to find employment or start their own businesses.

A chicken hatchery and vegetable gardens are kept to provide the village and community with fresh protein and vegetables. Seedlings are made available free of charge to residents around the village, who commit themselves to grow and care for their own vegetable gardens.

A Township Art project is in the development phase, whereby well known artists are invited to make paintings of life in the informal settlement. The sale of these paintings support the family depicted in the artwork. Secondly, artists and volunteers are invited to paint and beautify the shacks (swellings) of the community in exchange for their commitment to keep their yard tidy, keep a vegetable garden and maintain their home.

Reverend Meleney B. Kriel is the chairperson of the Viva Foundation of South Africa.

For other net participants we can offer overnight facilities. Also we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information in the field of HIV/AIDS awareness, home-based care, education, NGO managment, fund raising.