Princess Stephanie of Monaco has proved to be a woman of her word. Last December, she was so impressed with the collaborative work of the Etafeni community centre in Nyanga and Stellenbosch University's Desmond Tutu TB Centre, that she's followed up with a generous donation and a kind letter.
The Princess, who is a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador and heads Fight AIDS Monaco, has donated R320 000 towards nutritious meals and a vegetable garden at the Etafeni Day Care Centre Trust in Nyanga.
The Centre provides 200 nutritious meals to children and mothers every day. Among its initiatives, it runs a pre-school as well as an after-care for children, a ‘Mothers Programme’ where women make beautiful crafts and clothes and a computer skills centre.
Consul General for Monaco, Francis Kasasa, said Princess Stephanie had been very impressed with the way the Centre supported the surrounding community when she visited last year.
“I was personally very impressed by the quality of the Etafeni management in their daily work with children as well as work by the mothers in the craft shop at the Centre, but also by the dedication of its staff,” she said in a letter.
Kasasa said the Princess had loved the idea that Etafeni was growing its own vegetables and herbs for meals for children who come to the centre, as well as for women who work at the income generation programme.
“This was a special visit for her. She could see that the Centre is making an impact on people’s lives here. She was also very impressed with the tents and caravans set up by the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Etafeni and in the community to test people for HIV, TB, hypertension and diabetes,” Kusasa said during a visit to Etafeni.
The Princess spent some time at the mobile units, as well as the Etafeni Centre during her two-day visit to community projects in and around Cape Town.
Etafeni’s project manager Peter Barendse said the money would make a big difference particularly in the lives of children, who depended on good, healthy meals to get ahead in life.
“A nutritious meal makes a difference in the life of each child every single day. We’re grateful Princess Stephanie has committed to our goal to reach out to help others.”
The donation was facilitated by the Desmond Tutu TB Centre (DTTC) at Stellenbosch University, which works hand in hand with Etafeni. The Etafeni Centre is often used as a base for the DTTC’s caravans and tents where people can pop in to get tested for HIV, TB and diabetes and receive counseling and family planning services.
“Etafeni has helped us in our goal of taking health care services to the people. It’s having a positive impact as more people are getting tested for HIV and TB,” said Sue-Ann Meehan, who runs the Community HIV Prevention project for the DTTC.
The Development Manager at Etafeni Barbara Miller said research and work in the community complemented each other. “We’ve got a close and wonderful partnership with the DTTC. We’ve got a similar vision, doing all we can to restore the health of our community That is at the heart of what we do together.”
The Centre’s marimba band performed for the Monaco Consul General to celebrate the donation. Community members said they were touched that Princess Stephanie was interested in caring for the people of Nyanga.
In her letter, the Princess said she hoped to return to visit the Etafeni Centre again one day. The charity she leads, Fight AIDS Monaco, does HIV prevention work and outreach within the Monaco principality and throughout the surrounding Cote d’Azur.
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Princess Stephanie of Monaco spent some time with pre-schooler, Neyo Dube during her visit to the Etafeni Day Care Centre Trust in Nyanga last December.
Anelisa Makinana and Sonwabile Panduva, who attend Etafeni’s pre-school, show off the vegetable garden at the Centre.
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The Consul General of Monaco, Francis Kasasa, Sue-Ann Meehan of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre and Project Manager at Etafeni Day Care Centre Trust, Peter Barendse, celebrate the R320,000 donation.
Article and photographs by Kim Cloete on behalf of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Stellenbosch University
