OCCE has announced that they will begin a pilot project in the village of Vukuzenzele in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in an effort to alleviate poverty to stymie HIV/ AIDS, TB and other preventable diseases. Since poverty is a huge factor for the incidence of disease in developing countries OCCE will be taking in a team to assess the village for water, sanitation and electrical projects. As part of the ongoing project, group members and volunteers from the US and South Africa have engaged in anthropological dialogue to gain a worldview via traditional healers. A practice of OCCE, which respects the views and values of those in need, is to interview traditional  leaders and healers in the village to understand their needs. In doing so, OCCE hopes to grasp the circumstances community members face in an effort to help with the survival of the village. Group spokeswoman, Brenda Gonzales, who is responsible for much of the groundbreaking work with OCCE in Vukuzenzele, reports that there will be a needs assessment beginning in February through the end of April 2008. She also added that a three year plan can then be implemented based on the findings and realized funding.  OCCE is a non-profit organization which depends on charitable donations.