In an effort of good will and shared interest, Father Stanley Dzuiba from Centocow Mission in KwaZulu-Natal welcomed Brenda Gonzales to the Lourdes Mission 7 kilometers from Vukuzenzele, South Africa. Brenda arrived with a laptop, camcorder, and digital voice recorder to perform a needs assessment as part of OCCE’s pilot project in this small, remote village which is deprived of many modern luxuries. AIDS/HIV and TB affect many in the village and  OCCE, with local leaders and traditional healers, have come together to gather information about living conditions and to propose solutions to current problems including the plight of orphan children. Father George from Lourdes Mission, formerly a boarding school for many in the surrounding villages and now a ghost of its former past, offered a room at his mission for a very tired but enthusiastic traveller determined to launch a  fact finding venture. Necessary OCCE personnel (other partners and volunteers) have been contacted to meet with the principle investigators in South Africa. Personnel included Nosipho Mbanjwa, South African advisor and translator and Vukuzenzele resident,who was asked to contact local stakeholders in Vukuzenzele to participate in a dialoque to determine community needs. OCCE’s pilot program strives to bridge the communication gap between traditional healers, community stakeholders and others who want to help alleviate poverty and address medical problems in Vukuzenzele. 

As of April 2008 the preliminary fact finding was completed.  Upon arrival to the US partners have been contacted, such as Kettering University’s chapter of Engineers Without Boders (EWB) and Michigan State University International Extention Programs. Another venture to Vukuzenzele will begin in October 2008.