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A woman known as the Mother Theresa of South Africa is visiting Perth to raise awareness of and funds for the Morning Star Centre for Children with HIV/AIDS.

Joan Adams has been working with these children for 13 years and her visit here is being supported by UWA staff member Madeleine Robertson who volunteered at Morning Star last year.

Morning Star is a  centre for underprivileged children infected  with HIV/AIDS, who live in the impoverished townships of Johannesburg. It is in the mining town of Welkom in the Orange Free Sate, South of Johannesburg.

Welkom was once a thriving mining town, but with downscaling of the mines, it is now severely depressed with 65 per cent of the population unemployed. The Orange Free State has the third highest prevalence of AIDS in South Africa, at 30.6 per cent of the population.

"The real tragedy of Africa's  terrible AIDS pandemic is the children who are the innocent victims - many of them are orphaned and suffering with AIDS," Madeleine said. "They die terrible deaths.  Poverty exacerbates AIDS and in the face of this extreme hardship, ill health, dire poverty, suffering, malnutrition and neglect.

Morning Star was founded by Joan in 2000, with just eight children and four helpers.

Today there are 100 children attending the Centre in Welkom and 41 children in the Kutlwanong  Centre in the Kutlwanong township, with 40 staff employed, creating employment opportunities for unemployed  township dwellers.

In addition to the children who attend the Centre there are 485 children on the register who receive various forms of assistance including school uniforms, medical aid, food parcels and assistance.

Since 2000, 574 children on the Morning Star register have been identified as orphans.  Many of the children who are orphans are cared for by an elderly grandparent or carer, who themselves exist on meagre pensions and in some cases, have no income at all. Many of the Morning Star children who are orphans live in extreme poverty in the townships, very often in dwellings made of crudely assembled corrugated iron sheets, with no running water or electricity.

"I am completely overawed by what Joan is achieving," Madeleine said. "She is an extraordinary woman who strives to give these children the opportunity to reach their full potential and to vastly improve their quality of life."

"Joan has a wonderful sense of humour and  a boundless capacity to show love.  There is still a terrible stigma attached to AIDS and these children are shunned in their communities. She carries the burden of the dreadful  plight of these children with total faith in God.  She has a openness and honesty which touches all those who come into contact with her."

Joan is giving a free public talk, Restoring Hope , on Friday 27 September at 6.15pm at St Philips Anglican Church, Marmion Street, Cottesloe. Wine, coffee and finger food will be provided.She is in Perth for 10 days, from September 20 and Madeleine is hoping other groups will invite Joan to speak to them. If you or your group would like to host Joan or you would like to know more about the event on 27 September, please email Madeleine .  You can also find it on Facebook .

The evening with Joan at St Philips is organised by the Anglican Church of St Andrew, West Nedlands, and supported by Soroptimist International, On the Terrace Inc and St Philips