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Johnathan Paoli
In celebration of the late President Nelson Mandela’s birthday, organisations and South Africans took 67 minutes to give back to communities and the vulnerable of society by supporting those in need.
For this year’s Mandela Day celebrations, K and K Media and its staff members visited the Ubuhle Bezwe Child Care Centre in Thembisa where they donated clothing, spent the day cooking and dishing up food for the children and people living in the area around the centre.
The Ubuhle Bezwe Children’s Home was established in 2002 by Barbara Mthimkhulu, a professional nurse providing voluntary services to help disadvantaged children and day-care services to senior citizens.
“When we started we discovered that most children were coming from child-headed households, some orphaned and others were taking care of their grandparents and could not attend school regularly,” Mthimkhulu said.
The centre also takes in victims of crime, including abandonment, gender-based violence, abuse and sexual crimes, she said.
The home currently houses 53 people whose ages range from 16-months to 21 years.
Social workers visit the home monthly to check on the residents, and the police come weekly in an effort to monitor security concerns.
Some of the key elements of the organisation’s mission include: to provide basic life skills, develop self-confidence and boost self-esteem; to provide shelter and support to vulnerable children; to promote youth awareness programs in and around the Thembisa community; emphasise the importance of education and develop learning skills.
While grateful for the support, Mthimkhulu outlined some of the challenges involved in her project.
Lack of funding to improve the facilities remains one of the biggest challenges because she had to prioritise securing food and other groceries for the children over and above upgrades to the building and infrastructure, she said.
On the bright side, however, Mthimkhulu proudly said that none of her children have failed in school, and that the home encouraged a rigorous education regime, ensuring the children remained focused on their school work and motivated to make something of their lives.
Success stories from the centre include that of Ayanda Maghagha – a qualified doctor; Simphiwe Maghagha – an engineer; Portia Tsotetsi – a teacher; and Mbali Dubuzana – a social worker.
In addition, Mthimkhulu proudly confirmed that Miss Thembisa 2010 was another resident of the home.
“Children are the future and when they contribute to society in a positive way we feel proud that we have achieved our mission,” she said.
INSIDE EDUCATION