iKhaya le themba offers holistic care, educational and family support to orphaned and vulnerable children in Imizamo Yethu, as they face the effects of poverty, HIV & AIDS, trauma, learning difficulties and other life-threatening circumstances. The Intensive Care After-School Program located in the township provides a safe place for children to play, learn and grow; includes educational, therapeutic and recreational activities. The Family Support Program assists families through parenting classes and life skills training through our Parent Resource Centre which also provides parents with necessary skills training and education programs.
What skills and resources were you able to draw from the community for this project?
80% of iKhaya staff live in the community. Starting as volunteers they gained courage to choose a career path and attend university. Our Program Manager has attained a degree in Social Work, another in Community Development and two more and on track for teaching degrees. Most importantly operating iKhaya staff from the community encourages children that they are in a safe place. iKhaya acts in partnership with the students' mothers/caregivers. We provide a comprehensive after school care program using curriculum designed to work alongside the government education system. Teaching through hands-on learning activities, therapeutic play, sport, dance, art, music and life skills. Homework Lab, Literacy & Math Labs open up the afternoon along with sports and free play; then we begin the afternoon with a Bible study and a hot meal. Daily programs designed to reinforce teach reading and writing in isiXhosa and English. We use the software Virtual Reading Gym to improve literacy rates, along with reading aloud programs for comprehension and skills. Maths and Life Skills are taught through numerous activities, including presentations by the children or through visitors sharing stories about careers and life. iKhaya offers parenting workshops, CV writing, counselling, therapeutic classes and skills development training. Curious Kids, an ECD training program teaches mothers with babies how to care for and stimulate their children in their first thousand days and is held on 12 consecutive Saturdays at iKhaya. Sakhisizwe, an educational program for older youth established for children in grades 7 – 12, operates at iKhaya as a separate NGO. SAUCE – (South African Unique Culinary Experience) is a hospitality skills school outsourced by another NGO, for adults ages 18-25. The program provides worker readiness training, specific culinary training (Coffee Barista) skills for employment. Volunteers come from around the world to assist with homework help and experience the unique social impact. Many believing they had much to contribute are "blown away" by how much more the children gave to them!
The challenges
iKhaya le Themba addresses the challenges of education and poverty focusing on orphaned and vulnerable children. We long for a world where every child has hope and a future where the effects of poverty, trauma, learning disabilities and disease are no longer seen.
Addressing the challenges
iKhaya le Themba in isiXhosa means Home of Hope. Originally it was planned to be an orphanage. However, when the community was asked about the need their response was: “We don’t need an orphanage. We need a safe place for kids to be kids; where they can play and do their homework after school. We travel far for work and worry about their safety until we return." As a result the Home of Hope provides: Intensive Care Afterschool Program - 91 primary school children from age 6-14 receive educational support through homework help, therapeutic and recreational activities: Maths, Literacy, Life Skills, Art, Dance, Sport, Music and Recreational/Creative groups. iKhaya has offered holiday clubs, youth camps, special events. Once a term outings provide an opportunity to visit sites the children would not normally have access. Family Support Program - iKhaya le themba’s core function is to help the children and we believe that extends to help families as well. Our community worker visits the homes of every child to assess family needs. More than 60 households participate in the Adult education programme that provides the necessary training and education identified by the parents. Many parents (50%) are unemployed and undereducated and need skills development courses to empower them to provide for their children. The “Parent Resource Centre” offers holistic support including exercise groups, healthy cooking classes, food gardening, computer literacy, resume writing, CV development, practice interviews, worker readiness training, sewing, and baking.
The achievements
Local staff have become ambassadors of hope for the children and their families as they are realising their own dreams to become teachers and social workers. Enterprise Development projects have also been birthed and operate at iKhaya or in the community: Nourish Bakery – started at iKhaya in 2017 now a thriving business in the community; Tours of Hope – operated by our Property Manager providing tours of the community and Hout Bay for our visitors; Curious Kids – helping moms with babies in the first 1,000 days was established by our Grade 1&2 teacher, held on Saturday mornings for 12 weeks. Sakhisizwe was developed at the request of the Grade 6 graduates who pleaded for a similar project for Grades 7-12. Some of the original students of iKhaya now teach or volunteer at Sakhisizwe which has become a separate NGO. SAUCE – a skills development school established for unemployed adults aged 18-30. Outsourced by another NGO with 88 having attended the course and 75 secured permanent employment. A dream of a home for orphans became The Home of Hope wherethousands of kids and families were assisted with education; mothers and fathers learned how to help their children, gained skills and employment. iKhaya became a partnership where children have a safe place to play and grow. A place providing homework help along with education support after school with a hot meal and a snack provided for each child daily. Monthly food parcels are provided for our most needy families via a local church. Today iKhaya nurtures, nourishes and supports 91 orphaned and vulnerable children. iKhaya implemented a Community Development Programme with a Parent Centre and Hospitality Skills school and other Enterprise Development Projects. This safe place is where the virtual partnership grows and fosters more involvement from the greater local and global communities who help iKhaya extend their arms of faith, hope and love where Nelson Mandela's statement: Education is the most powerful weapon with which we can transform the world" has become a reality. iKhaya longs for a world where every child has hope and a future.
Johannesburg, South Africa