Mamkhulu

The Outcomes of Their Work

Some Success Stories:

1. The Human Rights Commission of South Africa recently visited the Litsemba Centre to interview 35 families whose children do not have documents and are at risk of being expelled from school.  This was due to the initiative of our staff, who attended meetings and advocated for these many at-risk children in our area.  
2. Three families were reunited as a result of home visits.  The children had run away from home because of family problems and had dropped out of school.  The youth facilitator visited the home and negotiated a way forward.
3. A government foster care grant was reinstated to two children who had lost them due to the death of the guardians.
4. One family of children was able to go back to its houses(after losing houses to family members when the parents died)
5. Two boys were placed in a place of safety for boys (Moses Sihlangu Orphanage Centre)
6. Twenty-five rape cases were resolved through social workers and GRIP at one of the primary schools.  The cases were uncovered by the youth facilitator during her regular counseling sessions.
7. A house has been built at Dwaleni for orphan children and we have been promised more houses by the NGO that is partnering with Mamkhulu.org in this venture.
8. Musa Mpapane from Fundinjobo High was helped by the mentor and Nonhlanhla Zulu, who is a facilitator at the school, to apply at the University of Venda.
9. Food parcels have been distributed to a lot of kids this year in all the schools
10. Children at Chakaza Primary received uniforms from a local men’s club
11. Some kids have also received uniforms and clothes in the schools from Penreach, Mbombela Municipality, churches and other organisations.
12. A birthday function was held at Hlanganani high for all the orphan children  who had never had birthday celebrations
13. A child was stabbed to death at one of our high schools by another learner and that  caused a stir that week since some of the learners wanted to strike. They were accusing the teachers of  negligence but with the help of the circuit manager, Department of Education members, Penreach staff, Mamkhulu.org staff and other organisations the storm was calmed. The mentor worked at the high school throughout that week supporting the staff and our youth facilitator.
14. A child at Phakane Primary received an RDP house (Reconstruction and Development House) and food parcels from the government with the help of the youth facilitators.

STATISTICS:
We have 15,000 children in all ten of the target schools (almost more than half the number of the children are orphans -  either single or double orphans)

1. 9,342 counseling sessions have been conducted since March
2. 2,742 children  have been seen through Hope Clubs, counseling sessions, home visits, etc. since March in all the schools
3. 274 home visits have been conducted to orphan’s houses
4. 322 kids have received food parcels(from school gardens, school food and home-based care centres) and 517 children are  still in need of regular food parcels.
5. 52 children got ID documents and 171 children need them (some are in process and some are failing due to the fact that the children are foreigners)
6. 10 children got birth certificates and 144 are still in need of them
7. 590 children  received counselling and 114 still need follow up
8. 338 children  got uniforms and 355 are still in need
9. 6 children  got foster care grants and 76 are still in need (some are in process and some are failing because parents don’t have documents)
10. 1 house was built and 24 children  still need houses
11. 1,590 children  have received individual help since this program started in addition to the numbers involved in group programmes
12.  A group of  learners at Mthombo High School have formed a group called the “Ambassadors of Hope”.  They have visited  a local orphanage center, pre-school, contributed clothes to a child who doesn’t have parents and they are also raising money to build a house for this boy.

Orphan's house before the new one was built

This is the shack where the children were staying.  A group of young people from Hlanganani High came to volunteer on the project.  They were singing songs before they started working.
Two youth from the community  also benefited in this project as they were hired to work on the project.

Orphan's new house at Dwaleni