John Wesley Community Centre still going strong

Following it's establishment in 2003. the centre has been a helping hand to hundreds of people in Daveyton

Social worker, Mampho Mbethe has been a manager John Wesley Community Centre for the past three years.

The John Wesley Community Centre, based in Daveyton has over the past 19 years been a ray of sunshine for many people in Daveyton and Etwatwa.

To date, it still continues to accelerate its efforts to make a difference in the lives of people through its various project aimed at uplifting and improving people’s lives.

Established in 2003, the centre which is under the umbrella of Northfield Methodist Church, amongst others feeds over 100 beneficiaries daily through its aftercare programme.

According to the manager of the centre whose also a qualified social worker, Mampho Mbethe said “We have about 140 beneficiaries from the ages of six to 25 who come to the centre after school for activities such as art, chess, marimba and sport.

Seen here is the hall where the aftercare learners eat their meal before proceeding with their activities.

“We also assist the children with homework, making use of the centre’s library to improve their vocabulary. We provide psyco-social support for the children and we visit their homes to assess their well-being,” said Mbethe.

The centre also has a food garden which helps fight hunger as they provide meals for the children daily.

” Our aftercare service is not funded, we solely rely on funding.”

Mbethe said to try and raise funds for the aftercare programme they have started a drive called ‘Sponsor a meal for R10’ for the aftercare children.

John Wesley Community Centre manager, Mampho Mbethe said the centre’s food garden is a lifeline to many families in Etwatwa and Daveyton.

The centre also offers training to young people through its youth empowerment programmes to prepare them for work opportunities.

Meanwhile, other programmes that they offer is Home-Based Care programmes where they provide pyscho-social support, home visits, counselling and treatment adherence to their HIV beneficiaries.

Under home-based care, there’s also a programme for the elderly who attend beading and sewing classes twice a week.

Also Read: Marimba play at John Wesley Community Centre playground handover

About 12 old people from the area keep themselves busy with beadwork such as making necklace, mats, shoes, bags and many more.

The oldest member is 82-years-old.

Jetty Mokhubung (82) is one of the oldest members who attends beading and sewing classes twice a week at John Wesley Community Centre.

The group is in need of wool, beads, crochet and other knitting products. To donate or contribute to the sustainability of John Wesley Community Centre contact Mbethe on 073 040 0680.

To pledge your support to sponsor a meal for the aftercare children visit the centre’s Facebook page/John Wesley Community Centre for more information.

Also Read: John Wesley kids receive new playground

Showing the City Times the John Wesley Community Centre's library is social worker and manager, Mampho Mbethe.

Seen here are some of the elderly people from Daveyton who attend the beading and sewing classes twice a week at John Wesley Community Centre. From left: Thoko Mbatha, Martha Mkhwanazi, Jetty Mokhubung and Evelyn Radebe.