AS Durban non-profit organisation, iThemba Lethu (Our Hope) celebrates 21 years of serving and empowering communities, high praise continues to flow in for the invaluable difference they continue to make.
Nokwanda Hlophe, who completed the five-year HIV Prevention Programme at the organisation, said she is currently doing her final year for her Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance and Economics.
Hlophe said while doing the programme, she did not see the value of everything she was being taught. However, she realised the importance afterwards when she entered the ‘real world’ during her first year of university.
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Inamandla Ngcobo, whose daughter is currently part of one of the organisation’s programmes said: “There are a lot of things that as a parent you cannot talk to your children about. So iThemba Lethu helped me a lot by having those conversations with my daughter and making her understand me better. iThemba Lethu has also taught my daughter how to be a lady and look after herself. iThemba Lethu is the best.”
Sibusiso Ngcongo added that he was introduced to the Fatherhood Programme, where he was equipped with important information and taught how to be a responsible father.
“I see a great change in myself through the programme. I know how to take care of my family without shifting the responsibilities to my wife,” said Ngcobo.
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The organisation’s three main programmes include: The Family Integration Programme, which transitions homes that care for up to 12 orphaned/abandoned children. The HIV Prevention Programme, which is run in six schools in Cato Manor, includes behavioural change education for Grade 5 to 9 learners. Through this programme, the team also engages with the learner’s family units to offer them support. They also work with the men in the community through their Fatherhood Programme.
The Breastmilk Bank is the third initiative. Through this project, breast-feeding mothers donate their excess breastmilk to babies in the iThemba Lethu transition homes and surrounding hospitals.
For more information on the organisation and its projects, email cassandra@ithembalethu.org.za or visit www.ithembalethu.org.za.
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