WATCH: Help brings hope to Sikholiwe foster care home

WHAT began as an employee to employer conversation has brought hope to Hammarsdale resident, Thandi Zungu,who helps underprivileged children in her community.

Zungu (55), a domestic worker in Westville, said she was telling her employer (Matthew Everitt) about her Sikholiwe foster care home in Hammarsdale which, despite the many challenges, she keeps open.

To her surprise Everitt, who related to the story, consulted with his business partners Richard Hoffman-Jensen and John Joher to help her.

“We were talking and she told me about her place (Sikholiwe care home). I went there to see it and realized  that she needed help,” said Everitt.

The care home helps many needy children in the community including those with disabilities. One of them, a 11 year old girl who lost her sight at birth also benefits from the care home.

As an employee, Zungu sometimes struggles to devote her time to the children as she has to be at work. However, her daughter Melody Shange (26) helps her.

WATCH: Highway Mail’s student reporter chats to the businessmen and Thandi at the Sikholiwe Foster Care Home.

A six room house, which is enough for Zungu and her family, now accommodates at least 20 underprivileged children from the community. Previously, she said a social worker told her the property was too small to accommodate all the children. “He said children need to have enough space and a place dedicated to serve their needs,” she added.

With Everitt, Hoffmann-Jensen, and Maher’s generosity, who have already donated building blocks, sand, stones, cement, and food, the center promises to improve. Care Bears wonderland in Pinetown also donated a wooden house to help extend the number of rooms. Tyron Jansen from T Towing in Pinetown transported and delivered the wooden hut to Hammarsdale at his own costs.

“Ideally, we want all of Thandi’s time focused on the kids in her community and not having to worry about keeping the kids fed by having to go and work a nine to five job which we all know that it’s not going to pay her what she needs in order to keep the place running, ” said Maher.

Despite all the effort and help that has been put in, Hoffmann-Jensen said more help was needed to complete everything. “We need more cement, concrete blocks as well as some hands to help us lay the foundation and to make sure that its done right, we’ll probably need an engineer to sign it off when that’s done,” he said.

HELP NEEDED
If there is anyone willing to help the Sikholiwe care home please contact Matthew Everitt on 079 330 8266 or Richard Hoffmann-Jensen on 082 521 7646.

There is a list of items that the foster care home is needing.

Rice 10kg (x2), flour (10kg x2), Sugar  (10kg x 2), Beans (10kg x 2 sugar beans), Butternut  (x1 big pocket), Cereal (x6 weet-bix, corn flakes Maltabella Pronutro), Meat (chicken x20kg), Soup knorrox (6 x 400g), Baked beans-lucky star (x24), Milk (x4 Ellis brown big tin), Salt- curry powder raja (x1kg), Spices, Coffee (x1 750g), Tea Rooibos (x1 big pack), Bread  (x10), Jam (x1 big tin), Rama (x 1 kg), Peanut butter (x 1 big), Oil x5litre), Mince (x5kg), Pasta (x5kg), Sunlight bar soap (x5), Sunlight powder (x5kg), Toothpaste, Colgate (x4), Vaseline Blue seal (x1big jar), Nappies XL (x100 packs), Electricity (R600), Clothes, Sunlight liquid (x1litre) and Handy-Andy (x1 big bottle).