MSOGWABA – St Paul’s Anglican Church mothers’ union warmed the hearts of the volunteers and needy children of Ekhaya Victim Centre over the weekend.
The women presented bags of both new and secondhand clothing and blankets to keep the children warm this winter.
They also played and shared jokes with them to show that despite their disadvantaged background they were still loved and cared for.
“We were deeply touched after hearing someone talking of the centre’s need. “Some of us then met to discuss how we could assist, after which we decided to bring them clothes and blankets so they could be warm and be like any other children from the community,” explained Ms Dorcas Magagula of the church’s Lowveld Archdeaconry.
The group also brought them a warm lunch which they all shared.
Magagula added that they planned to help needy children around KaNyamazane and Pienaar.
“We promise to do more in future, for the present this is what we had and it came from the bottom of our hearts. We encourage people to help the centre as they have other needs, in order to help groom healthy, non-violent future leaders. Providing them with love and their needs, will also help to reduce crime and prostitution in our area,” she added.
The value of caring for one another and practising little acts of generosity among families, is instilled at the women’s meeting every Thursday from 14:00 to 16:00.
Ekhaya Victim Centre was formed by the community in 2010 after seeing the increasing number of orphans and needy children in the area. It aimed to provide them with a warm and loving place they could call home, as well as food and clothes.
The centre currently has eight children living there permanently and five are said to be arriving soon. Most of them are referred by social workers and the Home Orphanage of White River.
The centre also serves as a feeding scheme to 105 needy children of Shishila Primary and other neighbouring schools, as well as four elderly people living with disabilities in the area.
“We provide them with meals including breakfast and lunch as well as lunch boxes for their supper. Our centre operates from Monday to Saturday,” explained the director, Ms Margaret Shongwe.
She added that despite the fact that they received no funding from the Department of Social Services, for which they applied three years ago, they strove to make ends meet each day.
“Running a centre like this without any financial help is hard, but we depend on donations from good Samaritans, and we have seven volunteers who freely render their services. We are still hoping for departmental assistance,” she said.
Shongwe added that the centre needed 10 beds, an electric stove , a geyser, food parcels – especially fresh meat and vegetables – and soap.
She added that they would accept any kind of assistance as some of the children who came to the centre for their daily meals, lacked school shoes and uniforms. When it came to facilities, the centre depended on one pit latrine and needed at least four others, a dining hall and also fencing.
For more information contact Margaret Shongwe on 072-899-9437 or Mr Victor Makofane on 076-508-7779.
