Hope for the less fortunate comes through
The kids meet here three times a week, enjoy meals, receive homework assistance and participate in various activities.
Msholozi Kids and Youth Club has brought hope, love and care to vulnerable children in the community.
It started as a Friday afternoon club and now it has grown into a fully operational life centre.
This life centre is one of the initiatives by Sinani, noma kanjani. A registered non-profit organisation that supports local community initiatives to feed and care for orphans, vulnerable children and widows.
Maria Ziessler, the founder of the centre, said they want the community to know how much each child is loved by God and that as the centre they want every child to succeed. According to her, their passion is to inspire the kids. “We want the children to know that they are wanted and that they have an identity.”
Ziessler is a woman of many talents. She is an artist and she shares her passion with the kids. Their art room provides a venue for painting, colouring and pottery, while dance classes and marimba practice take place in a different section of the club.
“The soccer club members meet on Saturdays. Our goal is to have it open every day of the week. Most kids come after school; we have computer training, and reading, ballet and art lessons.”
Ziessler could not hold back her smile as she shared the journey of how they got to open a centre for kids. “About 12 years ago after doing HIV/Aids counselling I noticed that some of the women, when they come back to me, come back worse than what they were before. I then started visiting them. This was when there were only small houses in this area.
Nkele Maganyane and I started reaching out to children and the youth. That is when we realised that most of these children are from very vulnerable backgrounds. When we started this centre we would meet under a tree. We moved to a sports fields, then to a Wendy house and we had to move from there too. We were given a venue in someone’s yard. We operated in one room. Fortunately, last year an opportunity arose and we were able to buy this new centre under Sinani.
That is when we got the chance to renovate the house and turn it into a proper afternoon centre.” Msholozi Kids and Youth Club is open to the less fortunate. They are given the opportunity to develop through healthy relationships.
“We welcome vulnerable children, some of them have single parents, some are orphans and need help.” Ziessler said she wants the community to know it is welcome at the centre.
