Ayanda works for children’s futures
“Being a social worker is a difficult job, but it is fulfilling. There is nothing better than working with someone who came to my office in tears, and they left smiling.” Read more
NEWCASTLE – Growing up, Ayanda Khumalo felt she had no one to turn to talk to.
Her longing for a confidant motivated her to become a social worker.
Read: Child Welfare seeks missing father
Ayanda qualified as a social worker in 2011 and embarked on her career of caring and helping people where needed.
“I wanted to help children and be their voice, as I feel children’s emotions are often ignored. But, when I became a social worker I could not work with them at first. In fact, when I did work with a child for the first time, I cried my heart out because it was so painful.”
The experience made her even more determined to work with children.
She joined the ranks of Newcastle Child Welfare in 2015, eager to make a difference in the lives of everyone she came into contact with.
“Being a social worker is a difficult job, but it is fulfilling. There is nothing better than working with someone who came to my office in tears, and they left smiling,” she said.
However, Ayanda wouldn’t recommend it to a person who did not have a passion for others.
Also read: Parents sought for Children’s Court
“It is a calling, and you need to want to make a difference in people’s lives, putting them before yourself,” she emphasised.
Ayanda will bid Child Welfare farewell at the end of August to spread her wings.
“I will be going to Durban to work at the Family Advocate Office as a family counsellor.”
“It will be challenging, and I am sad at leaving everyone behind, but this is a great opportunity to help others,” she concluded.
Although saddened about leaving her colleagues and clients, Ayanda was looking forward to meeting new challenges.
