A COMMUNITY worker who has been doing outstanding work in Ezimbokodweni and Umbumbulu has been recognised for the good work she has been doing to improve people’s lives.
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Feziwe Gambo has been included in the Clover Mama Afrika project, which is a group of carefully selected women who act as pillars of strength in their communities. She started her centre, the House-Kids Educare Centre, in 2010, at Ezimbokodweni, after seeing many children under the age of four who were left unattended. Before starting the centre, Gambo said she worked in a home-based care programme that had started in 2007, which helped care for people sick with TB and HIV/Aids.
“During these home visits, I would see many cases where toddlers would be left alone at home with the sick person while other family members are at work and school. This child would eat from the same plate as the sick person and use the same spoon. It later became apparent that many of these children had been infected with TB because of this,” said Feziwe.
She then decided to start a créche that looked after children from those households free of charge. She now cares for 289 children between the ages of three months and seven years old. Her outreach programme also includes caring for 30 elderly people.
In 2019, the centre started a bakery to generate an income and was lucky enough to be identified by Southgate Business Park’s AECI, which sponsored bakery equipment. AECI also provided premises at Southgate Business Park, free of charge, where baked goods can be sold.
Feziwe said that all the work was noticed by the Clover Mama Afrika project, which provided her with more skills that have, in turn, been taught to other community members. Clover also helped expand the bakery by donating new ovens, dough mixers and other equipment.
Professor Elain Vlok of the Clover Mama Afrika Trust said Feziwe is a truly positive role model and an inspiration.
“She is also the chairperson of the Umbumbulu Early Childhood Development Association with 55 members that she manages, and is the secretary of the Umbumbulu non-profit organisation forum with an additional 99 members under her care. She is one of the women that created shelters because they felt a moral imperative to do something, anything,” said Elain.
Feziwe said she will continue working with different communities to enable them to help themselves.
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