Mama, Mama where are you?
I am your child, I need your love
What did I do to deserve my fate
All I ever wanted was to know you
To be kissed and hugged
Although you have forgotten me
My longings are fulfilled
And I am now trully happy.
Once we knew a time of hunger
When no-one heard our cries
And thought of our pain
But now my tears cease to flow
As there are always people
Who feel our pain
And are always ready to listen
So we really know what joy is.
Now happiness is part of our existence
As we know we can now dream
Because we have faces and names
And we are loved and cherished
Here in our refuge, our home:
SITHABILE.
Nandi Sybil Msezane.
A small child begging and digging in rubbish for food led to the establishment of the Sithabile Child & Youth Care Center in Dawn Park in 1994. Thabisile Msezane, a recently retired teacher at the time due to ill health, had planned to open a kindergarten class to supplement her income, as she had two young school age children. She decided to incorporate this little boy into the class, so she asked him to take her to meet his parents and get their permission for him to attend the class. David, as he was known to the local shopkeepers, took Thabisile to a nearby farm which was his home. While Thabisile was talking to his parents, he went off to tell the other children on the farm he was going to school. By the time Thabisile finished talking to David's parents, there were twelve other children begging Thabisile to take them to school, too.
It was then, that Thabisile made up her mind to open her home to these children. With no funds other than her disability allowance, Thabisile took these children in and began teaching the older children how to read and write. For the younger children she began a pre-school programme as well as Art classes. Word spread among the farms surrounding Dawn Park, and as the weeks passed the number of children grew. In order to accommodate all the children, she moved out of her home. By the end of March 1995 there were more than a hundred children at the Center from the farms as well as the informal settlements. Fortunately for Thabisile and her family, a friend of hers had two houses and they let Thabisile move into one. By this time the children were receiving love, three meals a day and an informal education. The majority of these children's parents could not even pay the R10($ 1,75) to supplement Thabisile's pension for these children's needs. Approach to relevant government bodies and civic organisations met with a lot red tape and many reasons why she should close down the Center. Although many promises of help came from some quarters, they never materialised.
In 1997, the need of these children of these became more pressing as many of the children pleaded with Thabisile to be allowed to sleep at the Center. For many of these Sithabile was a haven away from the sexual, physical and emotional abuse, as well as the hardships they faced in their homes. Thabisile's training and experience as a teacher and trauma counselor has given her skills and empathy to deal with varied and difficult situations each child presents. But without financial support, her task is insurmountable.
The Center has survived until now on donations from private individuals, the Canada Fund, 3M, AFROX, other corporations and part-time employment Thabisile had taken to cover the costs of running the project.
The primary purpose of Sithabile Child & Youth Care Center is to provide not just a safe haven, but a Home. Sithabile is a place where they receive love, attention, security, food and shelter. In addition to providing a home for these children, counseling, education and vocational training are provided.
One of the beliefs of the founder of Sithabile is that to fully rehabilitate families, they should also be provided with the skills to be made independent, as well as the knowledge to enable them to make the best decisions for their families. In nearly every society, for many centuries, women have been the foundation of the community, which is why we feel it is important to empower them through skills training in sewing, knitting, baking and literacy, as well as workshops on basic nutrition, women's health, trauma counseling, Termination Of Pregnancy (T.O.P.) and women's rights.
Since the youth are the future we feel it is important to empower them through unemployment programmes, computer literacy classes and advocacy projects. Workshops on Youth & Sexuality, HIV/AIDS and T.O.P as well as Teen Parenting. We also encourage active Child Participation in all Children's Issues.
For many people, when you talk of child abuse they do not associate Child Labour as a form of abuse. Children in servitude are constantly having their rights violated. For too long, working children have been forgotten, which is why through awareness raising, research, advocacy and rescue missions, we hope to make the plight of child labourers known to South Africans and the world at large.
Visitors are always welcome at our home, which is always busy and noisy. Although our surroundings are not plush, there are always happy faces to greet new friends.
Contact Details: Sithabile Child & Youth Care Center
Registration Number: 9820391(non-profit)
P.O.Box 21184
Dawn Park
Boksburg
1474
South Africa
Telfax: +27 11 862 2342
Mobile: + 27 82 973 0629
Mobile 2: +27 82 471 0226
E-mail: Director
Any Donations can be made to: Sithabile Child & Youth Care Center
NEDBANK GERMISTON
Corner Jark & Victoria Streets
Germiston
Gauteng
South Africa
Account No: 1547006277
SWIFT NO: NEDSAZAJJ
Tel: + 27 11 825 1060
C/C: 19184200
Lesang Morele
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