Kwa-Thema – The impact of one woman’s idea to unite the community of Rest in Peace has grown rapidly, blossoming into a lifeline for children, pensioners and unemployed youth.

Thabang Lereba had a dream to help the women in her community by starting an aftercare programme for their children.

“Many parents are frustrated because they get home much later than their children come from school. I wanted to make sure that the children have a safe place to do their homework until their parents get home,” she explained.

Lereba said she spent years researching how to start an NPO, and in 2022, she finally registered Bana Thabang Safety Haven.

“I started going door-to-door, introducing myself and the programme. That is when I noticed that there were so many people, especially pensioners, who sat at home with nothing to do. I was also concerned about their health and general wellbeing,” she said.

Mam Carol, as she is affectionately known, decided to expand her original idea to include a feeding scheme and a workout programme. She quickly invited Mathuto Shai and Sibongile Sibiya to assist her.

“We had 257 people registered in the feeding scheme programme. Then early this year the pensioners asked that we meet once a week for a workout session. And that is when we asked Sparks to train us,” she added.

Legendary runner Sparks Moagi jumped at the opportunity to help. The group now meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 08:00 on Lintle Street.

Lereba said her short-term goal is to organise an excursion for the pensioners to the zoo.

Her long-term goal is to train unemployed youth to become caregivers for those who need support within the community.The group is also in great need of training equipment and gear.