Gift of Day’s home-based care training tackles youth unemployment and caregiver shortages
Gift of Day, in partnership with Sibongile Home-Based Care, has launched the second phase of its free home-based care training programme to equip youth in Alexandra with certified skills and employment pathways.
Gift of Day, a non-profit company, confronts two of Alexandra’s most striking challenges: youth unemployment and the acute shortage of caregivers for the elderly, disabled, chronically ill and vulnerable children.
The organisation, in partnership with Sibongile Home-Based Care, hosted an event to expand their free home-based care training programme to youth in Alexandra at Entokozweni Day Care Centre on April 21.
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The eight-week training programme, according to Gift of Day founder, Pastor Thokozani Mahlangu, will ensure that young people gain certified skills and clear employment pathways, while rebuilding the community support networks that too many families have been left without.
Initially, the programme attracted mostly older participants. However, this time it has pivoted to youth.
“As it started, we needed more young people; we saw the response of older people in the first phase.
The second phase, which is today [April 21], was to recruit young people and draw their interest for them to be part of the home-based care training so that they can get into home care nursing,” CEO of Sibongile Home-Based Care, Warren Radebe, said.
He further emphasised the social impact of the programme in a community where youth unemployment remains a daily reality, stressing that it will open doors for them to work in clinics, hospitals, or community organisations.
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Today, at least 70 young people registered to be part of the training. Radebe said they want to enrol over 100 young people to be part of the course.
Radebe said the programme is important because young people in Alexandra lack access to such training.
Mahlangu spoke from personal experience about the human cost the programme seeks to ease.
“Nowadays, there is no one who is taking care of people with disabilities and those who are sick. I have a disabled brother, a disabled aunt and a frail grandmother, so I know how they feel. They need youth to take care of them.”
Mahlangu said upon completion, the trainees will receive certificates that will better position them to seize opportunities that may come their way.
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