Wattville NPO pleads for help to continue impacting children and the elderly
“We are funded by the Department of Social Development but it’s not enough. We cater for almost 400 children and they fund us for only 300. We can’t turn children away."
Elizabeth Maoeng sometimes feels like pinching herself when her mind is flooded with memories of how far the Neo e Bonolo NPO has come.
Maoeng started this organisation in 2011 to care for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). In doing so, the burden on grandparents looking after their grandchildren is eased.
“We have many child-headed homes in Wattville. These are vulnerable children left by their parents who died of HIV and Aids. That’s why we started the organisation,” she said.
Sitting in the shipping container office on the Isaac Makau Primary School grounds, my eyes are honed in on details.
The office is immaculately clean, even though it is shared with two auxiliary social workers and an office administrator.
Piles of books and files are stacked neatly on the tables and papers, including a Benoni City Times article, and certificates that dangle from the noticeboards.
But it’s a different story for Elizabeth’s 15 caregivers who are all crammed in a single shipping container next to the administrative office.
Elizabeth, who serves as the organisation’s programme manager, is grateful to have a safe space to make a difference in her community despite the limitations.
“It’s not easy when you start but the fruits are worthwhile. I have an incredible team. I’m happy. It’s also through God’s mercy that we are here.
“I pray that one day we find our own space. We are inside the school and are grateful. But we can’t go out to service the whole community. We need a big space to cater to the whole of Wattville.”
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The organisation looks after children, mostly from the Emlotheni and Harry Gwala informal settlements.
They provide them with weekly meals and also help them with homework, while the caregivers do home visits to check if there’s enough food and whether they have all their identity documents.
“We monitor the children, especially the girls, to ensure everything is well. We give them counselling. We also look after the grandparents to make sure they have enough to look after the children”
Donations
They also host regular HIV/Aids awareness workshops and drug awareness programmes through NACOSA’s People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) initiative.
“We noticed that drug users share syringes and this can lead to the spread of HIV. We fight drug abuse and help stop the spread of HIV at the same time,” said Maoeng.
She beamed with pride when asked how many lives they have impacted.
“We always check up on our beneficiaries. Most have finished school and others are university graduates. Some are back here working with us. We have created over 200 jobs through the Independent Development Trust (IDT) and National Development Agency (NDA) for the community.”
To continue serving her community and helping vulnerable children, she pleaded for donations.
“We are funded by the Department of Social Development but it’s not enough. We cater for almost 400 children and they fund us for only 300. We can’t turn children away. If you have the means to help us sustain our programme, we would appreciate it.
“It would be helpful to get someone to help us with groceries to help the children on weekends because hunger creates crime. We need all the help to continue making a difference in Wattville,” pleaded Elizabeth.
If you can help in any way, contact her on 072 771 8516.
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