A shot in the arm for Ubuhle Bezwe
After officially registering as an NGO with six children under its care, Ubuhle Bezwe was established as an orphanage.
The Ubuhle Bezwe Child Care Centre in Tembisa was established in 2000 by Barbra Mthimkhulu, a retired nurse and counsellor who trained through People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA).
Barbra saw a need in her community when she came across a newborn baby boy at the hospital where she worked, whose mother died a few days after giving birth to him.
The baby, together with his two siblings, were the first children Barbra took in.
After officially registering as an NGO with six children under its care, Ubuhle Bezwe was established as an orphanage that cares for abandoned, abused or disabled children. The centre also takes in those who are affected by and infected with HIV/Aids.
Today the centre supports 75 children with food parcels and clothing, in addition to providing shelter to 50 children.
“It is only through donations and help from organisations such as PepsiCo, who provides the children with essential basic food items and household goods, that I am able to sustain the Ubuhle Bezwe Child Care Centre,” said Barbra.
As part of its “Great Place to Work” initiative, which was started to encourage employee engagement, the commercial and marketing teams from PepsiCo chose to support Ubuhle Bezwe.
“As a team it’s important for us to give back to the community where the majority of our staff hail from.
“Our first visit to Ubuhle Bezwe was in November last year. This time around, we visited to deliver blankets, long life food, household cleaning items, clothing and a range of other essentials. The smiles that lit up the children’s faces when we arrived was an experience we will all treasure,” said Peta Friedman, PepsiCo’s senior brand manager.
“We are so grateful to the PepsiCo team for their contribution, which has made such a huge difference to us and the children,” said Barbra.
People wishing to make donations to Ubuhle Bezwe Child Care Centre can visit the Facebook page on this link: https://www.facebook.com/ubuhlebezwechildcarecentre/ or visit the PepsiCo South Africa website at www.simba.co.za for more information.
