Village gives children hope
The Lowveld community recently proved its love to the needy by raising R40 000 for the local SOS Children's Village in KaMagugu.
MBOMBELA – Metalworld, which cooperated with other helping hands, was the coordinator of the golf day which recently took place at Nelspruit Golf Club. “We don’t want all the credit for this donation. There were many businesses involved and without them we would not have been able to assist the needy,” said Andrew Hamilton, Metalworld director.
The village currently provides for 85 kids in 10 family homes. Each house has its own ‘mother’ who is in charge of the cooking and takes care of the children. The public relation corporate fund-raiser, Prudence Lephoto cannot thank Metalworld enough for their support.
“Andrew and his team are always willing to come through for us and besides the R40 000, they have also donated an additional R9 000 this year. We value every donation and their efforts,” she said.
SOS Children’s Village has worked in Mbombela since 2003. They provide a home for children whose families can no longer care for them. These kids benefit from a full education, starting by attending the SOS nursery, along with other children from the community.
Child-headed households are on the rise in KaMagugu, and the SOS village has been attempting to address this since they arrived in the area. They work closely with local families, providing tailored support to help them stay together.
“Our social centre is at the heart of our work, and here we offer a range of support, with a particular focus on families affected by HIV/Aids. We work with them to ensure that children do not have to shoulder adult responsibilities, carrying out home visits to monitor well-being and ensure that kids are able to attend school. We also create HIV/Aids awareness and prevention campaigns,” continued Lephoto.
Many families lack the resources they need to provide for children, or simply feel unable to cope. For these, the centre provides various forms of support, from financial and legal assistance to counselling. Vocational training helps equip families with the skills they need to work, and they also train volunteers to work in the community and offer additional support to families.
SOS village helps fragile families and vulnerable children throughout Mbombela, especially in Pienaar and KaNyamazane. They help families overcome the worst circumstances and provide children with a positive upbringing.
