Mdabe to work with orphanage
Mdabe visited the home with Ilembe municipality, R and B Pipeline Contractors and the department of agriculture when they donated food, school uniforms and agricultural equipment to the home last Thursday.
Ilembe District Municipality’s outgoing mayor, Welcome Mdabe, has promised the founder of Siyabathanda orphanage home in Ndwedwe, Princess Ngcobo, that he will be working with her to make the home a better place.
“As we know that my term as mayor is coming to an end in August, I am committing myself to come back and work with you, Ngcobo, to ensure that this is a better place for the children,” said Mdabe.
Mdabe visited the home with Ilembe municipality, R and B Pipeline Contractors and the department of agriculture when they donated food, school uniforms and agricultural equipment to the home last Thursday.
Siyabathanda was founded by a group of school principals in 2003 after they noticed that a large number of children came to school with empty stomachs and without school uniforms.
“We started as a soup kitchen using an old church building and on our first day, we had 60 children who came for the soup. We were surprised,” said Ngcobo.
She said they realised that they needed to make the soup kitchen a daily initiative because most of the children were having their soup and bread as a meal for supper.
Fortunately, a group of Germans doing charity work noticed their work and offered to help them.
“They returned and renovated and extended the building, bought food and furniture for the children and we were very happy. That is how Siyabathanda was born,” said Ngcobo.
The home has a borehole that supplies water to their garden which is used to produce food for the home and also to sell.
Ngcobo said her heart was torn apart when social workers took most of their children and placed them under foster care.
“They said the home is not registered therefore we can’t keep the children. We had 60 children and now we are left with ten,” said Ngcobo.
She said she is currently busy with the registration of the home with the department of social welfare.
The home is appealing to anyone, who can donate clothes and beds or anything that will be useful to the kids.
“I am old now, so my days are numbered on earth. My biggest wish is that there will be someone with love for these kids, who will take over and take good care of this home,” said Ngcobo.
Contact Ngcobo on 072 200 1715 or 078 9569 124.
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