Local Mams organisation celebrates 10 years of helping the community
Thandanani Drop Inn centre’s goals and vision are to start building a shelter for the homeless in Mamelodi.
A local organisation that is known for helping the needy, drug addicts and the homeless celebrated 12 years of existence and 10 years of operating in Mamelodi on Friday.
The 10-year celebration was attended by the community, ex-drug addicts, youth and school children.
Thandanani Drop Inn centre was founded by Victor Tswai and Thabo Kgotsi in 2011 with a vision to do something positive in the community rather than staying at home doing nothing.
Kgotsi said together with more than 100 volunteers, notably mostly unemployed youth from Mamelodi East section SNS, they started with clean-up campaigns within the community, cleaning health facilities, schools, churches and government buildings to live in a healthy environment.
He said the organisation was finally registered in 2013 and their first community project was an after-school programme and feeding scheme for needy children.
“We helped children with their schoolwork and gave them food while they were waiting for their parents to come back from work.
“The Thandanani afternoon school programme has grown and today we have a school holiday programme that keeps children busy and away from doing bad things including drugs,” said Kgotsi.
He said the school programme was doing well, but the issue of drugs has now taken over within the community, destroying the youth.
“We started a drug and substance abuse programme in 2015 helping drug addicts to come clean but the issue was that most of them were homeless and needed help to be reunited with their loved ones,” said Kgotsi.
He said drug addicts and the homeless needed to be clean and wear clean clothes.
Thandanani organisation also cares about the environment and they identified illegal dumping sites within the community of Mamelodi and turned them into community parks.
“In 2016, we started the homeless programme meant to fight social ills within the community when homeless people come to the centre almost every day to shower, do laundry for free and have three meals a day.
The organisation has employed 30 youth members working on different programmes.
Peter Mamahlodi, anti-drug abuse ambassador told his story on how the organisation has helped him to become a better person today.
Mamahlodi said he was tired of living when Thandanani drop inn centre reached out to him.
He said the organisation offered him counselling with the assistance of a social worker.
“Drugs destroyed my life and my family lost faith in me to the point where I was chased away.
“I sold my identity book, sold a car my father gave me and ended up living under a bridge,” said Mamahlodi.
He said to feed his cravings for drugs he started selling everything made of metal.
He further said he would even sell groceries when there was nothing left to sell.
“I lived on the street for years, I was a walking zombie,” he said.
He said because of the organisation, he is now a respected member of the community and his parents welcomed him back home with open arms.
He gets referrals from parents who have children taking drugs and they also talk to learners about addictions and other risk behaviours.
“There are many ways that can lead one to get into drugs and substance abuse. Peer pressure, a fancy lifestyle, cigarettes and hubbly bubbly,” said Mamahlodi.
Kgotsi said as part of the 10-year celebration they have managed to source five laptops that were later donated to five matriculants in Mamelodi.
Thandanani’s goals and vision are to start building a shelter for the homeless in Mamelodi.
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