Farewell at Al Shaddai to their ‘sons’
They related their stories of hardship, perseverance and success as they were looking forward to a bright future.
It was a happy farewell at Al Shaddai Christian Centre to boys who were kept there to rehabilitate them from their drugs usage.
The former drugs addicts were kept at the church following a programme started by the church long before lockdown and was also used during the lockdown when some were removed from the streets to be kept at the church as well.
All in all, they were 27 boys when the programme started in 2017 and only eight successfully completed the programme.
Mpumalanga MEC for Social Development Ms Thandi Shongwe and the Emalahleni Executive Mayor Cllr Linah Malatjie attended the event on Saturday, June 27. The programme was supported by South 32 mine.
The group entered the stage singing a song: ‘Long road to success’ and happiness was written on their faces as they were welcomed on stage and their families were there to welcome them back into their homes.
They related their stories of hardship, perseverance and success as they were looking forward to a bright future.
They said they were happy to be offered a second chance in life and they were thankful to all the people who helped through the programme.
One of them said: “Love offered at the church helped us a lot to pull through. We are now a group of friends and we are looking forward to a bright future. We are the chosen few after some of our friends left the programme to go back to lives of taking drugs in the streets. We were taken into a journey of love, motivation, social support, praying and teaching. We learned teamwork, discipline, to be responsible and to set goals for ourselves.”
MEC Shongwe thanked the church for the role it played in the programme. She said it was a great day and they need to celebrate the success. She added to say that she visited all the centres after lockdown where all the street people were kept and it was tough.
“While others refused to be taken we managed to convince a lot of them. We received a lot of support organisations like churches, social workers and the private sector. It took a lot of courage from some of them. We visited their homes and we thanked their parents for allowing us to keep their children. The eight are the chosen few, they are blessed and we want to see them succeed.”
MEC Shongwe said she will partner with the executive mayor and South 32 to offer them learnership programmes and to develop their skills.
Cllr Malatjie said God has answered their prayers as she guided them to see the success of the team of eight. She thanked everybody involved in being there during the difficult journey.
“It takes a village to raise a child and collective effort has shown that it can be done. We are pleading with families to please give them time, pray for them and with them and accept them back.”
The team of eight and their families were presented with food parcels and blankets
