Archive for the ‘Beneficiaries’ Category

An Applied Psychology student from Holland has developed specific training for Ikamva Labantu that will change the way carers communicate with the children in their care.

Nora Nahumury developed a communication training module that focusses on better communication between the carer – be it foster parents, biological parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents – and the child.

The model, through roleplaying, listening exercises, games, theory and interaction, and group work, teaches carers to better communicate with children, especially those with behavioural problems. So far, over 10 carers have already completed the training.

Carers are put through their paces during a communication training session.

“Training such as this is extremely important for carers who work with difficult children as well as traumatised children. Some carers do not always know how to communicate with the children in their care. There really is an attitude of children must be ‘seen and not spoken to’,” said Johanna Boshoff, Head of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC).

Our community-based workers, said Johanna, had noticed on their home visits that instead of positively dealing with children, some carers automatically shout at them or hit them.

“It is so important to provide training on how to manage behaviour. Some carers think that it is natural to hit and shout because they do not know how to deal with children any other way and because that is how they grew up,” Johanna added.

The training reinforces the need for carers to create an open line of communication so that children feel that someone is listening to them. The OVC department will be monitoring the progress of carers.

Our Siyakhathala forum uses your empty jars and fills them with canned guavas, peaches and pears.

A canning initiative by members of Ikamva Labantu’s community forums is finally bearing fruit. Members of the Siyakhathala forum, an informal peer support group representing carers in our Orphans and Vulnerable Children programme, received training from an expert canner and have started canning seasonal fruit themselves. The canned fruit – peaches, guavas and pears – are sold to other forum members for R10 a jar and the proceeds are used to fund projects in the forum.

The project has been so successful that they are now in need of more supplies. “The initiative has been overwhelmingly successful. We have been selling our fruit for some time now but are in urgent need of jars with lids, no matter the size,” said Connie Mqhayisa, Community Forums Officer.

The project has grown steadily and the members are hoping to exclusively label their goods within the next few months.

If you would like to donate your unused or old jars (with lids) or want to find out more information about the initiative, contact us at 021 461 8338 or email info@ikamva.co.za.

Every year we have a school drive to make sure children are equipped with school clothes and stationary, and anything else they need to make a success of their school year.

At the beginning of every year, Ikamva Labantu gets ready to support hundreds of children with schooling. This year was no different.

Many children depend on our support to help them with school resources, school fees and transport costs. Every year we provide school clothes and stationery, pay school

transport fees, provide pre-school fees, as well as pay the school fees of children with special needs. Ikamva Labantu also supports after-school programmes, which include our Online Education (including literacy and numeracy) and Chess programmes.

“We are there to support, guide, encourage, and make sure we help our young people and their families, and the programmes we develop are there to ensure their success,” said Johanna Boshoff, Head of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). She added that our schools programme has become extremely significant because it not only supports children who go to school, but also supports them with the resources that enable them to stay in school.

If you would like to find out more about our school or after-school programmes, or would like to support an OVC child, contact us at 021 461 8338 or email info@ikamva.co.za.

Our friend and partner Russell Ford, together with his team, visited various pre-schools earlier this year.

Over the years Ikamva Labantu has established strong links with like-minded, international organisations. In the field of Early Childhood Development (ECD), we have been particularly blessed to meet and work with individuals and organisations who provide us with not only material resources (e.g. toys and equipment), but importantly, with their own time and experience.

In the last few months we have hosted visits from a number of UK ECD practitioner groups who have participated and shared their expertise through hands-on engagement with Ikamva Labantu’s ECD practitioners and staff.

Not only are we honoured and delighted to meet ECD practitioners from abroad, but the impact on community teaching is immeasurable. We thank the Childbase Partnership, Kidsunlimited, and All About Children (a network of independent pre-schools in the UK) for their time and interest.

The pioneers of Early Childhood Development (ECD) were honoured at a special ceremony at our Kwakhanya centre in February.

These women are the backbone of ECD and form part of the Ithemba Labantwana community forum, which is an informal peer support group representing Ikamva Labantu practitioners in ECD.

These women, who today are principals and practitioners in ECD, started taking children off the street in the early 1960s, welcomed them into their homes, and cared for them while their parents went off to work. Ikamva Labantu Founder and Honorary President, Helen Lieberman, met many of the women, who she honoured at the ceremony, during the height of apartheid in South Africa.

We were honoured to have international guests with us on this special day: long-standing UK donor, Russell Ford, and his team of ECD practitioners from the nursery

In February we honoured the women who pioneered Early Childhood Development in township communities.

group, All About Children; Karin van Zweeden from Stichting Elf in Holland, an instrumental supporter and donor to our ECD programmes; Judith Gordon from the UK; and two Ikamva Labantu board members from the United Kingdom, Noeleen Cohen and Barbara Alikhani. Reminiscing, Helen told her audience: “The 25 years since

naming and constituting ourselves have brought thousands of women together. They have shared their knowledge, assisted each other to build our organisation and raised the flag for ECD throughout the nation.”

Although great strides have been taken over the years, she still believes that there is more to be done. “Thousands of pre-schools need to be assisted and millions of children still need better care. The preschool mamas need help in many ways. We are dedicated to doing this. These women have always been there for us and I hope will continue to help us – all because of the deep love that is shared for a child,” said Helen.

Over 30 people were honoured at the event for their dedication to ECD and Ikamva Labantu’s work.

The introduction of a new Pre-Grade R class will better prepare our children for school.

A year after opening, we are delighted to be able to add a pre-Grade R classroom to our model pre-school, Kwakhanya – a welcome addition to the three existing and fully-equipped classrooms at the pre-school. Kwakhanya is used as an experiential training ground for practitioners working in pre-schools in the townships.

“We have found that there is a great need for the pre-Grade R year. We have also found that children living in townships are often not mentally and emotionally ready for Grade R. Because of this, we have decided to increase the number of classrooms at our preschool to include a pre-Grade R year,” said Barbara Stemmert, Head of Early Childhood Development.

With the additional class, children will be split into four different age-appropriate classrooms: one and two-year-olds, three-year-olds, four-year-olds, and five-year olds.

“Many pre-schools in the suburbs offer this additional year. This specialised schooling allows kids to be properly prepared when they enter Grade R. By adding this extra class, it will give them a better foundation,” added Barbara.

We would not be able to do the work we do without the generous people willing to donate and help our cause. To make it easier for those thinking about contributing, we have compiled a list of the things we desperately need.

• Our Seniors department, which supports over 600 senior citizens in 17 seniors clubs throughout Cape Town, is looking to add some enjoyment by providing television sets and radios for the clubs.  At the moment less than five clubs have access to radio and television and we’d like to extend this.

While some may think this a luxury, our seniors watch television and listen to radio to stay abreast of current issues and matters that directly affect them.

Some might think it a luxury, but having a television in our seniors clubs allows our gogos and tatas time to debate issues that affect them.

“They have discussion groups where they debate and talk about issues that are currently happening in our country. Because they do not have access to the internet, the only way they can get this information is through watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading the newspaper,” said Christelle Cornellius, Head of Seniors and Health.

Seniors also have a newspaper day where they discuss issues that they have read about.

• Our Early Childhood Development department, which supports over 12 000 children in 200 care homes, is in urgent need of toys, cot mattresses and covers, plastic cups, plates and spoons, and supplies for art activities.
• In our Health department, we are in need of a loud hailer, which helps us to manage and address large groups who attend our regular health days (e.g. Diabetes Day).

If you are able to help with goods or donations of funds, please contact our fundraising department on 021 461 8338 or email info@ikamva.co.za, or visit our website www.ikamva.org.za.

Photographed in the late 1970s in Gugulethu is Ikamva Labantu founder Helen Lieberman with one of our pioneers Ivy Makosana.

Since our founder, Helen Lieberman ventured into the townships of Cape Town in search of her patients, the organisation has grown into one that many have come to know and love. This year we celebrate 50 years of working, and partnering, with communities.

We have some wonderful and exciting activities that will be taking place in the coming year and we hope that you will join us, as you have over the last 50 years, in sharing and celebrating this great milestone.

In our 50^th year, we hope to highlight the innovative work being done in our communities. We also aim to strengthen our ties with those communities and support them in developing even stronger and more effective programmes in the future.

Watch this space for our celebratory anniversary events.

Kwakhanya preschool teacher Nikelwa Ntshuba helps one of her pupils during his eye test.

Young and old gathered at the Enkululekweni Wellness Centre to celebrate International Sight Saver Day. The day was not just a celebration, but was also used to raise awareness around eye care and the importance of screening eyes, as well as to distribute prescription spectacles.

In partnership with Jonga Trust, over 40 children from our Kwakhanya preschool, and learners and seniors from Khayelitsha, received free eye screenings and new prescription spectacles provided by the Trust.

“We have a lot of children in pre-schools and crèches who have never had their eyes tested. Many only get the opportunity once they reach school. These tests are important because they can pick up many problems. It is very important that we look after the community’s eye health,” said Di Powell, Voluntary Project Director at Jonga Trust.

This sentiment was echoed by Christelle Cornelius, Ikamva Labantu’s Programme Head of Health and Seniors: “The partnership is vital for Ikamva Labantu beneficiaries and projects as it provides easily accessible and cost effective community eye health.”

We would like to extend a “thank you” to both Pick n Pay and the Lions Club for their invaluable support and generous sponsorship for this day. We would also like to thank Spark ATM Systems who donated over R10 000 to provide free eye tests and prescription spectacles to children in our Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s programme.         

Children from our Orphans & Vulnerable Children department receive free literacy, numeracy and computer literacy classes in our after school programme.

This year the Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s (OVC) department introduced the Online Educational Support programme, which helps children better their numeracy and literacy levels. About 45 children from the OVC department form part of this after-school programme.

The programme uses animation, activities and reward games to keep children motivated and supports each child’s learning by offering individual, one-on-one lessons that allow children to progress at their own pace. The initiative is sponsored by the Click Foundation, an organisation that finds innovative and non-conventional ways to respond to the education crisis.

Johanna Boshoff, Programme Head of OVC at Ikamva Labantu, said that they had noticed the lack of literacy skills of children in the OVC programme. “It is important that our children, who have very low literacy levels and exposure to stimulation and learning, are able to get skilled so that they can do better in school. In turn they will have a brighter and better future,” said Johanna.