Our elderly care programme ensures dignity and quality of life through club-based and home care options, each tailored to address their specific needs in later life.
In 1963, during the intensification of apartheid, a 21-year-old speech therapist ventured into Langa in search of a prematurely discharged patient who, only days before, had undergone serious oral surgery. The deprivation and poverty she encountered shocked her, lighting a flame in her heart that drove a sixty-year-long calling to bring about meaningful change for the people she saw that day.
Her name was Helen Lieberman. Over the decades, Helen’s connection to the upliftment of the marginalised, forgotten communities she encountered in 1963 blossomed into Ikamva Labantu, meaning “the future of our people”.
Since our official launch as a non-governmental, non-profit organisation in 1992, our work has expanded into many fields of social support, including early childhood development, disability care, AIDS orphan foster homes, shelters, schools, elderly care, micro-enterprises, food security and youth life skills development.
Helen Lieberman has been recognised globally for her dedication to humanitarian work. Some of her notable awards include the 2022 Kirsh Family Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2017 Officier de la Légion d’Honneur.
Tutu is the founder of the Older Persons programme at Ikamva Labantu. She brought seniors together to form clubs, motivating...
Phumla lives in Nyanga. Featured in the Brave Hearts documentary, she is the daughter of Mama Esilena Dukash, who, alongside...
In the 1970s, groups of women came together to care for the children of working mothers. They called themselves Ithemba Labantwana (Hope for Our Children). This group provided peer support and eventually focused their energy on helping each other comply with government regulations to access government financial support. Ikamva Labantu grew out of this group of women. Ikamva Labantu has built over 100 preschools in the past 60 years.
Mildred lived in Gugulethu. She had a daycare centre and fostered orphaned children in her home. Mildred was the first...
Gertie lived in Langa and was the first chairwoman of the Langa chapter of the women’s group Ithemba Labantwana. Sadly,...
Vuyelwa lived in Gugulethu. The community gifted her a piece of land, which she gave to Ikamva Labantu to build...
Lulama lived in Khayelitsha, where she ran a daycare from a shack. Later, Ikamva Labantu built a building for her...
Meisie lived in Gugulethu. She was one of the founders of the women’s group Ithemba Labantwana and a very strong...
Martha decided to move her preschool from a regular school in a building in Gugulethu to the squatter camp of...
Geraldine created her daycare in Mitchells Plain and brought all the preschool principals in the coloured areas together into the...
Nomsa found unattended children in the streets on the outskirts of Gugulethu. She brought them into her home to feed...
Nontle worked with an Ikamva Labantu educational specialist to develop a school readiness programme called “Development through play” for all...
Xolisa lived in Khayelitsha, where she ran a preschool. When she could no longer run the daycare, her son took...
Francis joined the women’s daycare group Ithemba Labantwana from Ocean View, a distant location. This greatly assisted young children in...
Connie lived in a shack between Phillipi East and Khayelitsha. She started foster care in her shack for abandoned children....
Dado lived in Langa and took in abandoned and orphaned children. She also ran a preschool. Sadly, she has passed...
Noma lives between Mitchells Plain and Thembani. She takes care of orphaned children and was featured in the Brave Hearts...
Thobeka took care of abandoned babies in a shack in Gugulethu until Ikamva Labantu built her a house where she...
Rosalie is from Crossroads. She took in many orphaned children, caring for them until adulthood.
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Florence created a primary school in the squatter area of Miller’s Camp. Ikamva Labantu assisted in building the school. This...
Nobuntu lives in Langa. She runs a shelter for indigent and disabled people. On the same property, Ikamva Labantu built...
Victor helped create the Ulwazi Youth Centre in Langa to assist youth with sports and life skills and to help...
Ivy lived in Gugulethu. She started a sewing school in 1983. A container and sewing machines were provided by Ikamva...
Gail first worked in Gugulethu with Vukuhambe – the training and employment programme of the physically disabled. Later she created...
Linda lived in Langa. She was a qualified nursing sister at the Red Cross Hospital. She would rescue people who...
Maggie lived in Phillippi. She was a qualified nursing sister and nursed AIDS patients in Phillippi and Crossroads for Ikamva...
Ruth lived in Gugulethu and was disabled. She was the founder of Vukuhambe, ‘We will get up and go’, a...
Maxwell and Lungile lived in Gugulethu and were disabled. They worked with Ruth Sokeyeka at Vukuhambe, making curtains, pillows, and...
Avril developed Ikamva Labantu’s programme for the visually impaired. This programme trained visually impaired individuals to become receptionists and switchboard...
Sipho spent much time in detention and became a lawyer once released. Sipho has worked with Ikamva Labantu for many...
