Eating An Elephant 

As the famous saying goes, “When eating an elephant, take one bite at a time.” As we enter Winter and look back over the past five months, many positive changes are noticeable within Hlanganani’s children.

These changes are happening slowly “one bite, at a time”. For example:

Testimony

One of our older teenage boys, has been taken under the care of his cousin (who is now a Home-Based Carer for him) and The HBC’s granny, which has yielded positive results. The young man’s behavior has changed for the better. Gradually, the improving school performance cannot be ignored either. Many of his school marks have doubled, compared to last year! His Hospitality grade last year started at 11%…; for Term 2 this year he received 55%! He is no longer grumpy and getting into trouble, like he did, previously. Although he still likes to party with his friends, his Home-Based Carer is helping him to balance school and friends in a wise manner. At 19 years old, his dream is to complete Matric next year and become a Chef. 

Speaking Into Their Lives

A quick Google search will bring up over 100 Bible verses on the importance of caring for and helping orphans, widows, and those in need! Therefore, this must be a very important matter on God’s heart and thus it is one we take extremely seriously! The Bible is also very clear on how vital it is to teach our children and raise them up by teaching them God’s commandments and ways. 

Thus, Hlanganani does not only focus on empowering children physically and mentally but also spiritually. The love of God is shared with the children, through the reading and interpretation of Bible stories for kids.  We teach them how to pray and hear God’s voice for themselves as well as many other important topics. We also address everyday matters, for example : what that means for them, spiritually, if they participate in ancestral worship. As we are only financially able to transport the children to this group once per month, we rely heavily on the Home-based caregivers who also share the word of God whenever they do home visits. They aim at instilling moral values and leading the children to understand God’s, unfailing love on a regular basis. 

On an educational note:

The children are assisted with their schoolwork and academic areas of challenge at the monthly mentorship groups too. Although most of the children have improved greatly over the past term, they are still in great need of academic help – many of them are failing multiple subjects. Imagine trying to understand math literacy: 

1. when it is taught in another language which you do not understand, 

2. in a classroom of over 40 children 

3. the students all ranging in age from 15 – 21, 

4. where you all must share the few available textbooks at the teacher’s disposal? 

Please pray that our children can overcome these many obstacles and find a way to succeed! 

If you are interested in helping one or more of our children by sponsoring textbooks or a few hours per month in tutoring them, please contact us…it takes a village! 

Job Shadowing or Learnerships

Talking about a village: we are asking you to open your doors to allow our children to job shadow your career for a day, or two, in your business.  Chefs; waiters; accountants; lawyers; IT; Social Workers or teachers.

Three of our youngsters matriculate at the end of this year and will need learnerships to fund them and help them to study! Let us know how you can help?

Donations

Thank you to all those who have donated warm clothing and tracksuits and jackets for the children to help them through the winter.  Together with food donations the children have the basic needs met.

The Priceless Gift of Electricity 

We picked our way through the informal settlement, stepping over piles of litter and deep holes in the dirt road formed by the water draining down the street. The shacks lining the street were alive with families socializing and enjoying loud music and food on Sunday evening before work started again. We were warmly welcomed into the humble home of one of our children’s guardians/granny, Gogo N. This amazing lady takes care of her six grandchildren, all of whom are under Hlanganani’s care. 

We chatted to her regarding how her brand-new business enterprise of selling household products had been going…the answer…”it was going well….only one bottle of washing liquid left.”  This is thanks to Hlanganani’s Masline and Sharon guiding her and teaching her how to do it. Hlanganani’s great team, strives to ensure the success of all our endeavours. This is another way for her to ensure she is able to put food on the table and support her grandchildren. 

After talking further, we identified that a great need of theirs, was that of electricity.  If the cost of installing it (R1,000) could be donated, then Gogo N. could pay the monthly fees. A kind and generous donor, Mr. Brown was happy to pay for the installation. A huge thank you to him, for this life-changing gift! Electricity has brought not only life-changing opportunities and general living conditions to them but also a peace of mind… in that, Gogo N. tragically lost one of her granddaughters to a house fire years before.  This was when she was trying to make a paraffin fire, for her gran.  Now that Gogo N. has electricity, she does not have to have that fear of the same thing happening to another one of her grandchildren. 

Gogo N. is delighted with this new benefit, as she highlights that charging phones for her and her family is no longer a problem. She also helps her neighbors with phone charging, at a small fee, so as to bring in further income. Most of all, her children can now stay up late to study and she is determined that they will continue doing well at school. Gogo Nokwezi will begin to sell meat to earn an income as soon as she is able to save enough funds to purchase a small chest freezer (any freezer donations are welcomed). 

Access to electricity has impacted her life, family and that of her neighbors greatly. Thumbs up to all those helping Hlanganani to change lives!

Three Plaster of Paris legs

We had three legs in Plaster of Paris in April/May.  Two of the legs of a young boy in Diepsloot, who has bandy legs. The doctor is trying to straighten his legs without surgery.

Then his Home-based Carer broke her ankle, so the little boy did not feel alone, with both of them wobbling along in plaster of paris!

Thato

Recently Thato went to a school to give a motivational talk with SAPS community forum. He also appeared in the Randburg Sun for the community work he is busy with.  

Here is his story:

I’m Thato from Cosmo City in Extension 4 and I am wheelchair bound.  I run a wheelchair basketball team and get sponsorships for them. 

It is not easy to become a disabled person because there’s a lot of special needs such assistive devices that one needs to help to get where we want to be. 

Today I feel blessed and happy that it is my 1st time that one person could recognized me personally! Its not just about organizations but personally that they would assist me with giving me a big surprise and isn’t just to give but it is a great work and hard physical work I did for communities, called selfless and value driven living.  I’m very excited that I’ve received a brand new wheelchair out of the box and from one of the local air radio station Cosmo FM.  I would like to thank Ausi Nthabi for making a big change into my personal life, I will able to spin and go around for life♿

When I created something, it must accommodate others as well, who are willing to participate, and I’m blessing God who chooses the ones who will be blessed.

Also want to thank my biggest supporter at home my grandmother that she keeps me going through the same hardship, encouraging me to wait patiently. She says God will provide for me, and appreciate what I have now, ………what others don’t have, and they wish to be like where I am.

That’s such a wonderful accolade Thato and may we all be like you are, selfless and serving others in the community.

May you all keep well and safe.

Kind regards
Bonnie