Empower South African Women Fighting Child Poverty

Meet Ntombi - the first in her family to obtain a higher education. She is one of 9 women who, through scholarships funded by CHOSA's Philani Family Fund, have lifted themselves out of poverty and become nurses. Since graduating this year, Ntombi has started working for a Philani program that focuses on tracking the health, development, and weight of babies and toddlers, enrolling them in a special program to combat malnourishment when needed. Staff nurses like Ntombi visit pregnant mothers in their homes, and continue visits until the child is 5. In a region with the world's highest rates of HIV, fetal alcohol syndrome, and low birth weight, these early interventions are crucial. CHOSA is honored to partner with these nursing graduates who have risen above their circumstances and are determined to make an impact in their communities.

Ntombi says this of her experience: "CHOSA supported us in going into this profession, because before there was no direction of how we were able to climb the mountain of education. CHOSA's support was like a mother and father. If CHOSA were not here in Philani, our lives would not be like this. It has uplifted and lightened up our lives. Now I have a name; now I am not just Ntombi, I'm Staff Nurse Ntombi."

CHOSA has also been excited to witness the continued growth of one of our longstanding partners, Abaphumeleli Home of Safety, this year. "Abaph" serves 33 children who have either been abused, neglected, or have suffered the loss of a parent. Many have been malnourished, and some are HIV positive, but all have found hope and a warm, loving home at Abaph. The home has grown significantly in the past year, bringing 7 new children into their care, and adding a room (a renovated shipping container, pictured below) which is dedicated to quiet, after-school homework time. 

Abaph has also started a garden on the property where they grow healthy and nutritious vegetables for the kids to eat. Township Farmers, a new organization which received a once-off grant from CHOSA, has partnered with Abaph and several of our other projects in this endeavor. As the kids learn a new skill and gain appreciation for the environment, Abaph is creating their own source of food that will help the home become even more self-sustaining.

As we prepare for 2018, we are encouraged by the community members with whom we partner. Their tireless work in serving the children in their care is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Thank you for supporting them through CHOSA!

Links:

• Learn more at our website, chosa.org

In 2014, a woman named Nomsa founded Blessings Educare, a community-run pre-school that CHOSA supports. Blessings is located in the township of Delft, a community plagued by high crime rates and unemployment, but with caring citizens like Nomsa working hard to make a positive change. The name for Nomsa's pre-school was derived from what she views children to be: Blessings. While she views all children to be blessing to all who interact with them, she also wants more blessings for the children who attend her pre-school. She wants Blessings to give the children blessings to go further with their futures, blessings to study further, and blessings to lead a life full of happiness. Simply put, because children are blessings, she knew she had to name her pre-school after what they meant to her.

Blessings started out when Nomsa saw a gap in her community, as parents were going to work early in the morning and getting home late in the evening, and leaving siblings or grandparents to take care of the children while they were gone. With limited oversight of these children, and no formal childcare within the community Nomsa decided to open the doors of her house to take care of a few local children. As the word spread about Nomsa’s small childcare business, more and more parents began arriving at her door and enrolling their children to be in the care of Nomsa. But, as more children signed up, she quickly outgrew her small space and had to expand her business. She then rented space from her neighbor to meet the growing demand for her services, but this too became too small. In 2016 she moved Blessings to a plot of land across from her house, where she now has two container classrooms and a shed which houses the kitchen, office, and Grade R (Kindergarten) class - thanks to a grant from CHOSA. On an average week Nomsa now has around 90 children in her care at Blessings, ranging in age from one to six years of age. It’s amazing to think about how much growth has happened at Blessings in the past three years!

Nomsa is motivated to help the children of South Africa, and is well on her way to making a huge impact in providing early childhood education to children in her community. She believes a strong foundation in early childhood development can set these children up for a better future for themselves and their families.

As Blessings continues to grow and thrive, Township Farmers, a once-off grant recipient of CHOSA’s, has recently planted a beautiful and fruitful vegetable garden on their property. Blessings has also gone through the rigorous process of becoming a registered non-profit in South Africa, and was successful! The sky is the limit for Nomsa’s success and the future of Blessings. Nomsa, as principal, continues to educate herself on early childhood development by attending weekly classes in curriculum development to bring back information and train her teachers. Nomsa hopes to grow Blessings into a space that also provides after-school care and support for children who are already in primary school, a safe space where older children can receive homework support, and a loving place to stay until their parents get home form work.

Being a community leader, Nomsa has been able to create new opportunities for children to thrive within her community. Through the support of CHOSA volunteers, Nomsa has put in an application to purchase her land, which will open more opportunities for Blessings to expand and transition to having permanent structures. With Nomsa’s commitment to the children of Delft, and her continued efforts to improve her community through education, CHOSA has no doubt she will be successful. We are very proud to call Nomsa and Blessings a CHOSA partner organization!

Links:

• CHOSA website