Empowering Girls and Women as Mothers

One of the wonderful parts of KTD196, in my opinion, is that we get to work in teams with other like-minded people and organizations. With team work we are able to multiply our impact and our effectiveness. For example, we work with the Japanese Volunteer Centre in Thohoyandou, they support a Drop In Centre and Mpego and implement our Children’s program on our behalf. They take ownership of the program, they support their volunteers, we train, monitor and guide as necessary.

Another partner organization we have is Seeds of Light from Acornhoek, who like JVC, implement our Children’s Program on our behalf, but it gives them an attractive program to promote to funders and to raise funds for the program, training the adults but also supporting the children.

It is a way of increasing our footprint in Limpopo Province. Where possible we work with partners so that our impact is greater however, we also implement our program directly into Greater Tzaneen through your support.

Developing these sort of long lasting, organizational relationships is time consuming, there is a lot of trust involved. We trust the partner to implement the program, but the organization needs to trust us to train their staff effectively and for us to be there when needed. Currently we work with 5 organizations. All different, with different focusses, but all with a passion to assist children to become all they can be.

We train the children to work in teams throughout the different levels of the program, we train the staff to work in teams, so that they can impart their skills to others, and we as an organization work in teams, both with our implementing partners and with our networks to expand our impact and our reach.

One of our networking partners is SANCRC, South African National Children’s Rights Coalition, a national advocacy body which holds duty bearers accountable for ensuring Children’s Rights are a reality for every child.

Our strength is in our team approach, you are part of that team, your support enables us to do what we do. Another part of the team are the staff of KTD196, I know I have introduced Mum Rose before but we have had many new supporters who have not met Rose before and since she has been with us since 2004, I think it is important to be reacquainted because Rose certainly has the heart of KTD196. She is a lovely lady whom I met when working with the Home Based Care Volunteers. Rose would walk throughout her village every day, going to people's homes to help them care for the sick, dying, and elderly in particular.

Rose was not very confident, she would always so she was too old; too tired; too stupid. It was very sad to see what life had done to this lady. BUT she had an infectious smile, a wonderful laugh and she loved children. She would smile and no matter what you were facing, those problems could just fade away. When Rose laughs, you can tell it is genuine and comes from way down deep within her very soul.

I want you to know how special the people are who we work with. Their passions and their challenges. KTD196 is able to impact all the people we touch, which is really exciting.

Please enjoy Mum Rose's story

Blessings

Louise

 

Hi, I am Rosemary from Sasekani village. I’m working at Keep The Dream196 organization as a field officer since 2008. I have ten troops who need help from me; yes indeed I am helping them. Before joining scouts, I was working as a dressmaker. I had worked in different places like in Nkowankowa factories and in Tzaneen at Fabric Magic.

In 1998 it happens that I lose my job like anybody else. I was sitting at home working in my house like a house mother. This was not my thing because I was used to waking up early in the morning and going to work. During that time, I was stressed and I told myself that I am useless because my husband had to support me and my child. God is great, in 2000 I became a Home Based Caregiver for an organization in Tzaneen. This was the way God created or made for me to be in KTD196.

I met Louise and Zabe in 2003, I could see they love children. My heart was very painful for the children, all the time. I couldn’t sleep properly; I didn’t know how to help them. When Louise asked me if I want to be trained to work with children, I was so excited. So many children were dropping school, getting in to crime, drugs and gangs. I didn’t know we could stop them from doing this. So I said yes. That was 2004.

In 2008 Akela Zabe asked me if I want to work with KTD196. I was so happy. I thank God because He made good things for me, before joining scouts or KTD196 I told myself that I have one child and that was a lie from the devil, God has made many children for me. Everywhere I go now children are calling mama Rose or Mom Rose and because of this I am no longer stressed about having one child.

Now I know that God has good plans for me, I can speak and write English, I can use the computer and I have confidence in myself because I know that I can give change in somebody’s life specially children. I can stand in front of people and talk with confidence; it is God who made things in KTD196. I even teach high school teachers how to care for children, how to run our program. I am very proud of myself because I thought I was useless somebody specially when I lose my job.

In KTD196 we bring change to everybody, KTD196 has taught me to teach Journey of Life to indunas, parents and crèche teachers. I am proud of KTD196, it changed my life. I am now a proud somebody because I make a difference in my community. People come to me with problems with children, now I have the skills to really help them. The children come to me with their problems and together we solve them.

Halalala KTD196, may God make you a great organization all over the country so that other people like me can change as well. Children are so important. We can all make a difference by caring and listening

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