Holistic Support to Children in Rural South Africa

Our Gogos Arts and Crafts project is a relatively new programme. It started to encourage the gogos (grandmothers) of those in our programmes to commune in an effort to revive artistry and traditions that are instrinsic to the Zulu culture, like beadwork and grass weaving. The gogos teach each other and children of Thanda who are part of our Umthombo Programme, which is a drop-in weekend programe. Over time, they have expanded into other craftwork and handwork, like sewing and crochet, and we are so thrilled that this programme has evolved organically to equip gogos and children with useful, practical skills that they can use in a myriad of different ways as they journey through the rest of their lives. In 2024 , their artistry stepped up a notch with some new equipment, specifically, a new weaving loom for crafting traditional grass baskets and mats. Programme Coordinator, Zanele Mbaso, conducted loom beading training sessions with gogos too, on smaller versions for beading. The looms themselves along with the horse in which it stands, was handcrafted by Babazi, our talented Facilities & Maintenance Caretaker who is so appreciated by many at the Community Centre for his ability to make/fix almost anything! They have been put to great use this year and will see many more creations come to life going forward.

Our gogos also benefitted from various other trainings throughout the year. From business basics (including supply and demand, profits and loss and pricing), to productivity, to entrepreneurship. The gogos had the opportunity to grow their knowledge throughout the year, affording them a real stepping stone to generating income through the skills they are learning through their attendance of the Programme. They also enjoyed a workshop on the significance of beads around the world. This was an interesting and eye-opening education as the gogos had previously understood that beads were worn exclusively by Africans. Learning that people around the world wear beads too, highlighted the interconnectedness of humans beyond culture and location.

Inclusion

In 2024 our Gogos opened their space and their hearts to two children with disabilities who are enrolled in Thanda's Inclusion Programme. Unfortunately, Thanda did not start working with these boys as babies or toddlers because our Inclusion Programme did not exist when they were young, so they were not able to transition into a schooling option (last year, we were able to transition all of our ECD children with disabilities into a schooling option). Instead, we work with these boys as part of our ‘Over 8 years old Inclusion Programme’ at their homes, supporting their guardians to access grants, arrange therapy, attend support groups, access alternative schooling options, and offer an improved quality of life for their child. In addition to home visits, Sinqobile (12 years old, diagnosed with autism) and Thubelihle (17 years old, diagnosed with hemiplegia) have been learning the art of beading twice a week with our gogos. The determination we have seen in them this year has been truly remarkable and their steady progress is visible in their beautiful creations.

Zanele shares “I would say that having them (the two Inclusion Programme children) join the Gogos Arts and Crafts Programme was the biggest highlight of 2024. I feel like it helped the children’s development and also really helped the gogos learn more about disability. It was a challenge for them in the beginning as teaching children with disabilities requires increased patience, empathy and understanding. But the gogos provided a warm and loving environment for Thubelihle and Sinqobile. Everyone has grown so much through the experience.”

Market Day

The year culminated with a Market Day at the end of November where Thanda employees, friends and community members were invited to purchase some of the beautiful creations that the gogos have created this year. This was followed by a celebration where the participants came together to celebrate what they had learned and achieved during the year, as well as offer thanks to the facilitators who have made the programme possible.

The Market Day was a resounding success with many admirers attending to see what the gogos have been making this year. They managed to double what was sold during last year’s market day and some new orders were placed too, which means that the gogos will have projects to keep them busy as soon as the sessions re-commence in 2025.

Mrs Mdunge, one of our dedicated gogos gave the opening speech at the closing celebration in which she thanked Thanda for creating the programme and the opportunity to be part of it. She continued “We have been held with warmth and guidance. We were provided with everything from trainings and supplies to emotional support and on top of that we got to make a livelihood to provide for our families.”

It is not only the practical skills learned at these sessions that are valuable to the gogos, but the sense of community too!

Mrs Hadebe, a gogo participant, shared “There have been times where I was emotionally burdened, with things happeneing at home. But attending the gogos programme helped with easing the pain that I was going through. Sometimes we also encountered ups and downs in the group but in the end we always found a way to comfort each other. We are so thankful to Thanda. Thanda has helped us to grow in community and individually. Thanda has changed the world positively. Thanda has brought life and brightness to a place where we did not think anything positive could materialize.”

The incredible strength in the community bonds created through the programme are important to us as creating a strong network between neighbours and community members is a strategic focus of in 2024 and beyond. We understand that people thrive in strong neighbourhoods and neighbourhoods are strong where close relationships of trust exist between members. Ultimately, this strength means increased resilience, meaning individuals, families and whole neighbourhoods, are able to lean on each other and, ultimately, bounce back more easily when they experience challenging times.

Since Thanda’s inception in 2008, we have focused on building resilient individuals, then in 2020 the global pandemic caused us to cast our attention on the importance of building resilient households, to support the development of the individuals within them. In 2023 it became clear, that our impact is intensified across the board when support is offered to help build resilient neighbourhoods because when the entire neighbourhood puts their weight behind empowering the individuals within it, the groundswell of thinking and learning in a more progressive way gains even more momentum.

We rolled out a pilot in 2023 which involved hosting group meet-ups for the guardian participants of Thanda’s Baby and Home Visiting Programmes and it was received very well. Guardians advised that the energy within the neighbourhood felt as though it was changing, with the catalyst being the cohesion and camaraderie created by the meetings.

After the success of this pilot in 2023, at the beginning of 2024, we rolled out what we call ‘Learning Circles’ for more of our Thanda programmes in order to facilitate our organization wide focus on building resilience at 3 levels – the individual, the household and the community. The learning circles are run with our Household Gardeners and with the Guardians of our Early Learning and Child and Youth Development Programmes.

HOUSEHOLD GARDENS

The sessions are usually centred on a specific topic or theme. In quarter 1 of 2024 the theme for our Household Gardeners was Nutrition. Noxolo, the mentor for Household Gardeners in the Rosettenville area reported back that the farmers really seemed to enjoy the session and engaged fully with the material. They learned about food groups and important vitamins and minerals (as per the Healthy Plate model that was explained in our previous report) and were very vocal in sharing their thoughts and ideas. About the creative activity which asked participants to draw what their dinner plate would usually looks like and then how they might change it to be more aligned with the Healthy Plate, Noxolo says “Initially the gardeners felt self-conscious about their drawing skills saying that they didn’t know how and they were shy to draw. But by the end they were laughing together at each others’ drawings. Some of them even produced real masterpieces. It was a great way to break the ice for the first meeting as it helped everyone relax and feel at ease in the space.”

The theme of our second learning circle (in quarter 2 of 2024) was Grey Water. Household Gardener, Nobuhle Jeza, shared a little about the Q2 learning circle. She is a gentle soul, who lives in the Dibi neighbourhood in a household of 9 people - 5 adults and 4 children

She shares "It is very helpful to see other people from the community. Prior we used to only see each other at school meetings or funerals. That is not right for people living in the same neighbourhood. Thanda has really helped us get together. During these meeting besides receiving seedlings we learn, about different people, cultures and most recently one of the children (mentors) that work in this area was showing us how to make sure that there is constantly water in the soil and plant but cutting opening a 2L plastic bottle, poking holes in the lid, turning it upside down and inserting the bottle into the ground. So, the open ended part is where we pour water. I have started doing that and I have noticed that I do not have to water my produce as much as I did before.”

The watering method she refers to is a drip irrigation method using easy-to-source found materials, that was taught to the Household Gardeners to assist them during the dry months.

“Water is an issue in this area. Our nearest source of water access is the communal tap there (point at a distance). My grandchildren assist me to carry the water from the communal tap. I am trying to get the small ones interested in farming and knowing to grow their own food because, one day I will be gone and it is important to pass on the skill so the following generations do not starve"

Finally, she shares "I may not have much, but I have enough to keep me going and I am grateful to Thanda for that. I could go on and on about how much Thanda has saved me. I do not even go to the store anymore."

EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Similarly, we have also introduced our 3-layered approach to our Early Learning and Child and Youth Development programmes, with interventions at the individual level, the household level and in 2024 at the the neighbourhood level too, through quarterly learning circles for the guardians of our beneficiaries. These regular meetings help to form bonds between guardians of children within neighbourhoods and encourage a feeling of Ubuntu and a strong community, which can be relied upon for a host of different things from childcare, to knowledge sharing, to looking out for and nurturing one another’s children. This feeling of belonging to and support within the neighbourhood, increases the self-reliance of the community, making each member and the group as a whole, more resilient.

Our Early Learning Programme Manager, Nokuthula advises that she has seen many wonderful changes in guardians through attendance at these learning circles. Guardian communication is improving, not only with Thanda facilitators, but also with each other. Relationships are slowly strengthening as many guardians are becoming more and more comfortable with opening up about personal experiences in the group context. They are also relaxing and enjoying learning through play, which is one of Thanda’s most trusted methodologies. Nokuthula explains “I was amazed during a visit to one group, to see the guardians playing together with shakers they had made. The group was divided into two teams in a competition to see who could make the most noise (as they had read the book Grrrr! That day). The guardians were delighted and I was surprised to see them behaving like children, so excited, full of joy and very much into the activity. Many of said to me that they really enjoyed attending the group and learning through play!”

The impact of the group learning circles is clear in other ways too. Many of the guardians have been picking up the lessons and themes from the group learning circles and asking more about them during their one-on-one home visits. This clearly indicates that the lessons are on their minds and what is discussed within the groups is being considered by guardians, even after the group has dispersed. 

The themes explored during the learning circles in 2024 have been:

Q1-The role of stories (traditional) and books (modern) & how change can be both good and bad.

During this theme we helped guardians to see storybooks as the modern versions of traditional oral folktales. The book we read together, Katiti's Song, is, in fact, based on a traditional African story). This lesson reinforced how and why reading stories can be helpful and important. We also explored the concept of change to enable guardians to see things never stay the same (in both good and bad ways) to help them understand and respond to changing cultural pressures in their lives and in the lives of their children/grandchildren.

Q2-Forgiveness

By exploring the theme of forgiveness, we showed parents that forgiveness can both help to heal themselves, allowing them to unburden some of the heaviness they may be carrying with them, and understand how to help the kids develop this difficult skill.  The other purpose of this learning unit is to show the parents how a cartoony somewhat silly book about imaginary bears can explore deep concepts like Ubuntu and forgiveness in a serious and valuable way. We compared two story books; Grrr! and Desmond and the Very Mean Word. Both explore similar concepts even though one is based on real apartheid-era racism and the other talks about a trivial make-believe contest between bears. This helped guardians to see the value of story books and to understand how they can be used as tools to enhance learning or explore complex topics.

IMPACT

In 2024 Thanda commissioned a research report from an external evaluator. She collected and examined qualitative data through focus groups and household interviews to help us better understand the impact our programmes have in relation to our intended goal to create more resilient individuals, households and neighbourhoods.

An extract from this report read as follows:

“Thanda’s programs have profoundly impacted child development and the support provided by guardians within the home environment. Despite facing socio-economic hardships, families involved in Thanda’s programs remain deeply committed to their children's education, actively assisting with homework and encouraging participation in Thanda's activities. The families’ daily routines reflect a strong dedication to integrating learning into everyday life. One caregiver shared,

“In the morning, we read with the child before starting the day. It has become a part of our routine.”

Another caregiver added,

“We read with our child every evening before bed. It started when they were very young, and it helps improve their vocabulary and understanding.”

These routines underscore the vital role Thanda’s programs play in equipping guardians to support their children’s learning and development.” (Moyo, S. 2024. Understanding how Thanda’s Programmes Contribute to the Resilience of Individuals, Households and Communities in Mtwalume, KwaZulu-Natal, Thanda: Johannesburg.)

Having this independent feedback on the merits of our programmes has offered valuable insight to and validation for our programmes and the resilience being built by our community through them.

We hope you enjoyed this update on the changes we have implemented in 2024 and the impact your contribution is having in building resilience in Mtwalume, South Africa.