Physical Health South Africa Project #10010

Lifeskills for 2,587 Children in South Africa

by Keep The Dream196

Lifeskills for 2,587 Children in South Africa

Project Report | Jun 23, 2021
Introducing Sis Angy, our other naughty one!

By Louise and the KTD196 Dream Team | Jack of all trades, master of none!

Angy another naughty one!

Avuxeni, minjani? Umfekele minjan from a chilly, cloudy, and wet South Africa. We don't normally have rain in winter, and I guess with an average rainfall of over 1.2metres that 30ml is not really rain but still it is wet.

I want to thank you for supporting KTD196, we are making a difference in so many children's lives and it is exciting to see. Our kids are handling the Covid situation well and are looking forward to resuming school properly after the school holidays in July. Of course with our activities, we have had to jump around and change how we do what we do so that we are compliant with all the rules.

Over the last 18yrs, we have worked with approximately 15,000 children and their families to varying degrees. What has been a privilege to watch has been the transformation close hand of some of those adults and children that we work with. Angy is one of those people. She joined us from another organization and was always a naughty person. Naughty in a good way, most of the time. What has been wonderful is to see this passion for people in general and children, in particular, come to the forefront of her character. She has changed so much for the better, but that is her story to tell below.

What I realize is this program works on everyone, it challenges everybody's behavior and attitudes and one gets confronted with who one really is, and then the opportunity to change is available. Even when we make mistakes, as long as we learn from those mistakes, then change takes place. It is so exciting to see adults and children change for the better and become all they want to be in order to change their families and communities.

So let me introduce you to Angy, one of our Field Officers.

Thank you

Louise

My name is Angelina but people call me Angie or Pantsula (the naughty one). I am from Fobeni Village in Bolobedu South.

Before joining KTD 196 I was working at another organization in Tzaneen as Home Based Caregiver Co-ordinator for Motupa area. I had a very good relationship with the clinics I was working with and also with the community at large. That is where I met Louise and Akela (Zabe or Elizabeth).

I never knew that I will get such a warm welcome as I got at KTD196. Keep The Dream196 staff, Rosemary is a joker, Constance also has funny jokes, Catherine cool but naughty, Sevy is the teenager. We also have Nkulu she is a younger sister but also my mentor and Zabe she is like a sister to me, and Louise she is like a mother to me.

I am always happy at KTD196 and I enjoy my job. Meeting new friends, learning new ideas and also learning other people’s culture. I am now able to cope in many situations which I didn't think was possible, like good relationships with anyone irrespective of color, age, and race. It is not always work, work, and work. We also have time to support each other in good and bad times; it’s either personal or work-related issues. We are always there for each other.

If I have a problem with one of my groups I ask Rosemary for advice, if I have a problem with a child, I ask Nkulu because she is a social worker. At the moment I have 7 kids in one of my groups who are all around 15yrs and still in primary school because the teachers have given up on them and say they are stupid. I asked Akela (who is trained as a teacher) to help me because they are failing school every year. These kids I have learnt are not stupid, they are not taught the way they need to be to understand. The classes are too big and these kids don't get the help they need to succeed. I want to help them succeed.

Keep The Dream196 staff make me smile and whistle in all situations no matter how tough. Some times the kids face big problems, even we do as adults.

I loved working with people but as you all know that we all have some weaknesses. I was short-tempered and sometimes not thinking about others. With the support I get from KTD196 staff, I am now a happy, respectful, loving, and caring woman.

We are like family because we support each other at work and personal. I enjoy working at KTD196 and love what I do daily. When I start working with kids it was not easy because my aim was to make the difference. I was afraid, what if I not to achieve my goals or maybe if kids will not be interested in what I was doing. Working with kids changed my life, I learned to love, care, support, and understand others. I woke up every day with a smile and energy to work with kids and ensure that I am ready to change their lives.

When I started my group, I meet with them every Friday, for 11yrs.

I remember there was this one girl that thinks that because she is poor, she is not suitable to socialize with others. After attending few meetings, she realizes that being poor does not stop you to play with other kids. She is now open and able to stand up in the group and talk or help others. She is doing very well at school as she is now having the confidence to ask questions in class.

Working with KTD196 it’s WOW to me! I have changed so much. This program is not just for kids, all the staff have changed and learnt how to work with kids and with adults and really change families and communities.

Viva KTD196 Viva

With love

Angy

The KTD196 Dream Team

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Jun 17, 2021
Introducing MUM Rose, the heart of KTD196

By Louise and the KTD196 Dream Team | Jack of all trades, master of none!

Mum Rose!

I hope you are well and that life is treating you nicely.

Today I want to introduce you to Mum Rose. 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 couldnt sleep properly, I didnt 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 childrens were dropping school, getting in to crime, drugs and gangs. I didnt 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 there 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

The KTD196 Dream Team

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Jun 9, 2021
Please meet Elizabeth - we started KTD196 in 2003!

By Louise and the KTD196 Dream Team | Jack of all trades, master of none!

ELizabeth

I realized I really should have started with Elizabeth, who is my best friend in this country and who has put up with me since we met in 2003, which is not an easy job.

When I first met Elizabeth or Akela Zabe as she is affectionately known by the kids, she was a Volunteer Coordinator for the NGO in which we worked. My job at that stage was to go out and support the Home Based Volunteers because of my background in Community Palliative Care (caring for the dying), Zabe's job was to support the Home Based Care Volunteers and do the administration portion with the Volunteers, liaise with the families and support the best way she could in a resource-poor health system where even the provision of paracetamol for the terminal ill was a blessing.

Anyway, as part of the process of supporting the volunteers, Zabe and I became friends but what really sealed the deal was that after a SWOT analysis with the volunteers (Asking the volunteers what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) they experienced and the organization could improve on. What became so clear was that although the volunteers were coping with caring for the dying (primarily of HIV/AIDs) what they were struggling with was the orphans, the children left behind with no one or minimal care to help them. These kids broke the spirit of the volunteers, like Catherine whom I introduced you to last week, and Rosemary who I will introduce you to next week, Zabe was no different.

The volunteers were broken when they watched these kids, lose their parent or in some cases parents, grief-struck they would start failing at school, dropping out of school, get into drugs, alcohol, crime, teenage parenthood, and some contract HIV and die. The kids, because of the stigma attached to HIV, were often ostracised because, at that stage, HIV was thought to be caused by witchcraft. The children often were not told what was wrong with their parents and at night, while sleeping, relatives would whisper in their ears their parent was dead. Nothing more would be said.

The then Manager told me to "Do SOMETHING! It was not to cost any money, had to be totally sustainable at the end of my work permit in two years' time, and was to solve all the problems that were identified by the Volunteers. You could say I was set up for failure.

Zabe was an easy choice to work with, I had been to her home on numerous occasions and she, as well as he daughters, were magnets for the local kids. Every time I went there, there was at least 10kids playing in the yard, they were safe, supervised, and cared for. Zabe is generally a quiet person until she is training people or working with kids, then she becomes animated and alive. All this love and passion just seeps out of her. She won't tell you about what she has achieved, or about her hardships, of which there have been many, she will always deflect and it is very hard to nail her down unless you know her. It took me a year to get a conversation out of her, in fact, it was very difficult to get anything other than yes, no, maybe or I don't know.

When I asked Zabe to help me with the children's project she became alive. I saw the most amazing transition from this quiet person to this passionate, excited person who adored kids and the kids adored her. We worked for 4yrs in the other organization, after hours, on weekends, public holidays, any gaps of time we had to be able to get this project up and running and stable. Sadly it became evident that the organization was not interested in the program so first I left in August 2007 and Keep The Dream196 was born thanks to the support from Save The Children (who had the vision to see what could be achieved, we didn't even have a name for the organization until the end of that year!) Zabe joined me in Jan 2008 and Keep The Dream196 was formally established.

Anyway, all of that has been said by way of introducing you to Elizabeth. An amazing person whom I am proud to call friend.

Take care

Louise

Avuxeni, minjani? Umfekile minjani!

My name is Elizabeth and I come from Shiluvane Village. I co-founded the beginnings of Keep The Dream196 in 2003 with Louise. In reality, Louise did all the setting up of the organization in 2007 but together we established the program and worked together training people, I did the monitoring and translation because of the different languages.

I have 3 daughters who are all involved with KTD196. One is a national commissioner of Cubs and works with WOSM (The World Scout Movement) she is also a Rover and a full-time employee of KTD196 as a Social Worker, the second one is a rover and also working for the Auditor General as an Auditor and finally the last one a meerkat in the making in reception at school.

I love watching kids grow from being teenagers to being young responsible adults. Although I trained as a Secondary Teacher, I completed my qualification at a time when there were too many teachers, and rather than sit at home and do nothing I volunteered as a Home Based Caregiver. I was quickly promoted to Coordinator because of my English skills and because of the extra competencies I have as a professional. We were not employed back then, we volunteered to help in our communities because so many people were dying and I wanted to help.

I also saw how hard it was for the children, I opened my home to any and all children, my daughters would bring home kids every day that just needed to belong, to have good friends, it was easy to start with these children in 2003, I already had a group. We started with 13girls and six months later we had 60kids all passionate and loving the program. I was amazed. I didn't think it would be so popular. Back then it was hard because I had to learn the program and teach it the next week. I wasn't sure what I was doing but Louise encouraged me and together we made it work. My daughters were a great help as well. I still stay in touch with many of those children.

Because of the success of the program, I had the opportunity to be on TV on different programs which you can google if you want. Programs such as Beyond Classroom, Earned, Nhlalala Ya Rixaka, and News 24 all because of KTD196. I hate being interviewed, the children are the real stars of this program, not me.

I have learned it takes a community to raise a child, hence I have been very involved with training parents and Induna’s (Village Cheifs) to make sure this happens. It's important that we all look after every child regardless of bloodline.

In life, I have learned to it's important to give back, to make a difference where ever I can. Thank you for helping me do that, to make a difference. I know what could have happened to these kids without our support, you have saved lives. I have read Louise's reports and I know she says this but I want you to know it is SO TRUE!

Thank you for all you do for our kids. We are raising children together.

God Bless YOU

Elizabeth

ELizabeth and her daughter Nkulu our Social Worker

The KTD196 Dream Team

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