VUSUMNOTFO - Parenting for a Sustainable Future

I am thankful for the parenting knowledge I have acquired through Vusumnotfo, especially because not only am I a parent at home, I’m also a Lihlombe Lekukhalela member and a Health Motivator in my community, which puts me in situations where I have to deal with a lot of child related matters. One lesson I took out of the class was about the term “empathy”, where we talked about going beyond just feeling sorry for someone, but further put yourself in their position, understand their situation before finding ways to help them.

There are two young girls living by themselves somewhere in my community, their mother works far from home and only visits them once a month. One morning I met one of the children on her way to school. She wore a sheepish look on her face and her socks were dirty – which is uncommon for school children to be dirty in the morning, especially on a Monday. Knowing her background and all, I thought I should find out how she was doing.

When I greeted her she replied me with tears, so I decided to let her go to school. When school was out, I went to her homestead to find out why she cried when I talked to her that morning. She said she cried because she was dirty and I could see. She also said that she had no washing soap, her mother had not returned home for a while and their food was no more.

I then asked her to come with me to my homestead and gave her some soap and foodstuff for her and her sister to cook. I also asked her to come to me if they seek help on anything, and that I was going to help them where I could. From that day on, they have been coming to me for assistance and I have been helping them. Their mother came to me one morning to thank me for the help I have been providing her children in her absence and that made me feel accommodating.

I’m really grateful for the knowledge on parenting, as I am more helpful to my community now. Previously I would visit people’s homesteads just to inspect their homesteads in terms of cleanliness and whether or not they have planted something in their gardens. I would do all my work from a distance, without bringing any attention to assess the real situation of a resource poor homestead.

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Ngibonga kakhulu kuVusumnotfo ngemfundvo lengiyitfolile, ikakhulu ngobe mine ngisebenta kakhulu ngebantfwana, ngilihlombe lekukhalela ngiphindze ngibe ngumgcugcuteli kubetemphilo. Ngafike ngafundza ngeligama lelitsi “empathy”, lapho sakhuluma ngekutsi umuntfu umvela wendlule ungene kulesimo lakuso. Uvisise lenkinga labhekene nayo, bese utfola indlela yekumsita.

Kunebantfwana lababili bemantfombatane labahlala bodvwa kulelinye likhaya, make wabo usebenta khashane ngako ke ubuya kanye ngenyanga kutobahlola. Ngalelinye lilanga ngahlangana namunye walabantfwana ekuseni aya esikolweni, simo sakhe sasekhaya njengobe bengisati ngatsi nje asengimvusele ngive kutsi unjani ngobe nangimbuka abengekho esimeni lesihle, emasokisi akhe abengcolile kantsi ngumsombuluko.

Nangimvusela akavumanga wasusa nje wakhala. Ngatsi angimyekele ahambe aye esikolweni ngitawubekisa sikhatsi sekubuya esikolweni bese ngiyaya ngiyomkhulumisa. Nembala nasesiphumile sikolwa ngaya lekhaya kubo ngamkhandza. Ngase ngiyambuta kutsi bekakhalelani ekuseni nangimvusela. Watsi bekakhaliswa kutsi bengimbona kutsi ungcolile, insipho kute namake wabo kadze ahamba akasabuyi sekute nalabangakudla.

Ngase ngihamba naye ngiya ekhaya kami ngimupha insipho nekudla labatakupheka. Ngaphindze ngatsi kuye ngicela babokhululeka kuta kimi nabanenkinga ngitawubasita. Kusukela lapho ke bebeta labantfwana nami ngibasita ngifika langikhona khona. Kwatsi ngalelinye lilanga ekuseni kwafika make wabo atobonga kutsi ngibasitile bantfwabakhe yena asabambekile emsebentini.

Ngibonga imfundvo yakaVusumnotfo ngobe lomsebenti lebengiwenta emmangweni bekukungena emakhaya nje ngibuke kutsi bahlanyele yini etingadzeni nome kuhlobile yini emabaleni ngilapha khashane, ngingetami kucondzisisa simo sebantfu bakulelokhaya.

Narrated in siSwati by Busisiwe (Ndzingeni)

Transcribed and translated by Vusumnotfo staff 

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Vusumnotfo activity 1.1. Parenting - Train - to increase knowledge of early childhood developmental milestones and learning standards; and to understand factors that influence these.