Madzibandlela Orphanage - Soshanguve

I was referred to this facility by the manager of Tshwane North Outreach. Madzibandlela opened its doors to the community in 2007 and is the brain child of the ‘house mother’, Annah. She identified a need to take care of the vulnerable and abused little ones in her community and decided to take action. After consulting with social services, she was granted a license and permission to take in those that are in need of help and support. Some of the children are abandoned, others abused and most of those that sleep in (16 in total) have been rescued from their parents’ homes by social workers or the police.

The 16 youngsters that she cares for 24/7 sleep in two bedrooms, two to three per bed as there is only 3 single beds per room. The balance of the children that come to the home are from the neighborhood. Annah provides meals and after-school care, but she mentions that these children are also very vulnerable and come from families that exist on welfare. Most parents are unemployed and many, of course have passed away or simply abandoned their families. The younger children, together with the pre-school orphans that live at the home, receive education to a degree as a means to prepare them for primary school.

The little room where the education takes place is small and, despite several loose rugs on the cement floor, it is skill very cold. I noted the lack of colorful posters (those that one usually find in a crèche) and toys…even basic, cheap ones, are few. The playground equipment is old and dilapidated, though still usable, and the kids enjoy it thoroughly. The children are, however, very content and happy. They sang me the most beautiful song and one can see that they adore Annah….their eyes light up when she’s around, it is quite a sight to behold!

The home has a large vegetable garden and two men from the community are employed as gardeners. The other staff, apart from Annah, includes the one teacher, a social worker and a cook.

Annah receives no income from other organizations and the children’s parent do not pay a monthly school fee, so you will understand that the list of needs at the facility is rather exhausting, so bear with me as I list it below:

• -          Beds for the orphans that sleep at the home
• -          General upgrade of house: painting, refurbishing bathroom, fixing locks and windows, built-in wardrobes (or just simple, but proper, free-standing wardrobes), carpets, tiles for floors and walls, kitchen units,  etc
• -          Mattresses
• -          Curtains to brighten rooms
• -          Camping cots
• -          Clothes and shoes for the children
• -          A new stove, freezer and refrigerator
• -          Kitchen equipment and utensils like pots and pans
• -          Furniture (apart from beds) – plastic tables and chairs for the classroom, table and chairs for the kitchen, mirrors for the bedrooms and bathroom, cupboards and filing cabinets for stationary and the home’s administrative paperwork
• -          Education supplies: stationary, posters for classroom and bedrooms, books, educational toys, coloring books, books to read, blackboard for classroom, puzzles, games and toys
• -          Toiletries: soap, toothpaste and tooth brushes, body lotion, etc.
• -          Food and seedlings to plant in vegetable garden, fruit trees
• -          New playground equipment, sport equipment like balls, trampolines, tennis racquets, basketball ring, cricket bats, jumping ropes

      Another thing that I noticed is the lack of training for the teachers. They need to be trained properly as many of them are only volunteers from the immediate community who offer their time and services to the home. This is not only the case here, at this orphanage. These people are doing a wonderful job with very little resources. They do make a huge difference in these little lives. The education they offer the children should be of such a standard that these children are truly equipped for their future. At the moment the teachers are only ‘lending a hand’…they really try very hard, but, as they do not have proper training, they don’t exactly understand the HOW TO of teaching. We need a few experienced teachers to help us show these very willing and helpful individuals the secrets of proper teaching techniques so that they can be able to prepare the little ones for their future.  A solid educational foundation will cultivate a healthy community, a community of individuals that will have the tenacity and the resourcefulness to grow beyond the borders that now separate them from those more fortunate than them.

Contact me if you can help at all.