By More Matshediso
Pretoria - There should be no orphanages because in the culture of Africans it takes a village to raise a child, says International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
The Minister, along with department officials, staff from the office of the Auditor General and the diplomatic community, spent Friday at Good Hope Community Organisation in Winterveld, in Pretoria, to mark International Mandela Day.
“The Good Hope Centre represents the spirit of Ubuntu - I am because we are. This is the place we have chosen to participate in the activities for the day,” she said.
The delegation renovated parts of the building in which the children live, washed their blankets, cooked, did gardening and played volleyball with the orphans.
Initially, the Ministerial entourage had planned to donate R50 000 to the centre, but because the ambassadors at the event donated various amounts too, the total donation came close to R85 000.
Food packages that will last for months were also donated to the centre.
The founder of the Good Hope Community Organisation, Marry Lwate, said she started the organisation in 1975 in Mabopane and moved into the current premises in 2000.
The 75-year-old said there were 113 orphans aged from just few months to 18 years under her care. She has 19 other helpers volunteering at the organisation.
“We used to have more than 200 orphans in the past, but since we had to comply with government laws, we had to release a number of our children to other centres,” said Lwate.
Lwate said she took some of the children in to her own home because they were older than 18 but were still studying.
“My heart won’t allow me to chase away a child knowing that he or she still needs to be taken care off.
“Just because a child is older than 18 years doesn’t mean he can take care of himself. I have to make sure they complete their studies and at least find a job,” she said.
Some of the children who grew up under her care are now doctors and engineers and her heart is filled with happiness by that. “Many of them are married and that brings joy to my heart,” she said.
She pleaded with government to allocate RDP houses to the orphans so that they have somewhere to go when they are expected to leave the organisation.
Lwate, who is not only a mother to the orphaned, who all call her Mama, also runs other projects that benefit her community.
She teaches elderly women how to sew and design goods and manufacturs Muringa Oleifera Product - a supplement that treats high blood pressure, ulcers, diabetes and other diseases.
Earlier in the day, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane visited an elderly woman’s house in the area. She donated a new bed, blankets, food parcels and promised to assist in building her a home.
The elderly woman, who is also blind, is currently living in a dilapidated house.
The Minister also visited the Ya Bana Orphanage to conclude the celebrations. – SAnews.gov.za
