iKamva Labantu

Ithemba Labantwana (Hope for Children):

Ithemba Labantwana (Hope for Children), which began in the 1980s, and was registered in 1992, is a network of Home-Based Crèches and childcare facilities.  The programme was developed to support childcare facilities in informal settlements of greater Cape Town, i.e. Guguletu, Khayelitsha, Du Noon, Wallacedene, Phillipi, Joe Slovo, Delft, Mitchells Plein and Retreat.  In 2005 there were 260 facilities with members caring for 15 000 children.  It arose out of the need for the care of pre-school children who were left at home while their mothers worked. Most of these children were neglected and went without food during the day, others roamed the streets and were open to abuse, while others were forced to be locked in their homes by their working mothers.  In line with the approach of iKamva Labantu projects, Ithemba Labantwana aims to co-ordinate and improve childcare facilities.  More than half of all the members in 2005 are registered with local government departments of social services and poverty alleviation in order to receive subsidies.   Partnerships with the Provincial Departments of Social Services and Education and various NGOs (ABE Development Services Trust, Desmond Tutu Foundation, Centre for Early Childhood Development and the Treatment Action Campaign) enabled Ithemba Labantwana to offer training for principals and carers, HIV/AIDS education and training, voluntary testing and counselling, home-based care and general support services to home-based crèches.

Abadala:

The elderly are affected by the plethora of social ills such as unemployment, crime, poverty, and HIV/AIDS.  Their plight had not been previously prioritised in the spectrum of South African national concerns.  Tutu Gcememe, a concerned community member recognised this and sought to create a space that geared specifically for them; while  partnering with Helen Lieberman, senior clubs and enrichment programmes were created to address these issues. iKamva Labantu assisted with the registration of the clubs with the Department of Social Welfare, enabling them to acquire a subsidy and provide a simple meal for members. Since its establishment in 1975, the project has expanded to 21 Senior clubs which are located in Khayelitsha, Guguletu, Langa, Nyanga, Fish Hoek, Phillipi, Kuilsriver and Crossroads. Services rendered to members include craft training, counselling, linking them to appropriate services, and basic health care. More recently, grandmothers have been assisted and advised on caring for their HIV/AIDS-orphaned grandchildren. Food parcels are delivered to the needy clubs. The UCT Sports Science Institute has assisted in drawing up exercise programmes, the frail and sickly are referred to Ikamva’s HBC programme and are visited regularly. Some participate in food gardens.  Each club is represented on the llizwe Labadala, the central committee, which meets regularly to discuss and design the broad spectrum of programmes for all the clubs.

Home-Based Care:

The Home-based Care Project of iKamva Labantu operates in the Philippi area. The Senior project members identified frail and vulnerable members of the Senior Clubs, who had become too ill to move, and were frequently uncared for by their families. Following discussion between iKamva Labantu, the community, the nurses at the clinics and families of the sick, the project commenced in 2002 with the aim of bringing professional palliative care into the homes of the sick and frail in the Philippi area. 14 unemployed, young women, from the Philippi area, were recruited and received accredited training from the Tygerberg Hospice. Initially the focus was on the elderly, but due to the overwhelming number of young people who are HIV-positive, and need home-based care, it was decided to extend the service. The project links up with the Inzaezabantu Day Hospital and Pumlani clinic for referrals. Carers receive training and attend courses on HIV/AIDS, First Aid and T.B. Care; family counseling; trauma counseling; intense and chronic wound care, particularly for the bedridden. They are equipped with basic nursing skills, where they are able to assist with supplies, work with families and train the family in how to care for the patient with regard to washing, feeding and the administration of medicine. Where necessary the resident doctor from iKamva Labantu provides the Carer with professional advice and support.

Community Creations:

Community Creations was established in 1994, and is located in Woodstock.  In 2005, the programme employed 23 full-time staff and 70 contract workers.  Most of these workers are women, and 80% of those are disabled.  The model has received wide acclaim, and was a chosen model for the World Bank.  Initial funding was received from Woolworths, but is now sourced from the Provincial Department of Social Services and Poverty Alleviation.  Finally, iKamva Labantu assisted Community Creations by way of planning, fund-raising, and marketing.  Targeted participants were disadvantaged and disabled, unemployed men and women from Langa, Guguletu and Nyanga.  Gail Santor, a retired designer, conducted initial training, while experts from the community, provided beadwork training.  Project participants were taught how to manufacture animal backpacks, black dolls, anatomically correct dolls, greeting cards, floor rugs, silk cushions and household goods along with how to set up production lines and design products. They also received training in business skills and business management.  This has resulted in some beneficiaries of the project starting their own businesses. The quality of the products is of such a nature that a niche market has been established, where a long term marketing strategy is in place.  An initiative such as Community Creations is highly commendable for its incredible scope of services it provides the poor. 

Innovation

By providing all of these services under one roof, iKamva Labantu has been able to make a direct impact on the quality of life for the participants through concerted and focused efforts with a holisitic approach to addressing communal problems.  Beneficiaries are then able to find answers or solutions to a multitude of issues within one organisation. 

Effectiveness

There are currently 260 childcare facility members with Ithemba Labantwana who care for approximately 15 000 pre-school children. Each carer is responsible for approximately 56 children.  15 clubs in the Abadala frame work receive government subsidies, while attempts are being made to access subsidies for the other 6 clubs. Soil for Life, an NGO that trains beneficiaries on organic gardening practices, provides training to the project co-ordinator for Home-Based Care along with two gardeners and an estimated 10 family representatives, who are involved in the 15 food gardens.  40 families receive food parcels once a month, while 64 families receive ongoing support and assistance.  Community Creations currently employs 23 permanent beneficiaries, 70 contract bead and wire workers. 80% are disabled, 85% percent are female and 15% are male.  14 beneficiaries have obtained employment in other settings. Beneficiaries’ income varies between R800-to-R1200 per month.

Poverty Impact

Ithemba Labantwana contributes to the psychological relief that is provided to countless numbers of mothers who have to earn a living under very difficult circumstances. The educational input and the donation of mattresses, blankets, educational equipment, and the provision of food parcels alleviate people’s distress and enable them to deal with the daily challenges in their lives. This input also contributes to the educational readiness of children for school.  The members of Abadala  are provided with adult education in health and nutrition which has contributed to  improving the quality of their lives.  The training they receive in knitting, crocheting and dressmaking, all help to provide income for these elderly people.  Home-Based Care assists people who are sick, frail and dying, as their families are fighting their own battles to survive, bringing hope to the targeted community of Philippi.  Community Creations addresses poverty by providing the necessary training to break the cycle of poverty. There is a marked improvement in the living conditions of those who are working, as well as an accompanying rise in self-esteem.

Sustainability

Most of the donor funding for Ithemba Labantwana  is received from American and United Kingdom-based foundations.  Financial support for Abadala is received from the National Lottery and the Department of Social Development.   Additional funds are received from a Support Group in the United Kingdom.  A long-term marketing strategy is in place for the continuation of Community Creations, and networks have been established in the USA for that purpose. Beneficiaries are involved in all phases of the project and 4 of them have been upgraded to supervisors and ensure continuity. 

Replication

iKamva Labantu provides a multitude of services, with incredible scope, resulting in the need for replication across the country.

Partnerships

Ithemba Labantwana

• ABE Development Services Trust Connections
• Soil For Life
• Desmond Tutu Foundation
• Mothers-to –Mothers
• Grassroots Early Learning Resource Unit
• Centre for Early Childhood Development
• Non-Government Organisation Coalition
• Treatment Action Campaign
• Provincial Department of Education
• Provincial Department of Social Services and Poverty Alleviation
• Lowestein Trust
• Rockerfeller Brother
• Rhodes Foundation
• D & E Potter Fund
• Friends of iKamva Labantu-UK and iKamva Labantu-USA
• COR Holland
• First National Bank
• National Lottery Fund
• National Ports Authority

Abadala

• Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS
• Neighbourhood Old Age Homes
• The G.H. Stark Rehabilitation Centre
• University of Cape Town’s Psychology Department
• Soil for Life
• The Human Rights Commission
• Age in Action
• Heal

Home-Based Care

• Day Hospitals on the Cape Flats
• Local Clinics (Tygerberg, Philippi)
• City of Cape Town
• NGOs (Tygerberg Hospice, Caring Network)
• Alexander Forbes and others

Community Creations

• Provincial Department of Social Services
• Provincial Department of Health
 
 
 

Visit www.ikamva.org for more information