According to The Children’s Institute, in 2017 there were approximately 58 000 children living in 32 000 child-headed households. In the area of Kabokweni, Mpumalanga one such family is being assisted by the Kabokweni Policing Forum and Laduma Hardware.
In early July 2019, the Kabokweni Policing Forum were doing patrols at Shweni, when they came across this shack. After investigating who was inhabiting the shack, they discovered the child-headed household. Their Mother has passed away, and their Father then deserted them, and they were left to fend for themselves. The children were supported by the schools feeding scheme and neighbours. Although incredible, the children went to bed without food on countless nights, and felt no hope for their futures. As active members of the community, the SAPS in Kabokweni started collecting money to support the children, often from their own salaries. Laduma Hardware was approached and immediately took the opportunity to better the lives of these children.
Thando, aged 17 is responsible for the care of his siblings; Erasma (16), Adam (14), and Betty who is currently in foster care. They are currently inhabiting a shack on the outskirts of Kabokweni, a town in the Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Mpumalanga. Their new lives will begin when construction of their home is complete. The home will consist of 2 bedrooms, a lounge, bathroom and open plan kitchen. The project is nearing completion with the family expected to move to the house in December 2019.
Paul Oosthuizen, Chief Executive Officer at Laduma Hardware, says: ‘Laduma Hardware is a business with a heart – we are giving back to the community that we serve. As part of our Corporate Social Investment Programme we choose to contribute towards upliftment of our communities. We achieve this in two ways; economically – where we employ people from the areas surrounding our stores, and as in this case, by contributing to the social welfare of the community.’
Captain Shirley Nsimba, Kabokweni SAPS, says: ‘This project is a means towards the achievement of our goal of preventing crime. Ensuring the safety of this family is a key element to assisting our community. We have noticed a distinct change in the attitude of the children since this project began. They are more optimistic and look forward to the future. They don’t feel so alone and know that the community cares.’
Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable in any community, and as a child-headed household the responsibility and stress put on the head is beyond imagination. Adam (14) says: ‘I am very happy; I feel that we matter, and that people see us. I can see that I can fulfil my dream of becoming a lawyer because there are people who care about me and my siblings. I want to say a special thanks to Laduma Hardware who gave us groceries because they saw we had no food.’
Laduma Hardware’s Store Manager, Benjamin Malekwa, says that if each business helps one family, there will be true transformation of lives in South Africa. ‘We need to pay it forward, we need to learn from each other, and help each other up when we can. We sponsored building materials, which included: tile adhesive, Masonite doors, grout, cement, paint, and tiles. In addition, 5 staff members were on-site on 4 October, and this support will continue at least once per month, until completion of the project.’
Issued on behalf of Laduma Hardware by Stone Soup Public Relations For further information, please contact Karen Cooper, karen@stonesoup.co.za