
EMIHLE MBANGATHA
The children living in the settlements just outside of Gonubie are vulnerable to abuse, disease, and neglect, so Jika Uluntu, a local NGO, took taking life-saving services to the children last week.
Jika Uluntu hosted the lift campaign fun fair at Gonubie Farmers Hall August 14, providing counselling, HIV testing and educational games.
Jika Uluntu director Ziyanda Xaso said they noticed a lack of services being delivered to the community and decided to partner with other organisations to fill the gap, with the goal of benefiting the children and strengthening the bond between caregivers and children in the community.
She said: “The women and children in settlements outside of Gonubie are susceptible to gender-based violence, a high prevalence of HIV/Aids, a high prevalence of neglect, especially educational neglect, and a high unemployment rate.
“Because of this, we try to provide the services we can and try to connect the young adults with job opportunities to strengthen household economic standing.”
She stated that they were trying to provide a holistic service within the family and the community that mainly aligns with Jika Uluntu’s four pillars: education, health and well-being, household economic strengthening, child protection and safety.
Bumb’ingomso project co-ordinator Esethu Sotheni said to be part of the campaign as the community is one amongst others who have been neglected by local government for a long time.
“Jika Uluntu is the first organisation to addressing the needs of impoverished children in Gonubie’s settlements to have everyone here as different organisations providing social support is great.
“It also shows that NGOs need to collaborate more with each other to provide bulk social services to impoverished communities.
“Part of the work we are doing here today is not only to provide tangible help to the children but also to expose them to opportunities to unlearn harmful stereotypes about their identities especially where this concerns gender.
“This is part of our Ikhwelo Lethu programme, which focuses on 10 to 14-year-olds and promotes gender equality and equitable relations.
“This is because boys demonstrate strong beliefs in harmful stereotypes that lay the foundation for the violence aimed at women and girls that we see in our communities.”
Phelokazi Baleni from the Living Hope organisation was also invited to be part of the campaign and offered clinical services such as HIV testing for both adults and children.
Baleni said the campaign was vital because it built on the work NGOs like Living Hope had been doing in isolation.
Event attendee, Sinesipho Zweni from Kwelerha said that it was important to have these events involving social services NGOs in the community, as many of the young people in the area do not have identity documents and the community is unaware of relevant authorities to contact when faced with threats to their wellbeing and GBV.
Zweni added: “It’s also great seeing that the children are being given an opportunity to play and be happy.”
Nondzame Fukula, who attended the event, expressed her gratitude to Jika Uluntu for its assistance for impoverished and neglected communities.
“Ever since I got to know Jika Uluntu, I felt so much relief because I got help with everything I needed.
“I lived with a child who had no birth certificate, and Jika Uluntu helped get the certificate for the child.
“This organisation has also been involved when the roof of my house got damaged by winds, but Jika Uluntu and (the department of) social development came to visit and looked through the house and promised to help which is more support than we are usually given,” Fukula said.