Duncan Village resident Noluviwo Feni has become a beacon of hope in her community, driven by her experience with unemployment to uplift those in need.
Through her NGO, Siyazama Community Development, Feni has been tirelessly supporting children and families across various wards in the Buffalo City Metro.
Every Wednesday, she feeds 38 hungry children through her soup kitchen, and her generosity extends to helping children secure clothes, school enrolment, and birth certificates.
Since launching her first programme in 2022, Feni has initiated multiple projects, including disaster relief and childcare services.
Her dedication to vulnerable children stems from seeing the daily struggles of those abandoned their parents or living in extreme poverty.
She said: “I couldn’t ignore the sight of children with nothing to eat, especially after the impact of Covid-19 which has seen a rise in the number of children who are left by their parents to care for themselves.
“In addition to feeding them, I also work with social workers to facilitate the children’s enrolment onto grants and into schools which starts with helping them obtain birth certificates.
“So far, Siyazama Community Development has helped four children secure birth certificates, among them, a child who was abandoned by her mother at her father’s house with no birth certificate or any form of identification. We are currently pursuing a court order, with the help of local social workers, to enable the father to make a birth certificate for the child.
“We also have a programme targeted at caring for HIV/AIDS and TB patients who are defaulting on their medication. We noticed that amongst the factors for defaulting is hunger and so we have started a garden in the community to teach locals small scale subsistence farming,” said Feni.
NGOs like Siyazama Community Development play a critical role in addressing the gaps that many vulnerable children face, particularly when government services are difficult to access. With limited resources, Feni and her team have stepped in to provide immediate, life-changing support to these children, often serving as the bridge between them and the social services they desperately need.
Across SA, countless NGOs offer similar services, providing food, shelter, education, and emotional support to those who would otherwise be left without any safety net.
These organisations not only serve the immediate needs of the children but also play a vital role in advocating for their rights, ensuring they have access to healthcare, education, and legal documentation. She hopes that with the support of sponsors and more resources, Siyazama can expand its impact even further, offering hope to more children in need.
