Overview
SizaBantwana operates in the Bushbuckridge and Hazyview district, of the Mpumalanga Province, among vulnerable and orphaned children. These children live in the homes of relatives or caring neighbours who are supported by the SizaBantwana volunteers.After school, the children are served a meal at a SizaBantwana care centre, prepared by caring and trained volunteers. The children play outside under the trees and sit mostly on the ground when eating – probably the only meal that many of the children will receive for the whole day.
Some of the food is donated by local farmers and the balance is purchased from donations by a caring public.
Children attending this project do not only need food, but also love and tender care. Some of these children are terminally ill and may not live to see another Christmas.
Volunteers are trained on how to best provide much needed care to the orphans, destitute children, and the terminally sick. In addition, SizaBantwana provides holistic social services to help children cope and religious services to show them the love of God. SizaBantwana currently cares for 661 orphaned children.
Main Purpose of the Organization
SizaBantwana works in the rural communities surrounding Hazyview, Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. This area includes the Bushbuckridge Municipal area to the north of Hazyview as well as the Shabalala area to the south of Hazyview. We care for AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) by addressing their immediate needs and the larger issues in the community to ensure that they have a bright and hopeful future. It is the belief of SizaBantwana that children need a strong positive environment in order to develop their full potential. SizaBantwana is committed to developing this environment through providing food, clothing, home-based care, health services, social development services, religious services, opportunities for exercise and recreation, training, outreach activities, and community development. In addition, SizaBantwana is committed to establishing sustainable and replicable projects that can expand into other high risk communities.
Organisational Background
1999: Frank Mashego, lecturer at Petra College for Children’s Ministry outside Hazyview together with colleagues founded the Sizabantwana Project after realising the need to care for orphans in the area between White River and Hazyview. For the first few months only a small number of orphans were cared for, while Frank completed his theological training, followed by a specialized
training course in Children’s Ministry.
2000: After his graduation in March 2000 Frank Mashego was able to give his full attention to the project. Within weeks the number of volunteers had grown to 10, and with them the number of children being cared for went up to 80 plus, with new children being added daily. The tribal community got involved in the project and Mr. Mashego successfully handed over the project to
them. Frank then focused his services on the Bushbuckridge area.
2005: Members of the Dutch Reformed Church of Hazyview heard of the dire needs in their community. Together, Mr Mashego, the Dutch Reformed Church and local businessmen of Hazyview took hands in 2005 and officially formed the SizaBantwana Children Benefit Organisation and registered it with the required institutions as a non-profit organisation.
2006-2007: SizaBantwana approached farmers, local business men and companies to support their cause which at that stage focused all its attention on the Impilo Project.
2008 (First half): SizaBantwana completed the construction of a multi-purpose care centre at Impilo and extended its care to 76 children. The number of orphans that daily visit this centre has since grown to around 120.
July 2008: Amukelani care centre was established. The number of orphans that are taken care of at his centre has grown from an initial 30 to 90 children at the end of December 2008.
Nov 2008: Management committee adopted a resolution to take the Philisani / Shabalala project under its wings. This project comprises of three satellite care centres. The project was established by the local community of Shabalala (a township outside Hazyview), but has become dysfunctional due to a lack of financial support and management capacity. At the end of December 2008 the three centres were caring for 230 orphaned children.