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Catherine Makhubedu, along with seven other inspirational 'mothers' in South Africa, won a national award in 2004 for helping to make a significant difference to the lives and futures of AIDS-affected children in their country. These eight women provided the initial inspiration for Mothers for All. By reaching out and caring for the orphans in their community, in spite of having so little themselves, they embody the spirit of the organisation. An orphan herself, Catherine vowed to help make sure that no child suffered the same fate. Growing up without a mother is growing up with your eyes full of tears every day, but you can’t explain why you are crying... you don’t even know that you are looking for someone to lean on. You need someone who can hug you, catch you and pick you up. But as a child you can’t explain what you are longing for.
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| Unemployed but determined to help, Catherine started begging for second-hand clothes which she mended, washed and sold to make money to help feed and clothe over 50 orphans whom she had taken under her wing. She also started a charity day-care centre for 25 children under a local thorn tree. Today she and four other full-time volunteer mothers now help to feed, clothe and support 135 orphans and vulnerable children within their district. They also run a day-care centre which is attended by 75 of these children. The organisation is called Re-lebile Kanana, which means 'from disadvantaged to advantaged'. Catherine can be contacted on +27 83 691 0368 or by writing to PO Box 65, Temba, South Africa 0407 |
| A third award-winning woman, Sister Priscilla Dlamini, is a Catholic nun and nurse. After starting the 40-bed Holy Cross AIDS hospice in rural KwaZulu-Natal out of some abandoned stables, she could no longer ignore the growing orphan problem in her impoverished community and started an orphan reach programme. The hospice now looks over 1,000 orphans from 500 child-headed households in the area. All of these households are given monthly food parcels. The children are also given help in establishing their own ‘door-sized’ food gardens so that they have fresh vegetables to eat throughout the month. In fact, all the children have to grow these food gardens in order to qualify for assistance. Sr Priscilla also gets them to help out at the hospice with a variety of chores such as sweeping the yard. She adds, “It is important that these children learn self-reliance and do not think that they can sit back and get something for nothing. They need to learn motivation and commitment or they will not survive”. This tough-love policy pays off and most of the older children continue to attend school every day while their younger siblings are collected to attend a crèche that is run at the Holy Cross Hospice. These orphans are lucky enough to have become part of Sr Dlamini’s vision for a brighter future, but she says she will not rest while there are still so many that have no-one watching out for them. Sr Dlamini can be contacted on +27 353374118 or +27 837255918 or by email:
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Buslswe Khawula, another of the award winners, was a nurse before she felt compelled to start a drop-in centre for over 45 orphans and vulnerable children in her poverty-stricken community. Speaking of her work, Busiswe said, “Saving a child every day – that is how I give back to the community.” As if this is the most natural thing for every person, whatever their means, to do. At first she used a room in her house and then a home was donated by a member of her church. Today the Kwahilda Centre in Osizweni runs a drop-in centre for over 100 such children where they get breakfast before school and another meal after school as well as help with their homework. The Centre also runs a day-care centre for over 60 pre-school children. Many of the orphans from child-headed households end up staying the night with Busiswe who laughs as she says, "they are my children now". Truly a mother for all. Busiswe can be contacted on +27 34 366 3235 or +27 82 701 0177 or by writing to PO Box 50029, Osizweni, Newcastle, South Africa 2952 |
