Thembalitsha Foundation

"Earlier this month, we introduced two Public Relations interns who have been supporting our social media platforms. After visiting our projects, Agape and School of Hope, our interns decided to use the opportunity to also share their own stories and a piece of motivation they continue to live by.  Ongezwa shares her Monday Motivation: It's every child's dream to finish the 12 years of Primary and Secondary school without repeating any grade. We all focus on one goal; obtaining that matric certificate, continuing on to Tertiary education and making our parents proud! No one ever tells us that things don't always go as planned. We face problems that change everything about our destiny and the future we had planned, you may lose a parent, get pregnant, lose a home, get abused etc. There are many factors that may lead to you quitting school. We all have stories to share, a terrible past that becomes our motivation.  We become victims to situations that in the end, we beco

#Breastfeeding is Shared Responsibility "In my line of work as a breastfeeding counsellor, I have come across parents from different cultures and beliefs. That has helped me adapt different techniques of counselling according to their different beliefs working towards one goal which is “Exclusive Breastfeeding is the best feeding method for their babies and for them”. To establish successful exclusive breastfeeding between mother and their baby is a shared responsibility, which starts from the first day of their first visit at the health care facility ( Antenatal Check-up) . The first responsibility lies with Healthcare workers and Breastfeeding counsellors to make sure that parents are equipped for the journey ahead with relevant information. The second responsibility lies with the partner and family members. Exclusive breastfeeding not only requires time but also needs one to be physically and mentally prepared for it requires energy. Reducing the amount of responsibility a nurs

According to a 2015 study (Gould and Ward), South Africa has the second-highest rate of fathers' absence, low rates of paternal maintenance for children and a high rate of abuse and neglect of children by men. It is said that 50% of the children in South Africa grow up in families with fathers in absentia.   Thembalitsha Foundation believes that South African men can do better. Actually, we know they can. Meet Khumbula and Munuel. Both matriculated from School of Hope and now have children of their own. Below, they share a bit about their stories and what they hope for the education of  their little ones as they grow up.   ========================================== Hi, my name is Munuel Mouzinho Afonso and I'm a musician and community activist. I was 13 years old when I started at School of Hope in Grade 8, in 2005 and 19 years old when I matriculated in 2011. Favourite subjects/teachers? I loved English in school, Ma’am Christelin was the best teacher. I felt I was able to sha

Fatherhood is an amazing feeling and a great sense of responsibility that all men want to discharge as duties to their families. My Journey to fatherhood was quite exciting as I got to this point quite early after my marriage in 2006. Following our marriage ceremony in 2006, we had to make tough decisions whether to start our family immediately or to give ourselves some time to find our bearing as a young couple. In 2009, our marriage was blessed with a bouncing baby boy and we named him Ryan; at that point, I felt so blessed and had to wrap up everything within me to father this young soul. I had promised myself that I would want to be the best father to my kids, the reason being that I could not recall having a good life or upbringing with my father, in fact, I grew up without my father and this subjected me to many difficulties and as such, promised myself that I would live to be the best dad ever to my own children one day. Hence, having Ryan was the point at which I could prove th

Our 2021 blanket drive focuses on mothers and celebrating strength in women all over the world. We wish to reach women and mothers alike to ensure all women are celebrated and their strength acknowledged.  This came to life on a project visit to Mama Themba, with our questions set out for the Project Manager and her two peer counsellors, “What does it mean to be a mom?”… and “How are women strong?”… Pinky, one of Mama Themba’s peer counsellors instantly expressed her opinion of Zoleka being the epitome of a Strong Woman. Many of you may know her story, a tragedy she has had to live through and with her permission, we’d like to share it now…  Pinky Ngcuka and Zoleka Malamba, Mama Themba Peer Counsellors Zoleka started at Thembalitsha (when Mama Themba was still known as Bosom Buddies) as a Breastfeeding Counsellor based at Helderberg Hospital assisting with Antenatal and Postnatal care. She subsequently served in educating pregnant women and assisting breastfeeding mothers in several of

PAY LESS  TAX  AND GIVE HOPE AT THE SAME TIME Making a charitable donation is not only a chance to make a difference: it's also an excellent way to reduce your  tax  burden for the year. The end of the  tax  year is the 28th of February 2021, and now is the time to donate.  WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GIVING? Remember that donations to individuals will not qualify.  You cannot deduct contributions to specific individuals - no matter how deserving. This includes handouts to the homeless and collections at the office or in your neighbourhood for those experiencing tough times (including pooled funds for folks who are ill or have experienced a tragedy such as an accident or fire). If the deduction is important to you, consider working through an established organisation like Thembalitsha Foundation   Learn More >> When you make your  donation , the  NPO/C  must issue you with a receipt. You'll need to attach this as a supporting document if  SARS  questions the  deduction