Thembanathi, meaning “hope with us” in Zulu, is an organization that supports South African organizations caring for orphans and other vulnerable children in HIV/AIDS-affected communities. Thembanathi also works to provide economic opportunities for South Africans by supporting several local income generation projects in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

Thembanathi works with Holy Cross Hospice, an organization in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa created by Sister Priscilla Dlamini, a local Catholic nun, that supports families and children affected by HIV/AIDS in rural Gingindlovu. The organization provides support to HIV-positive individuals and to orphans and other vulnerable children. Holy Cross works to support vulnerable children in the community through services such as food parcels, school fees, and home-based care. There is also a preschool for orphans and other vulnerable children as well as a hospice and clinic for AIDS patients. None of these services have sustainable independent funding; consequently they rely on Thembanathi and others for donations. Transportation for children to and from the preschool, feeding programs for child-headed households, and school fees are all vital to making this project successful, and all receive funding from Thembanathi. In its four years of existence, Thembanathi has raised more than $50,000 for Holy Cross’s programs. Thembanathi’s leadership has also conducted qualitative research in the communities in which Holy Cross operates to assess the needs of vulnerable children and to evaluate the effectiveness of programs we support.

Our projects:

Preschool - Bishop Mansuet Biyase Creche

Sister Priscilla created a preschool after noticing that many children in households affected by HIV/AIDS were dropping out of school to take care of their younger siblings. Originally housed in a one-car garage, enough funds were raised two years ago to open a new building that holds 200 children. This has allowed older siblings to return to primary and high school. At the preschool, these children receive second-hand clothing, get an education, and receive counseling and two nutritious meals a day. They are prepared for primary school by learning English and basic math skills. During recess, the children play with donated toys and playground equipment. Thembanathi provides funding for transportation and assistance for food and equipment for the children. 

Food Parcels and Home-Based Care

Soon after opening the hospice, Sister Priscilla became aware that many of her sick and dying patients had children who needed care. To support these children, she developed a network of caregivers and a food parcel program. Twenty-two caregivers work in communities in this area to identify and provide support to vulnerable children. They report back to Holy Cross so that child-headed households can receive a food parcel every month until Holy Cross has assisted them in attaining a government grant. The food parcels feed over 2000 orphans. The 22 caregivers also create an innovative network of information and communication between people in the communities and Holy Cross. Walking long distances from hut to hut, they offer information about government grants, home-based care, children's rights, water, and sanitation. Thembanathi provides support for food parcels and training for the caregivers.  Unfortunately, limited funds for training prevent the caregivers from administering medical attention to patients in the community; as a result, we have begun to fund this service.

Satellite Feeding Centers

To further empower these HIV/AIDS-affected children, Holy Cross has established two satellite centers in the rural mountains, where children too far from the day care center can go to receive a cooked meal every day and receive support.  Holy Cross is hoping to start a third feeding center in an area that does not receive any services, although additional funding is needed to do this.  We are working to raise these funds to continue to support the two existing satellite feeding centers and to provide the necessary funds (which will cover building costs, food, and staff) to support a third.   

Homeplan Housing

The Homeplan Foundation is a Dutch organization that is providing new houses for child-headed households whose current housing is inadequate. To date, Homeplan has donated 64 houses in the communities that Holy Cross serves. The houses offer safety and comfort for these children, some of whom previously were without shelter. Homeplan has agreed to donate another 137 homes if Holy Cross and Thembanathi can fund the local labor and transportation of supplies from the port (approximately $630 per house).

Other Needs

Sister Priscilla is still expanding Holy Cross’s services to meet the growing needs in the area and the reach of her services. In the future, Hospice hopes to be able to offer more long-term assistance in the form of information, skills training, educational support, and peer-run activities that increase the engagement of young people. 

Please see www.thembanathi.org for more information.