Joyce Phakathi has been a pillar to many children in her community and she is hoping to have more sponsors come on board to enable her to fulfil her vision. Photo: Supplied.
The children from the community of Woodlands in Pietermaritzburg are in safe hands, as Joyce Phakathi has taken it upon herself to be their mentor and guide but mostly a loving mother dedicated to seeing them succeed.
Phakathi, a domestic worker, said she found purpose and satisfaction in removing the children of her poor community from the streets, teaching them to prioritise education, to dream and to strive to reach their full potential.
Through informal programmes that she has developed, over 50 children benefit from her teachings as well as from their peers.
Phakathi first opened her home to the children of Woodlands in 2018, with a desire to mother and nurture them.
“It is very difficult to speak or want to guide children when you have nothing. It’s not easy for them to listen, so I used to buy packets of chips with the money that I had so they could listen,” she said.
In 2020, the number of children who frequented her home increased and she had to move all meetings to the community hall.
“This allowed us to expand our programmes. We started doing plays, traditional dance and music. When there are special days or holidays we celebrate through song and dance. The older ones are also now assisting with school work and we have also started cooking soup on Fridays,” she said.
In order to provide for all the children, Phakathi needs at least 30 loaves of bread and a few pots of soup. She said her employer had been very helpful in regularly donating the bread but everything else including gas and soup ingredients required came from her pocket.
“It’s not only the children that come to the hall but a number of adults from the community come too. Although it’s school holidays and some of the children are away, we still have a considerable number coming.”
Phakathi said with Mandela Day coming up, they will spend the day cleaning the hall as an appreciation gesture. She said they will be working on the garden, wiping floors and ensuring that it’s sparkly when they are all done.
She added that she was looking for more people to come on board so as to enable her to do more for the children.
“The Lord has guided us and we want to register an NPO. I love these children, I love what I do and I want them to know who they are. Our community is filled with drug abuse, therefore, I want to speak to them now when they are young and encourage them to focus on school and to acknowledge God. I still have children that I started with in 2018, sometimes I have given them the responsibility to mentor and guide their peers.”
Nothando Phakathi’s daughter said her mother had welcomed all the neighbourhood kids.
“They can come when they are in need of anything, be it sanitary pads or just a sandwich if they are hungry, but the tricky part has been getting donations,” she said.
She appealed to those who can, to donate.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE
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