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Thembalethu Care Organization
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • OUR WORK
    • THE LOCAL SITUATION
    • HOSPICE CARE
    • CHILDREN & YOUTH
    • COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION
  • GIVE
    • US Giving
    • RSA Giving
    • Unite for Hope Virtual Fundraiser Tea
  • NEWS
  • EVENTS
  • CONTACT US

Orphaned and Vulnerable Children

Children are the key to any nation's future, and therefore are key to our community interventions. We work with children in a variety of ways, from those who have lost their parents, to those with other instances of abuse and vulnerability. We provide holistic care, looking at the socioeconomic, psychosocial and spiritual elements of the children and families we support. We have a key focus on the support of HIV positive children.

HIV Positive Children

HIV still carries stigma, and for infected children and their families this is particularly heavy. Traditionally, many parents' relationships with their children is such that sharing difficult information like a positive HIV status is a very difficult thing. Our work begins with the parents/guardians of HIV positive children and adolescents as we walk with them through the process of fully disclosing to the child about their HIV status. From that point, we are also able to work with the children, and run residential camps to provide psychosocial support, HIV treatment literacy and peer support to these vulnerable young people. Taking them to camp gives us the opportunity to reduce their social isolation and increase their resiliency living with the virus and stigma that still surround it. 
"I used to think that I couldn't have any dreams for my life because I'm HIV positive. But now I see that I have hope, I'm not alone, and I have a future. I want to become a social worker so that I can help others, too."
​- 16 year old girl, three time camp attendee
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Interactive HIV education with children at camps

Parenting Skills Camps & Workshops

"At camp I learned quite a lot about how we should raise our children... I learnt more about myself. 

I didn’t have a healthy relationship with my kids, they would say I’m an aggressive mother. I was an authoritarian parent.

​Going to camp helped me to vent out the feelings that I've had ever-since I was young. At the camp they taught us about dealing with the pain and also healing from it. In doing so I can understand my kids. Ever since returning from camp I no longer cry and feel sorry for myself. My tears have been wiped away...  I now know how to sit down with my kids and sort out our differences."
​

- Mother of Adolescent in Thembalethu Programmes, Participant at Parenting Skills Camp
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Many parents and guardians in our local tribal area struggle to bring up children struggling to provide the positive parental input they need to navigate the difficulties of modern life. We run parenting skill workshops and camps to increase positive parenting skills and improve parent-child communication. ​


Creche Support

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We support nearly 30 creches located throughout the Amangwe Tribal area and beyond. These creches provide a brighter future through the provision of early childhood development for over 1,000 children. We run workshops every two months with the creche teachers, visit the creches regularly to support their development as independent non-profit organizations. We support with the provision of information and pass along donations to support the future generations of Amangwe children.


Reach4Life Programme

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Bringing values, lifeskills and hope for the future to local youth
​

Thembalethu's new Reach4Life program provides a Bible-based lifeskills foundation to students in grades 6 and 7 at four different local primary schools. With class sizes ranging from 40 to 80 children in each class, it is not difficult to imagine that many students miss out on important life lessons in school. The Reach4Life program consists of 40 lessons and addresses issues of identity, Christian foundations, and speaks directly about relationships, sex, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS prevention, crime, and many other social ills in the local area. These difficult issues, especially discussions of sexuality and HIV prevention are not often broached at home, and even teachers given the task of educating children are mostly happy for others to take over for them.

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  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • OUR WORK
    • THE LOCAL SITUATION
    • HOSPICE CARE
    • CHILDREN & YOUTH
    • COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION
  • GIVE
    • US Giving
    • RSA Giving
    • Unite for Hope Virtual Fundraiser Tea
  • NEWS
  • EVENTS
  • CONTACT US