South African youth from orphanages are facing severe challenges of unemployment and not being able to properly apply their education after leaving the institutes that have been caring for them throughout the years. The Mamalani Project offers young men, many of whom have at some point in their lives lived on the street, the necessary support for them to reach their full potential. The community organisation is calling on the broader community to assist with fundraising to sustain its projects.
Project manager Gerald Jacobs told VOC’s Afternoon Cruise that as a development organisation, it aims to look at the various gaps within the Cape Town community. They work hard to keep the children off the streets and place them in homes. Once they have reached a certain age of responsibility, they are taught to become self-dependant.
“Many of these youngsters that we work with in various homes become dependent on the institutions and we want to try and lead them away from that to make them responsible and ready once they leave us. Although the government sponsors them with grants and other needs, once they reach the age of 18 years old, they no longer fall under that category and need to move out of the home and start making a living for themselves,” he explained.
Many of the boys have goals in life and the organisation tries to place most of them in FET colleges after school to achieve their goals. “We have boys at the home talking about being doctors and soccer coaches one day. The look in their eyes when they speak is one that cannot be ignored. Many of them are willing kids despite some minor problems at times, but what we want to focus on is seeing that they make something out of their lives and send them away to get the necessary training.”
According to Jacobs, their biggest challenges with sending the boys away to study were transport expenses for each day. Due to the fact that many of these subject fields were very pricey, they are sometimes dependant on sponsors from various organisations and businesses to help towards the boys’ tertiary education. “We need the necessary funding to be able to send these kids for training, so they can benefit from various skills. We want them to be able to go out and look for work at the end of the day. I do not want to see them sitting on street corners begging for food once they leave the home because they can’t find work. We see the importance to train them up before such things occur,” he said.
The organisation looks at various issues in the community such as HIV/AIDS programmes and a healthy lifestyle for women. They are also seeking the necessary assistance to open up facilities and start working with girls as well. “Although the guys catch up very quick, I think that females tend to find families and take up that domestic role in homes. They are much more caring and eager to get to their goals and away from negative living. I therefore want to start working with them as well,” he added.
He said that regardless of fundraising done for development and skills programs at the institute, they are also looking at forming a strong brotherhood amongst the children that once they leave the home, there will still be support from one another. With the support from various businesses and people within the community, they are able to uphold these projects for street kids. “We appreciate everything that various people have contributed towards Mamalani Project and it has helped a lot. So therefore we are calling on the broader community to come and assist, even if it’s just for a day or two. Your contribution is a great help to these street kids and their future.”
If you would like to know more about the organisation or how you can assist, you can contact Gerald Jacobs on 021-448 2725 or 083 731 0896. Meanwhile stay tuned to Sunday Live at 8.30am as VOC starts a new mini series featuring youth who are taking the initiative to create job opportunities for themselves. In the first program we meet Micheal Myekwa who makes sand sculptures of wildlife on the Strand beach front to earn and income. If you know of any such individuals in your community, please email details to munadia@vocfm.co.za . (Aishah Cassiem)
Project manager Gerald Jacobs told VOC’s Afternoon Cruise that as a development organisation, it aims to look at the various gaps within the Cape Town community. They work hard to keep the children off the streets and place them in homes. Once they have reached a certain age of responsibility, they are taught to become self-dependant.
“Many of these youngsters that we work with in various homes become dependent on the institutions and we want to try and lead them away from that to make them responsible and ready once they leave us. Although the government sponsors them with grants and other needs, once they reach the age of 18 years old, they no longer fall under that category and need to move out of the home and start making a living for themselves,” he explained.
Many of the boys have goals in life and the organisation tries to place most of them in FET colleges after school to achieve their goals. “We have boys at the home talking about being doctors and soccer coaches one day. The look in their eyes when they speak is one that cannot be ignored. Many of them are willing kids despite some minor problems at times, but what we want to focus on is seeing that they make something out of their lives and send them away to get the necessary training.”
According to Jacobs, their biggest challenges with sending the boys away to study were transport expenses for each day. Due to the fact that many of these subject fields were very pricey, they are sometimes dependant on sponsors from various organisations and businesses to help towards the boys’ tertiary education. “We need the necessary funding to be able to send these kids for training, so they can benefit from various skills. We want them to be able to go out and look for work at the end of the day. I do not want to see them sitting on street corners begging for food once they leave the home because they can’t find work. We see the importance to train them up before such things occur,” he said.
The organisation looks at various issues in the community such as HIV/AIDS programmes and a healthy lifestyle for women. They are also seeking the necessary assistance to open up facilities and start working with girls as well. “Although the guys catch up very quick, I think that females tend to find families and take up that domestic role in homes. They are much more caring and eager to get to their goals and away from negative living. I therefore want to start working with them as well,” he added.
He said that regardless of fundraising done for development and skills programs at the institute, they are also looking at forming a strong brotherhood amongst the children that once they leave the home, there will still be support from one another. With the support from various businesses and people within the community, they are able to uphold these projects for street kids. “We appreciate everything that various people have contributed towards Mamalani Project and it has helped a lot. So therefore we are calling on the broader community to come and assist, even if it’s just for a day or two. Your contribution is a great help to these street kids and their future.”
If you would like to know more about the organisation or how you can assist, you can contact Gerald Jacobs on 021-448 2725 or 083 731 0896. Meanwhile stay tuned to Sunday Live at 8.30am as VOC starts a new mini series featuring youth who are taking the initiative to create job opportunities for themselves. In the first program we meet Micheal Myekwa who makes sand sculptures of wildlife on the Strand beach front to earn and income. If you know of any such individuals in your community, please email details to munadia@vocfm.co.za . (Aishah Cassiem)
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