Outreach

Siyaphambili Orphan Village not only houses and cares for children in residence.  Its name means “moving forward” and, in keeping with that motto, its founder, Ndileka Xameni, has created outreach programs in the Langa community.  The Siyaphambili Orphan Village programs have grown organically one from the other as need arises and include to date:

Emotional Counseling
– many of the orphans are terribly traumatized when they are identified [usually by the schools] and placed at the orphanage and receive daily individual and group talk and play therapy as well as drama, art and group activities.

Granparents’ Support Group
From early on, Ndileka realized that many of the children in the community were not total orphans, but were being raised by a grandparent [usually a grandmother who had just lost her daughter or son] and these grandparents had no idea about AIDS and how it might affect their grandchildren and thus the weekly support group was started and continues very strong today during which the grandparents get together, do physical exercises and talk about their common issues, share news and information, get relief from the stress of raising their little ones, and feel support.

Ndileka also makes frequent home visits to check on each of them and registers each in order for them to receive whatever government grants are available to help support the child in that situation.

After School Care
35 or more children come every day after school for therapy, play, food, help with homework and those with families or grannies then go home for the night.  Ndileka provides a safe place for them and nourishment of body and soul.

Teenage Pregnancy Support Program
From 2006, Ndileka, in making home visits, became even more aware of the high number of teenage girls with babies living in complete poverty and without support – the fathers take off as soon as they hear of the pregnancy.

In this program, highly successful and very important to Langa, the girls get together for company, education, stress reduction, relief and aid and, again, are registered for whatever grants from the government might apply to them.  Breast feeding, care and feeding and bathing lessons, support help these young mothers raise their own children and return to school as soon as possible.

Teen Father Program
This is a newer program, born from the issues mentioned above, which works to involve the fathers of the teen mothers in the lives of the children they have made – responsibility, support, staying on are the goals of the program.

Child-Headed Families
Ndileka makes weekly home visits to 15 child headed families, again due to HIV/AIDS.

Some of these households are headed by teenagers trying to stay in school and raise 1, 2, 3 or more siblings with no or little support from other family members.  Needs are identified, emotional and physical support come only from the outreach program which Ndileka founded and runs.

Pre-School/Creche
new program as of 2013 from a need identified in 2012 for younger children not in residence.

Each program grows from a need identified by a prior program or a community need identified by Ndileka or brought to her attention.  No one understands how Ndileka finds the hours in the day, the petrol in the car, the energy and funds to do all she does.  Overall, Ndileka and her staff look after over 180 children in the community.

http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/receivers/siyaphambili_orphan_village/