Anectdotes about some of the Masakhane People

by Sonja van der Vyver - Development Practitioner

Maria Selebogo

Maria is one of the Masakhane Community Commitee members and is a single parent to Karabo (3). Karabo's dad died while Maria was expecting Karabo. Maria is unemployed and has no support structure. Her only income is the goverment child grant which she receives for Karabo. She is a generous person, who, when a donation of blankets was received for the settlement insisted that there were other people who were more in need of a blanket than her - despite the fact that she was listed as one of the 50 people most in need of help in the community. Maria holds the portfolio of Social Services in the community commitee and is currently trying to assist those people who are having difficulty with obtaining an ID document. Maria says that she would like to be able to generate an income but that she has no one who can take care of Karabo while she is away at work. A community centre with a creche could help people like Maria to get involved in more productive persuits by taking care of children like Karabo. Maria could also benefit from skills training which would improve her chances of becoming financially self sustaining.

Emmie Kgope

Emmie Kgope is a member of the community commitee and serves as 'Health Care' coordinator. Emmie is a dynamic person who volunteered her services as ABET facilitator during a recent literacy programme which was implemented by the Department of Education. Unfortunately the programme was discontinued when almost all the adults dropped out as a result of being unable to commit the time neccesary to walk 5 km to the nearest school every day in order to attend the programme. It is Emmie's dream to enrol for the National Certificate Course in ABET through UNISA and to become a qualified ABET practitioner. Providing Emmie with the opportunity to fullfil this dream could be very beneficaial to this community. Adult Educational programmes often fail because they take a long time and are not sustainable from outside of the community. With the neccesary resources, Emmie could provided litteracy training to the community on a long term basis.

As Health Care Coordinater, Emmie could use her teaching provide Basic Health Care training to the community. Teaching mothers about health issues such as malnutrition, dehydration, hygiene related disease and HIV/AIDS could be very beneficial in preventing illnesses and poor health in this comunity.

Yvonne Kgope

Yvonne is the community comitee leader and communicator. At the community meeting where the commitee was first elected Yvonne acted in a revolutionary way by electing herself, a woman, as the Commitee leader. In a community where the customs do not encourage women to stand up for themselves or to be part of the decision making processess which affect them, this certainly made everyone at that meeting sit up and pay attention to what Yvonne was saying. She launched into a memorable speech during which she pledged her commitment to see that promises were delivered and issues addressed. Yvonne's nomination of her self as community leader was accepted unanimously by the community. Yvonne has since shown her commitment to the development of her community through her involvement in all community activities and especially through her endeavours re. youth participation in community activities.

Beauty Kubu

Beauty Kubu is 18 years old. She terminated her high school attendance after grade 10 due to the lack of transport to and from the school. Beauty is a single parent to Bonolo - a baby of 6 months old, but hopes to be able to complete her schooling in order to be trained as a police woman. Beauty says that she will certainly attend the life skills programme which will be implemented in the community. She says that she has to better herself in order to provide a better life for her and Bonolo.