Real magic at Khanya
2009-02-26
Lise Beyers
A WOMAN from Wellington is bringing a ray of hope into the lives of many people who have been plunged into poverty and despair. Three years ago the doors to the Khanya Community Centre in New Rest opened, bringing some relief to a disadvantaged community. Khanya is a community based project which was started by local welfare worker Marietjie Bezuidenhout with Norwegian assistance, known as NorSA. Here some 300 underprivileged people receive a meal daily, a place of safety has been established for children in need of residential care, as well as a day care centre. Trained councillors are at hand to counsel people living with HIV and TB, and the community is also assisted with health care. For Marietjie, this is a labour of love, and there is nothing that gives her more pleasure than being able to lend a helping hand to this community. Marietjie’s long walk to realising her dream, started at Stellenbosch University, where she completed her BA Social Work degree. Hereafter she worked at the ACVV, before breaking away with two friends, to establish a local branch of Procare, an association which provides counselling services, life skills and training programmes. Marietjie became more and more involved in community projects, and soon realised that there was a huge need in New Rest and its surrounding areas for the extension of community projects. “This whole area is staggering with poverty, and it is especially women and children who suffer. “Migrant labour has created a situation where many people leave their roots to look for greener pastures here, but to no avail. “Often women are left stranded with their children, with barely a roof over their heads. “And on top of this, they can become ill with HIV or TB, and then have no support from their families who are far away. “We seldom realise how hard it is for these people just to survive on a daily basis. “My first step was to find land in the area to establish Khanya on. I approached the municipality and they were eager to become involved by donating some land in Mfuleni Street, New Rest. “Now I had to find financing, and knocked on many doors for assistance. It was heart-warming to see how many people are keen to contribute when they know where their contributions are going.” And slowly but surely, Khanya Community Centre came to life. Currently Marietjie is responsible for schooling 400 children in both De Doorns and New Rest. She and her personnel see to every detail, from school fees, stationery and uniforms, to the basics of ensuring that each scholar gets at least one proper meal a day. “I will never become a rich woman, but the satisfaction I get from helping others is worth more than any money can buy.” And Marietjie’s dream does not end here. She has many more projects in the pipeline such as a cultural village, and a centre for abandoned children.
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