Her pension fund, gave hope for little lives

While most of us dream about finally getting that retirement package, and find many ways to spend our long life savings Nikiwe Nyamakazi had different plans for her retreat money. In the year 2000 Nikiwe Nyamakazi decided to invest and with her money she did not go the profitable route, but invested in the lives of needy South African children.

Better known as Mamu Nikiwe, she bought a house in Zwide, a township in the Nelson Mandela Bay. She created a home called Laphumilanga for those children affected and infected by HIV aids. Laphumilanga meaning “the sun came out” in essence hope and an end to dark days for children affected and infected by HIV. The organisation that mamu Nikiwe created is a nongovernmental organisation she solely depends on donations and any help she can get from the community. At the moment she has 18 children staying with her, she can accommodate children from nappy stages to the age of 17 and when they turn eighteen they have to find other homes to live in or for some, they move to stay with relatives or adopting parents.

In most townships there is a lack of education and the people of South Africa are still affected by poverty in masses. HIV and AIDS is still stigmatised in the Zwide area mamu Nikiwe has burglar bars and gates and walls protecting the children from any kind of harm or passing by residents that think there is an interest in the children’s way of living. She says some people do not agree with the route she has taken but she believes in helping and these children need someone. Her church and pastor are very supportive they come for prayer and support the home. She has two of her own children a son and daughter whom support her and help out where they can. Laphumilanga has no permanent staff, people volunteer and its retired nurses or teachers that will come help with the children. International volunteers will also sign up to help and some youth from the Nelson Mandela Bay will assist where they can with school donations or gifts for the children. She has a nurse that helps with the children and monitors their ARV stock and other medicines the children need. Also Laphumilanga has a good relationship with community police station, Kwazakhele police station. The police station helps where they can with some donations now and then.

The problems Laphumilanga faces are lack of donations sometimes and staff now and then, she also does not have transport that belongs to the home so the children need to take public transport to hospitals for checkups with a supervisor. Also sometimes things like paint and stationery she needs help and more donations. Laphumilanga is happy with anything people can help with. Mama said that some of the parents will visit the children at school and give them gifts, she prefers all parents to donate and that specially buying their one child things is not tolerated. This shows that mama Nikiwe prides herself in raising the children as her own and as one family. This is also to avoid confusion for those children who have no parents or family members have deserted them. All children are equal at the Laphumilanga home.

Mama says it’s heart breaking when they lose a child to HIV but sometimes there is nothing that can be done, when the immune system is not strong enough. She has experienced hard times and heart breaking moments, children left at mid night on her door step or police officers picking children up in the dumps. Two years ago mamu Nikiwe says it had been raining all week in the nelson Mandela bay when New Brighton resident found a child in the garbage tip after a long days work. It had been raining all day and the resident took the child to the police station, they brought the child to Laphumilanga. She said the child was about three months old and left to die anything could have happened stray dogs or death due to the cold weather. The baby had lost its voice and almost frozen, mama said she stayed up all night with that child comforting and trying to keep warm. This is one of the reasons she decided to have this home, people are quick to judge and get rid of their “problems” children are innocent she said.

The core facilities and activities she offers at the home are In-patient hospice care, day-care facilities, support groups for people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), placement of children in foster care, care and support of HIV positive mothers, assistance in obtaining social grants and home based care.