Caring siblings lend a hand to struggling child-headed families
Having grown up in a childheaded home, two Mbizana siblings have made it their mission to help other struggling child-headed homes.
Siya Ntshinga, 35, and Siyalithatha Mzaidume, 29, have named their foundation after their anti-apartheid activist mother Dolly Mzaidume, who died in 1995 after serving in premier Raymond Mhlaba’s cabinet in democratic SA’s first Eastern Cape administration.
A committee room is also named after her in the Bhisho legislature.
The siblings have different fathers.
Through their foundation, they have been doing their bit for struggling child-headed homes, donating food and other essentials.
On Saturday, they donated clothes, food and blankets to a household in Garane village where a 26-year-old is raising three children and seven siblings.
The siblings have no identity documents.
On July 18, they donated food parcels to 16 child-headed homes.
Mzaidume said their mother had been a giving person who made sacrifices to help those in need.
“We had a reason to start the foundation because wPeRknow the struggle of growing up in a child-headed family and we know the vision our mother stood for as a woman.
“It is about what we saw through her story and what we as her children had to go through. The foundation is aimed in developing determined, disadvantaged communities, the child-headed families that don’t have much at all,” she said.
“We also want to bring job opportunities, create a mindset of business in people and create empowerment for children and women because it’s not an easy thing to live on a giving-out programme.”
Siyalithatha said every child deserved the best opportunities despite where they came from.
She said that since the national lockdown was implemented in March, the foundation had also been given hand sanitisers to communities to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
“We are inviting stakeholders to come on board to assist us in helping child-headed families,” she said.
One of their beneficiaries, Nosibusiso Ntuli, an unemployed mother of three, said she lacked words to express her gratitude.
On Saturday, the duo donated a fridge, clothes, blankets, stove, heater and food to her family.
“We were struggling before the donation. The only source of money we have is from rentals, which is not much. We buy food that mostly runs out before the month ends. I couldn’t believe it when they [foundation] delivered the donations.
“I am still in awe even now. We won’t have to worry about food until the month end of September now.”
Ntuli said she wished that all those who could support the needy, especially during the lockdown period, would do so.
“It’s not nice to struggle. What [the foundation] is doing is generous. I sincerely thank them for what they did for my family,” she said.
It’s not nice to struggle. What [they are] doing is generous and I sincerely thank them for what they did for my family