Children find refuge in reverend’s home

THE words of Elvis Presley’s 1962 rock tune Home Is Where the Heart Is ring true for a group of Khayelitsha children.

The group of 20 children live in Khayelitsha’s D section. The youngest is a 2-year-old tolder and the oldest is Sinazo Arosi, 19.

They find comfort, love and warmth at local reverend Thozamile Toni’s home.

Toni said it was his way of giving back to the community.

“I grew up an orphan, my mom passed on when I was 5 and we were raised by my grandmother, who then passed on when I was 11. We were basically raised by everyone from relatives to neighbours to local preachers. Everyone had a hand in raising us. So opening my doors is not only my passion for helping others, but also comes from the way I was raised,” he said.

The reverend is now converting part of his home into a study and play section for the children even after lockdown.

Arosi sought refuge at Toni’s because, “my mom, stepfather and older brother all drink. I am the only girl. I do not have a close relationship with my mother so I have no one to speak to when at home”.

She described Toni’s home as a “new home and a bigger family”.

When Weekend Argus visited the reverend’s home, a group of children were sitting huddled over the heater chatting and laughing.

Buhle Sikweza, 14, said: “The reverend teaches us respect, to love one another and although we are not the same age and from the same homes, we treat each other with love and respect.”

Buhle said the violence and alcohol abuse at home had also affected her school performance. “I feel safer, happier and more at home here. Before I started coming here, I couldn’t even cook, now I can bake.”

Toni and fellow reverend, Yvonne Daki, told Weekend Argus that though the children come from different backgrounds, they had tried to instil respect and teach them valuable life skills.

“We teach them how to pray, how to handle themselves when around others, the dangers of the virus and what to do to stay safe. We have also been teaching them how to cook, bake, how to be self-sufficient and. most importantly, independent individuals,” said Daki.

| BRENDAN MAGAAR African News Agency (ANA) REVERENDS Yvonne Daki and Thozamile Toni surrounded by kids from the community. Toni opens his home to children where he teaches them bible studies and life skills. They get at least three meals a day.