Osizweni Community Care Centre

Proudly a South African concept:

Rural South Africa remains troubled by high levels of poverty, unemployment and criminal activity which are affecting orphans and vulnerable children and the elderly living in these impoverished communities.

After consultation with communities, Islamic Relief South Africa found that there was a desperate need for a place of safety and an establishment where development and social welfare activities could take place.

This has resulted in the opening of the Osizweni Care Centres in Ennerdale (Johannesburg), Wyebank and Umbumbulu (Durban), Copesville (Pietermaritzburg) and Tafelsig (Cape Town).

The Osizweni Community centres is where the community comes for support and assistance with their educational, financial, nutritional, health, physical and developmental needs.

Due to the high percentage of orphans in South Africa, especially those residing with grandparents or with sick mothers, Islamic Relief has opened a Day Care facility, giving mothers and guardians, an opportunity to look for work as their children are being cared for.

A successful Aftercare programme is being run from the Osizweni Centres, helping school going children who are struggling with their homework or who do not understand the curricula. Here the children are treated to a hot meal and volunteers assist them with their school work.

Access to libraries is often difficult in the rural communities. With Islamic Relief's annual Book Campaign, libraries have been established where possible and are accessible to all children from the community.

The centre also serves the adults in the community through adult education, workshops and training. The centres has provided opportunities for the orphans' guardians to earn an income through skills development, income generating activities, job creation, job opportunities through networking and food gardens.

Most of the beneficiaries being supported in these centres are either infected or affected by HIV. Therefore, the centres address the plight of HIV and AIDS through counselling, support groups, access to treatments and voluntary counselling and testing, awareness campaigns and education of the communities as a whole.

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