Osizweni Community Centre

On the 1st of August 2008, Islamic Relief opened a new Community Centre in Ennerdale, South of Johannesburg, where the organisation has been active during the past three years. Members of the community, local government officials from different departments and local religious leaders that attended the opening. The centre is named Osizweni, a Zulu term meaning "Place of Help".

Director of Islamic Relief South Africa, Mr Cassiem Khan, in his address to the audience said the centre is a gift from Islamic Relief to the community of Ennerdale. “This place is yours, it will help your community in a number of ways such as hosting a Day Care centre for pre-school children, administration offices for the Orphans and Vulnerable Children programme, to serve as a centre for people infected with HIV and AIDS, and a place for Youth where different skills and development will be learnt.”

Among the speakers was Punky from Department of Health and Violet Leballo from the Department of Human Development, who thanked Islamic Relief for bringing sustainable development to the community of Ennerdale.

The centre is built on land measuring 3000sqm, which was made available by local authorities. There are eight pre-fabricated structures which serve as classrooms and offices. The site has electricity, water, sanitation and a gardening area.

Osizweni centre also hosts a day-care centre for 85 orphans aged 0-6 years.

GOALS OF OSIZWENI CENTRE

Empower orphans to be healthy and educated members of society, who go on to become independent adults.

OBJECTIVES OF OSIZWENI CENTRE

Provide social educational and emotional care for pre-school orphans.
Improve beneficiaries’ health and nutrition.
Provide social, emotional and practical care for the caregivers of orphans.
Provide Level 1 childcare training for 6 daycare workers working with pre-school orphans aged 0-6, and the 5 home visits workers. To include learning through play, managing learning outcomes, and understanding health issues including HIV/AIDS.
Establish a community food garden in partnership with Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Environment and City Parks.
Provide a comfortable counselling room environment for care workers.

BACKGROUND TO ENNERDALE

Ennerdale began being developed as farming land in 1942. It was then developed in the 1970s for ‘’coloured’’ occupation and is now shared by both black African and coloured residents. In 1999, the community developed a service known as Bophelong Community Home based Care to help orphans and their HIV-positive caregivers, which was operating out of the local government-owned building of Khotso House in Ennerdale since the building became available in 2004. Other organizations were also using the building. In 2005, the existing situation was no longer possible and, the beneficiaries- with support from the committee of extension 8 - wrote to Islamic Relief to ask for some help in providing a centre that would help the orphans and assist those with HIV/AIDS. In March 2008, the Osizweni centre was established by Islamic Relief.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Ennerdale is a township located approximately 30kms southwest of Johannesburg city.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND

In the 2001 Census, the latest year for which detailed information is available, Ennerdale is recorded as having 52,188 residents. In Ennerdale, 30% of all residents are unemployed and a further 30% are not economically active. 70% of its residents have zero monthly income; a further 15% have an income of less than 200 USD per month. Industry is mainly local and small-scale. Of those employed, the main occupations are craft work, elementary occupations, clerical work and service work.

Of adults over aged 20, 6% have had no schooling, 12% have received some primary education, 6% have completed primary education and 71% have been educated at secondary level. 5% have received higher education. There are 6 primary schools in the area and 3 secondary schools. Of the 140 orphans currently being cared for through Osizweni in Ennerdale and the surrounding areas, 44% are HIV positive, and 45% have carers or guardians who are HIV positive. Only 14% of the families currently access a childcare grant; no other income is received by any of these households.