A welcome R34 241 donation of specialised training tables and chairs has opened the door to a dedicated, quiet hub for homework, tutoring and literacy development at a rural home for vulnerable children, at Lidgeton, near Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Until the recent furniture donation by the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT), the Khazimula Children’s Home lacked a conducive learning environment for children in its care, relying instead on a noisy, multi-purpose open-plan space, which significantly hindered academic focus and well-being.
Commenting on its financial support, SAMCT representative, Mr Gaff Osman, said: “The new furniture equips a new and previously constructed EDU Room and provides the essential foundation to make this space immediately functional for group and individual learning. With the addition of specialised furniture, the facility’s dedicated EDU Room has become accessible for daily for homework, study, extra lessons, recreational reading and late-night studying, significantly improving academic focus, time management, well-being and sleep quality for the children for whom this facility is home.”
“It also effectively enhances engagement by tutors and volunteers, providing – as it does – a far more conducive teaching environment than the original open-plan dining hall and adjacent kitchen, where such studies were, by necessity, conducted. Our donation closes the loop, addressing a critical gap.”
Offering a safe and nurturing environment for those who have experienced neglect, abuse and trauma, Khazimula Children’s Home opened its doors at its Lidgeton site early in 2007, utilising renovated infrastructure at an abandoned farm school. Since then, it has been home to as many as 30 children at a time and more than 300 youngsters since inception. In 2015, Khazimula became a permanent Child and Youth Care Centre and has been a place of safety and nurturing for vulnerable children of school going age for some 19 years. It offers five programmes, including 24/7 residential care programme, educational programme, therapeutic programme, family reunification programme and aer-care programme.
Mr Osman said: “Education is critical for Khazimula Children’s Home. Many of those living here have
experienced significant educational disruption and trauma prior to coming into its care. The dedicated and compassionate staff here help them to process emotional wounds, while equipping
them with the skills, confidence and resilience they need to build meaningful futures. In view of this the SAMCT was pleased to provide the furniture for the new EDU Room, negating the need for homework to be completed in the open-plan dining hall in the midst of noisy and distracting dinner preparations.”
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds. The organisation provides funding, services and other resources to improve the lives of the vulnerable,
deprived and disadvantaged. It has successfully delivered sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work to support needy organisations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation and education. The organisation has long served as a pivotal conduit for the channelling of funding, vital services, and resources to approved public benefit organisations, and remains committed to catalysing positive change and creating a lasting impact on the development and upliftment of, especially, disadvantaged individuals and communities. Its funds are distributed to help improve the health and development of deserving people and organisations, irrespective of race or religion.
“We recognised that the young people at Khazimula Children’s Home deserve a safe, quiet and inspiring environment in which to learn, grow and thrive. Equipping the home’s purpose-built educational space with appropriate training tables and chairs, suitable for both group and individual learning, has enabled structured lessons, tutoring sessions and independent study in a safe, quiet and comfortable environment. Such furniture has proved essential to a functional and impactful transformation at the home, creating tangible and structured educational support, improving academic outcomes and creating a lasting and positive impact on vulnerable young lives here,” Mr Osman said.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za
www.samct.co.za