A new foundation in Khayelitsha wants to break the cycle of poverty in the area and build a caring and vibrant community.
Close to a hundred people from various sectors gathered at the Spade Hotel in Khayelitsha on Saturday, April 20, for a meeting called by the IKhaya Elitsha Foundation (IEF).
The topic was something everyone is passionate about: how to transform the lives of children and youth living in adversity and rescue them from drugs, gangsterism and abuse.
According to the IEF’s founder Thembisa Skaap, the day was designed to fix the failure of the government to meet the needs of the poor.
She said for the IEF to achieve all its wishes, community stakeholder engagement is important. She said she formed the foundation after seeing young people abusing drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy, and high rates of HIV/Aids and crime.
“We are here to establish dialogue and build strong and genuine relationships with local communities and other stakeholders. Our poor communities do not have the sophisticated tools to deal with a lot of challenges that we are facing. We do not have access to facilities that could deal with these challenges of crimes. The evidence is there for everyone to see that we are taken for granted by not having a single rehabilitation centre or autism school.”
She said the vision of the foundation is to break cycles of poverty, improve educational outcomes, and build strong families and vibrant communities where children are loved, nurtured and protected and youth are supported in pursuing their dreams.
“Our children need support from us. Teachers, nurses, police and other government workers need our unwavering support as the community. Let us not stand and watch while our children are destroyed by alcohol and drugs. When we see something is wrong, we need to stand up and stop asking where the police are. Come, let us build Khayelitsha, a Khayelitsha where we all are free to walk on the streets, a Khayelitsha where people are working without fear they will be robbed,” said Ms Skaap.
One of the coordinators, Thando Makapela who is also the chairperson of the foundation, added that they wanted to engage with the people who are leading in Khayelitsha.
“The plan is for people to redefine themselves. We are creating a platform to deal with issues. The aim is to reduce the burden from the government. We want people to ask themselves questions like, what am I as an individual doing to fight crime,” he said.
Representing SAPS, Sergeant Xoliswa Nyalambisa said she was happy to witness a foundation that seeks to work with them. She said as police, they promise to support and work with the IEF.
For more information about the foundation and its operations, call 071 549 3394.
