Services Provided
An orphan is a child under 18 who has lost both parents, or who has lost one parent & the other is unknown, or who has lost one parent and the other is terminally ill.
Lulisandla Kumntwana provides services caring for children who have been orphaned. LK also provides some services to orphans up to the age of 25 if they are still in school.
SERVICES PROVIDED
Fostering Agency: LK is a registered fostering agency, which means that children are assisted to access birth and death documents and IDs, foster parents are screened, home situations investigated, cases taken to the Children’s Court, children are placed in foster care, and then assisted to apply for the foster child grant. Foster placements are supervised. LK also runs workshops to train foster parents. LK also does some adoption cases.
Family Support Teams: There are 60 teams of community members who visit orphans in their homes and give social, emotional, practical and spiritual support.
Psycho-Social Support through: Psycho Social Support Workshops, HIV+ children support groups, Memory Box work and Counselling
LK runs regular three-day psycho-social support workshops which help orphans to deal with the emotional trauma of losing their parents, and also give life skills training. Family Support Team members are trained in memory box work & do this together with the memory box capacity builders. The two pastoral coordinators are available to counsel individuals and families.
Youth Clubs: There are five youth clubs running a weekly programme for youth in general. The clubs are at Nibela, Tshongwe, Oqondweni, Manaba and Vimbukhalo. Some of these clubs have started income generating projects. There are twice yearly inter club competitions, and outings.
Educational Support through: After School Clubs, School Uniforms, Career Days and School Trip Support
There are 21 After School Clubs which run twice weekly, giving orphans in the school concerned help with homework, games and crafts and life skills. School uniforms are purchased for children in dire need. Careers Days are run giving youth in general advice. Orphans are assisted where possible to go on educational school trips, and also with applications to tertiary institutions transport costs of attending interviews.
Nutritional Support through: Food Parcels and Vegetable Gardens
Food parcels are given to families in dire need. LK also has a number of vegetable gardens run by the Family Support Teams or based on the After School Clubs, & the Youth Clubs
House Repairs: Some orphans families are assisted with repair of houses, or rebuilding of houses
Self Help Groups: LK has a community developer whose task is to assist groups of women to form self-help groups with the aim of encouraging them to save, to help each other, and to start small businesses.
