Meet our people: Lucas Motshotsho

Lucas Motshotsho

 Twenty nine year-old Lucas Motshotsho is an example of what it is to give back.
 The Carryou Ministry, Child and Youth Care worker grew up as an orphan, and without the help he received from Carryou, he might have fallen through the cracks.
 "I came to the Toekomsrus Drop-in Centre every to get a cooked meal," he says. "In addition they supplied monthly food parcels, encouraged me and helped with my homework when needed.
 "After matriculating I worked as a volunteer at Carryou and then was trained and absorbed as a Care Giver," says Lucas. "When the the opportunity to study and be trained as a Child and Youth Care Worker came along, I grabbed it with both hands and applied. Five people from Carryou completed an eighteen month-long training course with the National Association of Child Care Workers."

Resources

 Lucas's task is to visit families in the field, establish what it is they need and put in place resources needed to help them.
 "I spend a lot of time talking to and observin peopleg," he say. "For example I may see a child has not gone to school. Then it is my job to find out why. Perhaps he or she is being bullied, or is in trouble with the teachers. In that case I may have to advocate for the child and intercede with the headmaster, so we can get the kid back to school. Where necessary, we seek the help of outside resources.
 "Nothing makes me happier than seeing a child who was doing poorly at school blossom and pass his or her exams," says Lucas.
 Lucas is married with a son. When not working he enjoys watching movies with his son and playing street soccer with his friends.

Our US friends bring Christmas joy!

 There was great joy at Christmas time, thanks to the immense kindness and generosity of the people of Tuxedo in the United States.
 Once again Sue Heywood, members of St Mary's church and residents of her community, opened their wallets and their hearts to bring joy to orphans and underprivileged kids in Randfontein.
 "We were able to use some of their kind donation to give the kids at our drop-in centres a Christmas party," says Rev. Lawrence Mabaso, Carryou Ministry General Manager.
 And the smiles on the faces of the kids said it all!

Letters from Randfontein

 

Benjamin

 The love of reading can open many doors and establish relationships that stretch across oceans. That is  precisely what has happened between children at a rural school in Randfontein and kids at Tuxedo Park School in New York.
 The US kids recently put together a project to raise funds to buy books for children at Mamblomong School and the nearby Elandsvlei Drop-in Centre. (Read the story here.)
 Almost 250 books were delivered and already they are opening new worlds to the local kids.
 In this post we publish some of the letters written to the children at Tuxedo Park School by the youngsters from Randfontein.

Boy

Elias

Johannes

Kelebogile

Lerato

Lizzy

Moipone

Passie

Piet

Refilwe

Meet our people: Lucas Motshotsho

 Lucas Motshotsho (25) is one of a number of orphans helped by Carryou Ministry who is giving back to the organisation and community.
 Born and raised in Toekomsrus, Randfontein, his parents died when he was still at school.
 "I started coming to the Toekomsrus Drop-in Centre as it was a place where I could eat and play and get emotional and spiritual support," he says.
 "After I matriculated at the local high school, I wanted to study welding but there just was no money so I decided to volunteer at Carryou. I helped wherever I was needed. I cooked, cleaned, answered phones...whatever needed to be done. Eventually I was the centre's caretaker.
 "Later I had the opportunity to become involved with the government's Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) and started doing home visits where I increasingly became involved in directly helping children in need," says Lucas.
 "I loved going out and doing field work with the managers."
 So when the Carryou Ministry Child and Youth Care Programme was mooted last year, Lucas jumped at the opportunity to become a part of it.
 "I successfully got through the interview process and was chosen to join the learnership programme," he says. "Once a month an outside trainer comes to the Drop-in Centre to give us professional instruction and the rest of the time I spend making home visits and working on cases allocated to me.
 "It is wonderful to be able to give back."
 When not working Lucas enjoys playing computer games and likes sports, especially soccer -- he is an ardent Kaiser Chiefs supporter.
 And romantic relationships?
 "At the moment I am single and happy," he says, "but that doesn't mean I'm not looking!"
 

From Congo to Carryou

 Meet our people: Lydia Makambo (32) has come a long way -- quite literally.
 Carryou Ministry's new Liaison Officer for French Stakeholders, grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo and arrived in South Africa only in 2009.
 "French was my home language and I spoke no English. I barely knew how to greet people," she says. Her English is now impeccable.
 The married mother of a two year-old son came into contact with Carryou Ministry, purely by chance.
 "Mzi and Sister Pam knocked on the door of my home in Toekomsrus while looking for someone else," she says. "
We got talking and they told me about the work they were doing, particularly with orphans and vulnerable children. Their story touched my heart and I decided to volunteer for a month before I returned to fulltime studies."
 Caring for children and orphans has always been a passion for Lydia.
 "I grew up in a Christian family in Kinshasa where both my parents were deeply committed Christians and were a wonderful example to me, my brothers and sisters. They gave us a happy childhood but, at the same time, made us aware there were many kids far less fortunate. I began to notice the plight of other children, especially the suffering of the orphans and could only imagine what it was like not to be part of a loving family."
 In 2004 Lydia graduated from college with a diploma in Management and Hospital Administration.

Far away

 "I got a job as the general manager of a hospital in Lubumbashi in Katanga Province, far away from where I grew up," she says. "And it was then while I was away from home and separated from my family that I really began to feel how the children and orphans felt."
 A few years later she married and followed her husband to South Africa where he worked as a doctor.
 "While studying for a diploma in Management and Office Administration I still kept in contact with Carryou Ministry and, when I graduated earlier this year, I again volunteered my services," she says.
 "Carryou Ministry gave me the opportunity to serve as Liaison Officer, specifically to inform French companies and organisations of the vital work we do.
 "I think this is the best job I could ever have and firmly believe in the principle that, if everyone gives a little of themselves, a huge difference can be made."

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Meet our people: Lawrence Mabaso -- a gentle man

 Reverend Lawrence Mabaso (59), is a gentle man. He speaks quietly and few people can remember an occasion when he raised his voice. But don't let that fool you -- he is a man on a mission to help South Africa's most vulnerable people and has dedicated 40 years of his life to achieving that goal.
 As Carryou Ministry General Manager, Mabaso is in charge of the day-to-day operations of an organisation on which hundreds of people rely for their very survival.
 Married for 26 years, with two grown up children, Lawrence was born in Sophiatown on the western side of Johannesburg and soon after, moved to Soweto.
 "My father enjoyed socialising and drinking which left my mother somewhat disorganised, so, in truth, in my formative years I did not have any adult role models," says Lawrence, "I had to find my own ways."
 Like so many other disaffected youngsters in South Africa, Mabaso could just as easily have fallen through the cracks, were it not for the fact he came into contact with Siza Molebatsi, leader of Youth Alive in Soweto, as well as anti-Apartheid activist, Rev. Frank Chikane.
 "Rev. Chikane became my mentor and role model," says Lawrence. "Every Friday he preached at Orlando High School, where I was a pupil. He lived nearby and I spent many hours talking to him and when I was 20, I became a Christian."

Full-time ministry

 In 1975 Mabaso was awarded a four-year scholarship to attend a theological college.
 "I looked forward to entering the full-time ministry when I completed the course," he says, "but life has a way of setting it's own direction. When I graduated my father was not working and I had no option but to find a job, so I could support my parents.
 "I started work as a Salaries Clerk with the country's largest bus operator and have never, in fact, been a full-time pastor."
 From there Mabaso moved into a clerical position with one of South Africa's largest life insurers but continued his work in the ministry as an Associate Pastor.
 "I became something of a thorn in my employer's flesh," he says, "as I got involved with the trade union and ended up recruiting around 140 staff members."
 But rather than fire him, the insurance company realised that a man with his ability to influence people, was wasted in an administrative position.
 "They figured I would be good at sales and I eventually became a Professional Consultant, selling pension schemes and insurance investments, to companies," says Lawrence.
 A few years later he was head-hunted by a large banking group and then later by another bank.
 "I never stopped working as an Associate Pastor," he says, "and still had an ever-increasing desire go into the ministry full-time. So, when the bank started a programme of retrenchments, I took a package and left."
 But being a full-time pastor was not to be. After a slight career deviation where he worked at a training college, Lawrence was offered the job at Carryou Ministry.
 "This is the best job I have ever had," he says. "Here I can make an enormous contribution to God's work.
 "When I see what we do in informal settlements, I know we are role models and could be changing kids lives in the same way Siza Molebatsi and Frank Chikane changed mine. And who knows what contribution those youngsters may make to our country in the future."

Realist

 But Mabaso is a realist. He knows it's an uphill battle and one that will not easily be won.
 "Education is the key," he says. "Not just academic education but life and skills education so people can work their way out of poverty. But, at the same time, South Africans in general, will need to be more disciplined and productive.
 "But I am confident, we at Carryou Ministry, can make an even greater contribution. I have a young, motivated, team behind me who are disciplined and flexible," he says.
 When not working -- which is not very often, as he is still an Associate Pastor at a church in the area and is involved in a leadership role with 80 other Non Profit Organisations -- Mabaso enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music and reading.
 "I am a voracious reader, particularly of management and business books," he says.

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One person can make a huge difference!

Sue Heywood, an angel of hope.

 It is sometimes said that a single person can't really make a difference in the lives of many but Sue Heywood, an American citizen smashes that myth!

With two kids she helped supply school uniforms

 In the past eight years, her efforts have been directly responsible for providing food to hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children, providing an education for others and enabling many terminally ill people to receive comfort and die with dignity. She has raised over $365 000 in the US to help Carryou Ministry's work.

 “I became involved with Carryou in 2001 when I asked Mark, our son, to introduce me to a grass roots organization that dealt directly with the effects of HIV/AIDS in an area of poverty and had a Christian mission as its driving force,” says Sue. 

 “I wanted to be able to make a big difference to a small organization where what money I could raise, would go directly to the people it was intended for. I also wanted to develop a personal

relationship with the staff.

  “I was taken to Randfontein where I met Tony (Jamison), husband of the founder, Pam. He took me around and showed me what they were doing and hoping to achieve and I went back to the US, determined to help.”

The start!

Sue and Pamela Serage. Pamela was an orphan who received

support from Sue that allowed her to attend university. She has

subsequently graduated with a bachelor's degree.

 At the time, Sue and her family were members of St John's Church in Ramsey, NJ. Where Sue was in charge of the Church School and a member of the Vestry.

 “We made a donation of $1000...and that was the start!” she says.

 “Later we moved to Tuxedo Park NY and to St Mary's Church, Tuxedo. In fund raising I also

wanted to raise the awareness of people in the US, particularly children, of what it is like to be really poor, be affected by HIV/AIDs, and to have to rely on people like the Carryou caregivers to survive. I want children who have so much, too much in many cases, to be aware that they can help others who, in many ways are like them but living in circumstances that are very different.

 “In the US, to raise money, I have given slide show presentations in schools and organized walkathons and tee shirt sales for the students, similarly in churches which have developed into annual fund raising, Mardi Gras breakfasts, garden parties, yard sales and musical concerts,” says Sue.

Sue visits one of the child-headed households that Carryou supports

 “And by identifying individual orphans and vulnerable children I have found sponsors who take a direct interest in the welfare of these children and donate regularly. Their contributions provide food and school uniforms for the children. We have also sent donations to assist in specific building projects like the Drop-in Centre in Toekomsrus. 

 “In the last two weeks Episcopal Response to Aids sent $150, the National Honor Society of Baker High School donated $500, specifically to help a high school graduate being cared

for by Carryou and we had a Yard Sale that raised $700,” she says.

 “The truth is, without Sue, her family and friends, we simply would not be able to do much of the work that we do and many people would suffer,” says Carryou Ministry, General Manager, Rev. Lawrence Mabaso.

 If you live in the United States and would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Carryou Ministry, you can do so via Sue Heywood.  Her email address is sueheywood@optonline.net. 

“Our donors make cheques to St Mary's in Tuxedo (www.stmarysintuxedo.org) with the memo indicating payment to Carryou. The money then goes into our outreach account and when we have enough we wire it direct to the Carryou account. St Mary's sends the donors a letter so they can get a tax deduction for their charitable gift,” she says.

Providing health and dignity right to the last breath

Africa can be a tough place and, although the South African government has made progress in setting up clinics and primary healthcare facilities in many rural communities, the simple fact is, sometimes patients are just too ill to get to one of those facilities.

It is for this reason that Carryou Ministry operates an extensive home-based care program.

“Teams of workers walk from home to home, caring for people who need physical and emotional support during their illness,” says Mzi Tshikitsha, Home-based care Programme Manager.

“Part of the service we also provide is to be with patients during their final hours.”

Mzi Tshikitsha

It's an emotionally difficult job but it is both vital and rewarding.

“The Home-Based Care program strives to achieve and maintain a high standard of palliative care that is both empathetic and offers dignity to all patients unable to access alternative medical care,” says Mzi.

“We do this by carrying out basic but essential tasks like washing and feeding the patient, moving them to help prevent bed sores and ensuring he or she takes medication as prescribed.

“In addition, Care workers also assist the patients' families by feeding the family, cleaning their houses, washing clothes and collecting water from community taps.

“The Care workers are also trained to counsel children and adults, and as such, can offer emotional and spiritual counseling to patients and their families. They also ensure children are not exposed to traumatic situations,” he says.

But, as always, money needed to do the important work, is in short supply.

“We do our best to provide food parcels for destitute families and orphans,” says Mzi.

“Parcels include maize-based porridge, soup, sugar, salt, oil, beans, peanuts, matches and washing powder. Fortified nutritional meals are provided free of charge for individuals infected with HIV and those with compromised immune systems.

“But, in truth, without the financial support we get from US-based, Sue Heywood and her supporters in the USA, we would not be able to supply many of these essential items.”

Yet, despite the difficulties, Carryou Ministry's Home-Based Care program still manages to make life easier for more than 250 people every month.

Their work has seen some Tuberculosis sufferers and patients on anti-retroviral drug programmes, recover enough to be able to return to work.

In addition, door to door awareness campaigns were conducted at 15 informal settlements where 200 000 male condoms and 16000 female condoms were distributed in an effort to help prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.

“We are starting to see the message get out there,” says Mzi “and now people are starting to voluntarily disclose their HIV status – something that did not happen in the past.”

If you would like to help with this vitally important work please click the “How you can help” link on the right or contact us.

More than just a feeding scheme: a vital community hub

 Today, standing in the dry, dusty, OR Tambo informal settlement some ten kilometres outside the town centre of Randfontein, it's hard to believe, or even imagine that last year this was the site of fierce flash flooding that saw some families’ homes and possessions washed away.

  But, at 3am on 20 February, that is exactly what happened when the heavens opened causing some shacks to collapse and washed away furniture and belongings.

  Carryou Ministry, who operate a creche and feeding program in the settlement, together with the West Rand Disaster Management team was called in to help. All in all, 37 families were affected.

 “Carryou Ministry undertook to accommodate the women and children of the affected families in the Carryou Drop-in Centre (DIC) while the men decided to stay with their belongings and re-build their shacks,” says Brenda Naholo, Programme Manager for the DIC.
 “For the next week the women and children had a roof over their heads and running water and each day the families, including the men, received two cooked meals. The local municipality donated blankets.

 “We prepared breakfast and lunch and Pillar of Strength, an organisation doing home-based care in the area made supper,” she says.

 “Women and children slept in the DIC centre at night but the men chose to take care of their belongings and returned to their shacks after having their meals.

 “Since then we have also assisted families to apply for and obtain important documents lost in the floods such as identification documents and birth certificates.”

Vital Hub

 

  The Carryou DIC was established as a feeding point for orphaned and vulnerable children but it is much more than that. It is a vital hub and beacon of hope for the impoverished community.

  Kids are not only fed but receive assistance with homework and schoolwork, some of it given by unemployed men in the settlement.

  But conditions are not ideal. Children do their homework in one of the containers but must sit on the floor as there are no chairs or tables yet. It is a challenge but still better than that experienced by many other kids in other parts of the country.

  The DIC also offers, counseling services, life-skills programs that cover issues like HIV/AIDS prevention, TB awareness and teenage pregnancies and help given to community members who need to obtain birth certificates and identity documents.

  In the past year the following Community Involvement and Education Programmes were run at the centre:

• Teenage pregnancy awareness campaign
• Community mobilisation on vaccination
• Pap smear awareness
• Mobilisation on child  negligence and their rights
• Candle light event
• HIV AIDS Awareness
• Awareness on Foster Care for foster parents

Many other activities also take place at the DIC including:

• Caregivers support group once a month
• Boys and girls support groups separately  once a month
• Youth support group
• Child care forums
• Teenage support groups
• Community leaders support group  to discuss issues affecting the community

  It’s a huge task that must somehow be done with limited financial resources.

 “We get many referrals and requests for assistance from surrounding schools and communities, “ says Brenda.

 “It is a great challenge that we face as increasing numbers of kids are being orphaned as a result of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. In just the past year, the number of people receiving assistance at the OR Tambo DIC has increased by 25%!

 “But we receive assistance from many quarters, even internationally, For example, at least 22 food parcels are distributed to child/granny/sick parent households every month as a result of the fund-raising efforts of Sue Heywood and her supporters in the USA.”

If you would like to know more about the work of Carryou Ministry or would like to offer assistance, please click on the “How you can help” link on the right of this page.

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Providing hope in a bleak place

O.R. Tambo Informal Settlement is a squatter camp at Elandsvlei, about 10 kilometres outside the Randfontein town centre.
 It is a grim place, of that there is no doubt. Residents live in shacks that they construct themselves, made from whatever materials they are able to scrounge. In summer it is like living in the bowels of hell and winter is a thoroughly miserable experience. In some years, shacks are washed away by heavy rains.
 Water must be collected from large plastic tanks set up at the entrance to the camp that are filled every few days by the Randfontein Town Council. Sewage is rudimentary.

 The people who live in O.R. Tambo are desperately poor. Some are orphaned children who have no choice but to fend for themselves. Without help, the community, especially the children, would have little hope of knowing anything else and would simply slip into the abyss made up of the millions of the unknown, desperate, poor in South Africa.
 But there is hope for these vulnerable people.
 At the end of March 2012 Carryou Ministry opened a Drop-in Centre at Elandsvlei. The facility provides a nutritious, cooked meal to around 600 children, six days a week. It also supplies daily meals to kids at a nearby school.
 There is also a nursery school that operates at the Carryou Drop-in Centre where, currently, 22 pre-school kids are fed, cared for and prepared for school.
 In the afternoons, trained care-givers are on hand to help both primary and high-school children complete their school homework and prepare them for their exams.
 In addition, counseling services are made available, life-skills programs that cover issues like HIV/AIDS prevention, TB awareness and teenage preganancies, are run and help is given in obtaining birth certificates and identity documents.
 "As a society it is our God-given duty to give these kids a hand-up in life," says Rev Lawrence Mabaso, General Manager of Carryou Ministry. "Who knows what potential lies amongst them and just needs a little help, to be realized?"