Monthly Food Aid
For over 500 profiled families in 6 villages
According to the report by the South African Human Rights Commission from August 2022, the people in the Eastern Cape, especially children, are severely affected by starvation and malnutrition, leading to an increasing child mortality rate due to nutritional deficiencies.
iThemba Kuluntu has witnessed the effects of inadequate nutritional security firsthand and observed the extent of the impact on affected families locally.
iThemba Kuluntu is committed to meeting the basic needs of these families. A food parcel provides nourishment for a family for a month, preventing any child or adult from going hungry. This is crucial in helping individuals escape the vicious cycle of mere survival and strive for a brighter future.
A food parcel includes:
- Maize Meal 12.5 kg
- Rice 20 kg
- Flour 12.5 kg
- Samp & Beans 10 kg
- Soup Mix 2.5 kg
- Oil 5 liters
- Juice Concentrate 5 liters
- A 20-liter bucket with a lid (for storing food and drinking water)
The provided dry goods are easy for families to store and portion. Thanks to our partnership with the NGO SA Harvest, the food parcels are supplemented weekly with 4-5 tons of fresh and rescued vegetables and fruits to ensure a comprehensive nutritional package.
With a monthly sponsorship, you support a family in Pondoland and join iThemba Kuluntu in the fight against hunger!
Follow the link to start your sponsorship now!
Center of hope
Pre-school, Community Center & Training garden
In 2024, iThemba Kuluntu will commence the construction of a kindergarten and a community center designed to offer children and teenagers a secure place for worry-free development in the future. The kindergarten will accommodate up to 50 children, providing them with two daily meals. This initiative will significantly alleviate the burdens on parents, enabling them to focus on job searches and taking on job opportunities. The kindergarten will warmly welcome children with disabilities, providing them an opportunity to integrate into the community and addressing the issue of isolation that families of children with disabilities often face.
In the afternoon, the center will transform into a hub for teenagers, where they can broaden their knowledge and skills through workshops while finding safety and support within the community.
A training garden will not only supply vegetables for the kindergarten but will also serve as a workshop space where community members can learn and enhance sustainable skills in permaculture. These skills can then be applied in their own gardens for self-sufficiency.
Furthermore, the center will host courses in first aid and childcare and serve as a focal point for outreach programs conducted by medical professionals such as occupational therapists, nurses, doctors, and veterinarians.
To support this life-changing project, follow the donation link!
Home construction
For families that Live in Dilapidated houses
Many of the families supported by iThemba Kuluntu reside in dilapidated and therefore dangerous mud buildings, offering no protection against the elements. During storms, many of these homes are flooded, leaving children and adults, who already sleep on the ground, vulnerable to the weather.
iThemba Kuluntu aims to address this fundamental need by providing these families with the peace of mind that comes from secure and safe housing. The objective is to construct dwellings that serve as safe havens and a home to be proud of. In tandem, the initiative includes establishing the groundwork for gardens on these properties. These will feature enclosed areas to protect against free-roaming animals such as cows, goats, pigs, and enable the cultivation of fruits and vegetables as a first step towards self-sufficiency.
Would you like to assist iThemba Kuluntu in building its first house? Follow the donation link!
Home Gardens
Self-sufficiency for everyone
At iThemba Kuluntu, we believe in empowering communities not only with safe housing but also through fostering self-sufficiency and nutrition. Our Home Gardens project is an integral part of this vision, aimed at transforming the lives of all, irrespective of their housing situation. Recognizing the potential of the rich soil available at their doorsteps, we assist families in establishing their own gardens, overcoming the challenge of unprotected outdoor spaces vulnerable to free-roaming cattle, pigs, goats, and monkeys.
To lay the foundation for this green initiative, we provide each participating family with a starter kit that includes fencing materials to safeguard their gardens and a variety of seedlings to kick-start their journey towards a sustainable source of fruits and vegetables. This not only enriches their diet but also instills a sense of pride and ownership over their produce.
Central to our Home Gardens project is the training provided at our Center of Hope, within our dedicated Training Garden. Here, participants learn the essentials of garden setup, soil management, and sustainable farming practices. This hands-on experience is invaluable, empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills to nurture their gardens at home.
Follow the link to support us sowing seeds of hope!
Safe water access initiative
For nearly a decade, Cwebeni and the surrounding villages have been without access to drinking water. The water collection points are basins from streams flowing through the forests, simultaneously utilized by cows, pigs, goats, and wildlife such as monkeys and wild pigs. The water people use for daily washing, cooking, and drinking is contaminated and a source of diseases and skin rashes, with children being particularly affected.
iThemba Kuluntu is pursuing three approaches to secure drinking water supply for the affected villages:
1) Boreholes - Drilling boreholes is a sustainable solution that provides the entire village with direct access to cleaner water.
2) Water tanks - In newly constructed houses, the roof is directly connected to a 5,000-liter water tank to harvest rainwater.
3) Filter Systems - A simple and cost effective filter system that gets attached to a 20-liter bucket, transforming contaminated water into drinking water. Not just changing the water, but also lives! The first 20 units are currently being tested by 20 Cwebeni families.
More details about the filter system:
✓Filtration system components certified as food-safe, ensuring the processed water is safe for human consumption.
✓ Demonstrates 99.9999% efficiency in bacteria interception, including E. coli, as per laboratory test reports.
✓ 2-stage filtration process:
1) the activated carbon filter removes chemicals, enhances taste and odor, diminishes contaminants and bacterial growth, and extracts harmful heavy metals, thereby improving water safety and quality.
2) the ultrafiltration membrane uses nanotechnology to achieve a filtration precision of 0.1 micron (10 nanometers). This membrane's micropores are smaller than bacteria, ensuring the effective blockage of bacteria and larger particles alike.
✓ Operates solely on gravity, requiring no high water pressure or electricity, making it simple and durable for use in infrastructure-limited environments.
Follow the link & help us to significantly improve people's lives!
Human rights Advocacy
Education & Program for Establishing Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)
The residents of rural village communities in Pondoland have been systematically oppressed for decades, effectively silencing their voices. A significant number of individuals are unaware of their rights enshrined in the South African Constitution. iThemba Kuluntu has dedicated itself to empowering these individuals through education on their human rights and by facilitating the establishment of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). This initiative provides them with the tools to communicate their concerns directly to the government and exert pressure to deliver services to their communities. Concurrently, we elucidate the efficacy of mechanisms like petitions and assist in their implementation. Members of the CBOs thus directly advocate for the interests of their communities, collaborating towards a brighter future and improved government services for the villages.
To date, iThemba Kuluntu has been instrumental in the registration of 5 CBOs, supporting the members through regular meetings and integration into their programs. Plans are underway to register seven more CBOs.
Find out more about our work on our Social Media Channels!
Medical aid courses
First aid & infant care courses for rural areas
Due to a variety of reasons, clinics and hospitals are often inaccessible to many village communities in emergencies. This is partly due to poor road conditions that prevent ambulances from reaching those in need. Additionally, there is often a lack of readiness from emergency services, which cannot be reliably counted on in critical situations. The vast distances to medical facilities and the prohibitive cost of transport when available, which many cannot afford, further exacerbate the issue.
First aid courses, tailored to the specific needs of rural areas, can be crucial and potentially life-saving in emergencies.
Ensuring the well-being of infants is a cornerstone of our mission. Recognizing the diverse cultural practices and varying levels of access to information within communities, we emphasize the importance of education and awareness in infant care. By integrating traditional customs with modern health practices through our educational programs, we aim to enhance the nurturing environment for children.
To further support this initiative, we provide essential resources such as first aid kits and fever thermometers. These tools empower parents and caregivers with the means to promptly address health concerns, significantly improving outcomes for young children. Together, we can build a foundation of knowledge and care that safeguards the health and future of our youngest community members..
Your donation helps us distribute first aid kits and fever thermometers! Follow the link.
Material Aid
Many families lack the most basic yet vital necessities, including:
- Mattresses
- Blankets
- Clothing
- Shoes
- School supplies
- School uniforms
- Women’s hygiene products
- Affordable mobile phones for basic communication
Follow the link to support us with your donation!
Support for individuals with disabilities
Being born into poverty with a disability presents a particularly daunting challenge for affected families, who can expect little support from the healthcare system.
iThemba Kuluntu is committed to providing these individuals access to support groups and equipping them with necessary aids, such as wheelchairs. The support is tailored to individual cases and communicated through our social media channels.
Follow the link to see which affected family you can support!
Veterinary care for pets
iThemba Kuluntu periodically provides care mainly for dogs and cats, but also for goats and cows, belonging to families in Cwebeni, Hlamvana, & Bholani. Our focus is on prevention through deworming and educating owners about proper animal care, as well as treating and healing sick animals.
Additionally, in collaboration with other organizations and private veterinarians, iThemba Kuluntu participates in spaying and neutering programs to reduce animal suffering.
Check here if we are currently collecting donations for this project!
Sports & creativity
In Cwebeni and its surrounding villages, the school curriculum does not include sports or arts. iThemba Kuluntu believes that physical activity, mental engagement, and creative expression are vital for every child's development. Since 2021, we have supported the local football and netball teams and organized our first art initiative—a painting competition at the school. We aim to expand our art projects in the future, offering them regularly, while continuing to support and equip the sports teams.Check if we are currently collecting donations for any of these projects.
Check if we are currently collecting donations for any of these projects!
Get in touch!
If you have any questions, suggestions, or require further information about our work, we'd love to hear from you. There are several ways you can get in touch with us:
Email: You can email us at info@ithembakuluntu.org. We check our emails regularly and aim to respond promptly.
Phone or WhatsApp: For those who'd like to speak with us directly or send a message, you can reach us by phone or WhatsApp at 0719778063.
We're here to assist you and look forward to connecting with you!
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iThemba Kuluntu NPC
Reg: 2023/199348/08
NPO: 300-700
connect with us
info@ithembakuluntu.org
0719778063
0719778063
our location
Cwebeni Village,
Caguba A/A,
Port St. Johns,
Eastern Cape,
5120
Donations via EFT
Bank: FNB
Account type: Business Cheque Account
Account name: iThemba Kuluntu NP
Account number: 6307792638
Branch code: 21052
Branch name: Mthatha