2019 has been a year of great academic achievement for the children of LIV Thokomala, and there is no doubt that the years ahead will be filled with greater success.
LIV places emphasis on skills development and we encourage the children to dream big dreams, walking side by side with them as they journey into independence. We received a generous donation of £10,000 which were allocated to LIV Thokomala’s Tertiary Education Fund to be distributed to matriculants pursuing their talents and passions.”
Siphiwe Ntinga recently graduated at Damelin Durban City Campus with a Diploma in Business Management..
This year, we have supported a graduate Diploma in Business Management, two ECD teachers beginning their careers, a beautician awaiting her graduation and a matriculant who attended the Youth Leadership Development Programme at the Air Defence Artillery School in Kimberley.
Even with our 12 homes being situated all around the country, through a devoted team of loving staff, we have seen immense growth in the emotional and spiritual development of our mothers and children. We have welcomed some new children into our hearts and homes, helping them to settle into a loving family, and we have also released others as they were reunited with their families.
The five #Leannes4LIV
A phenomenal group of ladies, all named Leanne, started a hashtag – #Leannes4LIV, solely to raise awareness and funds for the children of LIV Thokomala, through various sporting events. These ladies are training hard for the aQuellè Midmar Mile in Pietermaritzburg next year February and hope to reach the finish line with a healthy purse of donations.
Talents were revealed among the girls of our Durban homes, as they teamed up to make some exceptional beaded pieces that travelled all the way to England for the annual Soul Survivor festival this year. Their pieces were showcased at the LIV stand and marvelled over by the many who stopped by to purchase. The story of hope for a bright future is carried in every bead as the earnings change the lives of many children.
Ma Nobuhle’s home grown tomatoes.
A self-sustaining model bares fruit (or veg) after the much needed rains over KZN in late 2019. There was fear of destruction but we only saw the delight on the faces of our mothers as they ‘farmed their crop’ to laden their dinner tables. Children are skilled on growing their own gardens and taught first hand how this impacts their daily lives. We are a blessed country to have such rich agricultural value, teaching this to our future generations is a gift, not a task.
Wonderous things happen when hands are linked for the joy of the children. An incredible blessing was bestowed on one of our girls as she was transformed into a fairy tale princess for her Matric Farewell by a local designer – making her dreams come true with a beautiful red gown. The surrounding community rallied together to donate accessories and shoes, some even giving their time to do her makeup and hair. It has also been an amazing privilege to see how the different LIV communities stand together with one vision, as we had so much support from LIV Lukhanyiso in Grahamstown to make this happen. Read more about it here.
Our girl on her way to her matric dance.
Nelson Mandela once said: “There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return”. We bid farewell to 2019 full of joy and humility at the many lives that have been changed forever, and welcome 2020 with a bold and brave heart destined for greater things to come.
