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Inkosi brings the gift of joy
Liz Clarke. Sunday Tribune, 6 October 2002. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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The devastation of HIV/AIDS is most cruel in rural areas where limited resources, lack of education and unemployment wreak havoc with family stability. That is why buy-in by traditional leaders is vital in the fight against the disease.
This was momentous day in the lives of the resource-poor community of Izingolewzwi on the Kwa-Zulu-Natal South Coast. It was the day when the fears of families affected by the ravages of AIDS were set aside for more hopeful things, the day when the most powerful person in the community said "enough is enough - it's time to turn the tide on sadness."
The harbinger of hope in this close-knit rural community where, for the most part, time has stood still, is Inkosi Mbuzeni Cele. His family has ruled over this area of rolling hills and valleys near Harding for the past three centuries. In a significant break from tradition, Cele has donated a 500 square-metre stretch of flat land for a centre to be built for orphaned children, most of them left parentless because of AIDS.
The excitement was palpable as surrounding dusty tracks leading from humble dwellings were filled with families and children dressed in their Sunday best, making their way to the proposed site for an inaugural party. Said Grace Ndlovu, a grandmother who cares for several of her orphaned grandchildren: "God has listened to uor prayers. Perhaps now we can stop crying and build a new life for ourselves. We must laugh and sing again. That hasn't happened for a long time."
The donation of land by Cele's clan is one of the first tangible signs that our traditional leaders, long recognised as the most powerful conduit of upliftment in the country's rural areas, are making a firm commitment to addressing the issued of HIV/AIDS.
Officially handing over the land to the trustees of the Fukamela community-based organisation at Izingolweni, Cele said that it was a "proud moment" for him. "Our children need help and I want to make sure that everything possible is done to make their lives better."
The project is being co-ordinated by the Human Health Development Trust, a South African-based non-governmental organisation which focuses on care and training of children in need. Eric Nene, director of the Durban branch of the NGO in Montclair, said that in line with government policy, orphans of AIDS would not be housed at the new centre, the first phase of which is due to be completed early next year. Explained Nene: "While the aim will be to give shelter to children in the area who have no parents and to place them, where possible, with suitable families, the prime purpose of the centre is to equip orphaned children with skills to support themselves."
In line with this thinking, Nene said there would be a strong emphasis on teaching children and teenagers the basics of business - be it through beadmaking, plumbing or gardening. "It is important that centres like this are built in many areas to cope with the impact of AIDS," said Nene. "It is equally important that they are sustainable and generate their own funds."
Financing projects like this in resource-poor areas is always a problem. Nene said that securing theland was a major step forward. "We are optimistic that the funds required to complete the centre will soon be available." One can only hope that they are. Among those at the handing-over ceremony were children ranging in age from four to 16, whose lives hover precariously between poverty and hopelessness.
With sticky buns in one hand and fizzy drinks in the other, they sang an impromptu song of thanks to Cele. Now their future needs to take wings.
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