Ma Toni on the strength of South African women: "You strike a woman, you strike a rock."

This project serves orphaned and/or very poor children.  It is amazing grassroots response from women to deal with the country's orphaned children. There are over two million children in South Africa orphaned as a result of AIDS. Mama Toni is an amazing woman with an inspiring heart and energy helping children.  She insisted on greeting each of us at the entrance by welcoming each person by name and a hug, but her biggest hugs are for children -- the children fortunate to be in her care, and Cammy!

Professional Journal

Citizen Ambassador Programs

10/06/10 Afternoon

City: Johannesburg

Team Leaders: Russell/Day

Dr. Sally Nichols-Sharpe

Site: Tsogang Sechaba Community Project

 This afternoon we visited the Tsogang Sechaba Community Project, better known as Ma Toni's. As we pulled into the Soweto neighborhood we saw the typical concrete and mortar houses of the area surrounded by a gated fence. The only feature identifying that this was not a typical home was the sign above the gate. Ma Toni was there to greet each of us by name and with a hug,  As a young mother of three, and six months pregnant with her fourth child, her husband died. As she told us she raised her four children on her own by being strong and doing whatever needed to be done. The underlying belief that she could successfully provide for her children is the basis for the conceptual framework of her  comunity project. In 1995, Ma Toni began this community center in her own home based on the needs of children in the area. There are three small buildings and a freight container to meet the needs of 400 children every day and on a piece of land that is not a quarter of an acre in size. One two room building serves as Ma Toni's home, one as offices, one as a computer lab, and the freight container has been converted into a kitchen and food storage.

The project serves over 400 children a day breakfast, tea, and lunch. Children are provided food to take home with them to eat over the weekend when they are not in school. Since there is no indoor space for the children, except for the computer lab, all of the children activities take place outside, including meals. The center serves children ages 10 to 17 on site and children ages 5 to 17 in six surrounding schools. Nutrition is a key focus of their efforts, but they also have programs that work with Orphan and Vulnerable Children, Social Security issues, Bereavement and Family Counseling, Gardening, and Women Empowerment.

 Unfortunately, most of the children had left before we arrived. There were a half dozen children working with an instructor in their computer lab. The children were open and willing to answer questions. What I noticed as we went through the buildings was the limited equipment that was available to children except for a few board games. This small space and lack of resources does not begin to describe the impact of this program. What I take away from my visit is not what the facility lacked, but what it had in Ma Toni and her staff: their committed support to meet the needs of all the children. As Ma Toni spoke to us she often referred to the strength of South African women to provide. As she said “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.”