Lathitha Development Centre ~ Inspiring Mzamomhle!

When the Grace Community Church saw an old derelict building in the community of Mzamomhle – Gonubie, they saw its great potential and decided that they wanted to use it in order to assist the residents there, to help the families prosper and to serve as a community resource.

In January 2012, Thembi Duma formed the Lathitha Development organisation and after months of physical labour reconstructing the building, and support through prayer and donations, the centre opened its doors in September 2012.

Despite some teething problems, the Lathitha Development Centre has made a considerable impact and difference in Mzamomhle (a large township in Gonubie) bringing hope to the community through their various programmes.

Their focus is very much on skills development and upliftment, believing that the root of many of the problems experienced in the community are as a result of the high percentage of unemployment and the many youth that are not being schooled and educated.

One of the ways they have addressed this issue is through their computer training and life skills programmes – something that has proved extremely successful with 80% of those trained at the centre having gone on to find employment.

The Centre also empowers people through the learning of different crafts.  Twice a week they hold classes where they teach members of the community how to make jewellery and a wide range of other craft items.  At these craft classes, they use whatever items they have to hand and breath new life into otherwise unwanted useless items.  This recycling in it’s purest form is giving members of the Mzamomhle community a purpose and an opportunity to grow and hopefully to find themselves a means to make an income.

Many a success story has come from these classes, including a lady who initially went to the centre on a daily basis to get some bread to ward off her hunger.  This very same lady ended up with a hunger for something more – and is now successfully selling hats and providing herself with an income from the same crafting skills she obtained at the centre.

The centre also serves as an Educare Centre, addressing a big community issue by taking care of children from the age of 8 months to 4 years who are found loitering in the streets because their parents simply cannot afford to to send them to school. Their current capacity is limited to 18 children but they are hoping to be able to accommodate more with their plans to build an extension in the near future.

People from the community will be assisting in the building of the upcoming extension whereby they will receive training under guidance of professionals. The Centre’s hope is that they can they go on to work for themselves or find employment once they have gained the necessary skills.

Given that the organisation is not funded in any way, it relies on donations both materially and financially and it is amazing what they have managed to achieve.  The Centre has been able to open up a wonderful Computer Room which assists in the training of up to 40 school leavers on a daily basis.  The staff at the Centre also assist the local Mzamowethu School’s primary school pupils with their homework, and have recently been asked to help train their grade 8’s and 9’s on the computers as well as assist their grade 11 leaners with extra maths classes.

When we spoke with Thembi, the Director of Lathitha Development Centre, she explained how the community of Mzamomhle have experience so much disappointment, losing hope for anything positive in their lives. The role the Centre has played is one of encouragement and upliftment, urging the members of the community to continue to follow their dreams and to set goals for themselves.  Thembi says that through their programmes, they have managed to help so many people already and now more than ever, the community is open to the idea of a development centre, so much so that they find more and more people coming through the doors.

One of the greatest challenges that the Lathitha Development Centre faces is the erratic electricity supply due to illegal connections in the area. Thembi explains how it negatively affects the activities at the Centre, from the children not being able to continue with their computer training, to the very little ones not receiving the stimulation from educational DVD’s. The answer to this would be a generator but, as there are insufficient funds to purchase one, Thembi appeals to the public for their help or to local businesses for sponsorship.

The Lathitha Development Centre is also in need of material donations such as mattresses for the children to sleep on, old magazines, old televisions and even used playground equipment. Their lack of a fully functional kitchen means they also appeal to the public for cooked meals such as soups and bread so they can feed the children and the destitute who come to the centre, desperate for a meal.

If you are unable to donate financially but feel you would like to give your time, the Centre is always open to receiving voluntary assistance, be it helping the children with their homework or taking care of the little ones in the Educare.  Whatever skills you have to offer, there is a place for you and your services within the Centre.

The Lathitha Development Centre has already done so much for the community of Mzamomhle but there is so much more that needs to be done.  If you can help in any way or would just like to find out more about the Centre, please contact Thembi Duma on 079 765 2452.