Mapayeni Drop-in Centre

OVERVIEW

Goal: R5,000.00 | Still Needed: R5,000.00 | Total Supporters So Far: 0 | Amount of People in Need: 113

Mapayeni Drop-In Centre is the brainchild of Nora Ngobeni, who founded it in 2009. The reason? The children in her native village of Mapayeni, Limpopo, had nowhere to go after school; no safe place in which to do homework, no adults to take care of them, and often, no food to eat.

Once Nora had set her mind upon opening the drop-in centre, she turned to her community for help, and they responded in kind. Through the donation of building materials and the help of family members, Mapayeni Drop-In Centre was built.

Though it is a tiny structure, it is a kingdom in the eyes of the 113 schoolchildren who file through its humble walls on school afternoons. Many of Mapayeni’s children are orphans, and most are vulnerable in the sense that their home lives are steeped in poverty.

Nora and the centre’s 6 other staff members are no exception to Mapayeni’s poverty, but their drive to enrich the lives of the village’s children keeps their hearts abundant. By feeding and assisting Mapayeni’s children with their daily homework, the team plays a large part in alleviating, if not their poverty, at the very least their heavy hearts and empty stomachs.

The centre, as it stands currently, is not large enough for all of its beneficiaries, and adequate shelter is a big concern for Nora and her team. It receives no funding from the government and relies entirely on donations and the income Nora earns from other part-time jobs.