DSD CONDUCTS SITE VISIT TO ISIQALO ESISHA FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES IN THEMBALETHU VILLAGE

By Nonhlakanipho Masola and Tholakele Makena.

• The Department of Social Development supports a community foundation in Thembalethu village, Mpumalanga, which runs a range of programmes from restorative services and social crime prevention to youth and women empowerment.
• The Isiqalo Esisha Foundation was set up in 2022 in response to social challenges in the area, including teenage pregnancy and youth-related issues.
• The department recently undertook a site visit to the foundation to see the impact of the programmes on the community.

The Department of Social Development recently conducted a site visit to one of the foundations it funds in Mpumalanga that provides support for families and children affected by HIV and Aids.

The Isiqalo Esisha Foundation, which was established in 2022, is based in Thembalethu village near KwaMhlanga and was set up in response to pressing social challenges in the area, including teenage pregnancy and youth-related issues.

The department began funding the foundation in February 2025.

It provides a wide range of services to the community, including support for children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, restorative services, social crime prevention, substance abuse prevention, youth development, women’s empowerment, and agricultural development within the Thembisile Hani Municipality.

The foundation educates children about HIV and Aids, including how to protect themselves. It also provides support to those already affected by the virus. They conduct site visits to schools and work closely with various departments that support their efforts.

Social worker Pretty Mahlangu, from Twaalfointein B2, is a team leader at the foundation. She had been unemployed for a decade before joining the foundation.

She explained that the aim of the foundation is to assist the community, particularly by giving unemployed social workers a platform to give back and make a difference.

Mahlangu said the project manager started the foundation after noticing that many qualified social workers were unemployed but could contribute meaningfully to the community through programmes such as the Social Behaviour Change initiative.

Mahlangu explained that the social workers had been volunteering for a long time without any income, and it was a major challenge. They often had to use their own money to keep the foundation running.

However, with the funding from the department they now receive monthly stipends.

Despite the difficulties, she emphasised that their passion for helping the community kept them going.