Buyaphi Mahlalela

I cannot forget that one Wednesday afternoon when three primary school pupils from the village where I was working came into my office after school and closed the door. These children normally come to my office like any other child in the village, but they usually do not bother to close the door. On this particular day, I could read it from their eyes that something was troubling them. At first they looked at each other trying to make a signal as to who exactly was supposed to start the conversation. As I cleared my voice and asked them “What can I do for you?” Thando[1] surprised me when he said “Anti, we need to talk to you about something that is troubling us and we need your support.”

The children told me of their friend at school who was not under the care of SOS Children’s Villages, but was suffering because of a certain medical condition. They narrated how he misses school sometimes because of the illness and his parents did not have the means to support him as both of them were not employed. What really touched me about the children’s story was when one of them said. “We know that he is not budgeted for as he is not living with us here at SOS, but he is also a child in need.” The children’s action challenged me to use my heart and not my mind, especially in that given moment.

I remember going to the school of this boy with the social worker. My heart was telling me: “You need to do something and you need to do it now!” My meeting with the teachers and the child was very fruitful as I got to understand the child’s situation even better and up to this day, I see my children as heroes to have taken the courage to support another child against all odds. Manqoba[2] told me how the sickness started and how his parents have tried to get medical assistant for him, but in vain. What worried him the most was that he felt everyone around him, including his parents, has given up on him getting better. He told me that he was no longer staying with his parents, but has moved in with his grandparents and that he does not know when they will also get tired because now he is fifteen and has been in this condition from the age of four. These words really touched my heart!

I organised a meeting to see Manqoba’s parents. They narrated how they have moved from one government office to another without getting any help. This statement made me think of my networks and how they can help the child. Together with the parents and social worker, we managed to go to a few government ministries where we know there are resources available to assist children like Manqoba, and from that day on, there have been a number of organisations including the government supporting this child. Manqoba will be going for an operation in South Africa before the end of this year and funds will all be covered by the government. Manqoba’s parents are happy to see what has been done to support their child to such an extent that they have taken him back to their home. My children who reported the case are always telling me how better their friend’s situation is now and looking forward to the operation which we all believe will be successful and Manqoba will live a normal life like all other children.

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