the Nxumalo family
Family support team brings hope
When the Lulisandla Kumntwana Family Support Team started to visit orphan families in their local area, they discovered the Nxumalo family. Three children were living with their mother, who was extremely sick from AIDS-related illnesses. Their father had already died because of AIDS.
Home-based care workers came in to look after the mother, but the Family Support Team was concerned that no one was taking care of the children. A Lulisandla co-ordinator began to take them food parcels and help with their school work.
When Mrs Nxumalo died, her sister took care of the children but she didn’t have enough money to cover their needs because she had many children of her own. So Lulisandla supported the orphans’ education, provided food and helped with an application for a foster care grant.
But meeting the children’s physical needs was not enough. They were experiencing trauma and attended a psychosocial workshop at Lulisandla to help them cope. After the workshop their aunt was happy to report a real change. The children were able to accept their mother’s death and knew how to look to the future.
In a few months the foster care grant came through and the aunt saved money to ensure a brighter future for the orphans. The older child has completed school and has money to study to become a paramedic. The other two children are still at school and are progressing very well.
