August 17, 2020
Thomas Engel Foundation Comes to the Rescue
Food and Covid Relief for Children in Shiselweni Region NCPs
Thomas Engel Foundation (TEF) has donated about USD$10,000 to Young Heroes Litsemba project for food to benefit over 2,000 orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) registered in Shiselweni region Neighborhood Care Points (NCP).
Young Heroes’ Litsemba project purchased and delivered food items including mealie-meal, beans and cooking oil. These were distributed in about 87 NCPs for the month of May 2020. Also, at the break of COVID-19 in the country, TEF and Moewenweg Foundation supported Litsemba by donating USD$1,200 for the purchase of liquid soap for hand-washing which was distributed to the NCPs as well.
Young Heroes Executive Director, Mr. Khulekani Magongo expressed his sincere appreciation to TEF and Moewengweg Foundation for the extended support in response to COVID-19. “We are very grateful to TEF and the Moewenweg Foundation for the support which will ensure that OVCs do not suffer from starvation during these hard times. We are cognizant that the vulnerable will be hit hard the most, therefore such gestures are humbling. The children know that somebody cares about their well-being” he said.
A Dream Come True for Visually Impaired Young Man
Young Heroes in collaboration with Thomas Engel Foundation and Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) under Shiselweni region constructed a house for Veli Vilakati, a visually impaired young man residing in the outskirts of Nhlangano in a location known as “Skom.”
“For us it was an effortless decision when the Regional Commander of the region reached out for assistance because our mission is to empower the most vulnerable youth of Eswatini. Helping Veli have a safe space is of utmost importance to us and we hope he will enjoy his new house” said Young Heroes Executive Director, Mr. Khulekani Magongo.
Veli, in awe of the newly built house, said he was happy that he now has a decent house and thanked Young Heroes for the support. “I am very grateful for the support I have received from Young Heroes and donors” he said.
Proper Shelter for Family of Seven
Supported by the Thomas Engel Foundation and the Moewenweg Foundation, Young Heroes through the Litsemba / Hope project has once again provided proper shelter for a family of seven that was sharing a one-room stick and mud house which was in a very bad state. The Mamba family consisting of an unemployed mother, five children and one grandchild stay in Ngudzeni constituency under the Phobane community.
Mrs. Mamba could not hold back tears of joy when she was informed that they had been selected to receive a two-roomed house, to be built after assessments of her homestead were conducted by the Litsemba project team. “I honestly do not know what to say or how to express the gratitude we have. For years we suffered especially on rainy and cold days as we would be woken up by the rain and squeeze ourselves in a corner just to protect ourselves from the leaking house which was no different from being outside.” Construction of the house was completed, and keys were handed over to the family.
Since inception of the project, 13 OVC families have been built houses.
Tags: Covid-19, Eswatini, Housing, Litsemba, orphans, OVCs, TEF
