In the spirit of reflection on the second quarterly achievements, we are so proud of what has been achieved so far in paving the way for further successful stories going forward.

This quarter was not without any challenges; hence one can confidently say that our achievements reflect the sheer scale of our ambition, operational agility, and innovative mindset across all our programs. All the credit goes to the whole team who even when things unfolded very slowly in the first quarter, they gave it all to ensure that our primary beneficiaries and their families receive first class services. My hat off to you Folks: “It takes the whole village to raise a child”.

Having mentioned that my team has done incredibly well, but I cannot underestimate or leave behind the power of our funding community, partner stakeholders and the entire community of Khayelitsha. All your different and unique contributions have written a part in the story of development of our youngest citizens and Khayelitsha’s community at large.

Here is a snapshot of the activities, challenges and achievements this quarter. 

Emthonjeni Outreach Playgroup:
- 360 children have been reached by this program during this quarter
- 341 families were reached through Emthonjeni and parenting activities.
- 410 visits were completed
- 26 referrals were successfully completed.
- 298 children were immunised.
- 131 children received oral hygiene interventions.
- 64 children assisted with Grade R online application were successfully accepted.
- 33 children with special needs were assisted in our programs.
- A & C Emthonjeni sites were revamped.
- 3 children were united with their families after parent rehabilitation.

Imbewu Coach and Support (ECD Facility Coaching)
- We visited and coached 51 ECD facilities.
- 2320 children were reached through coaching and support.
- 24 ECD facilities continue to attend our Basic Teacher training 

Imbiza Family Community Motivator
- 50 Families all progressing well towards Parent Play Box program by Kids Colab.
- 211 young children were reached through the 1st 1000 days from 209 families.
- 1415 family visits were conducted.
- 5 healthy babies were born and have their birth registrations in place.
- 2 children have received birth certificates after a long struggle.

Funda Udlala Toy Library:
- 1069 children have been reached by the toy library
- Over 50 children have been reached through the mobile Toy library.
- 2 children who visited the toy library have special needs.
- Over 150 toys/ learning materials borrowed with 101 returned.
- 676 children participated in the World Play day.

Community involvement:
- Sikhula Sonke provided assistance to 109 people that are displaced due to winter rains in Khunqu.
- We assisted one UT Gardens family with household essentials after a shack fire.
- Our Connect Network-trained Trauma-informed champions Papama and Mellisa are on a journey empowering 31 caregivers (difficult encounters but seeing progress).
- 36 fathers were reached through Fatherhood Network and Heartlines.
- 148 parents were trained on community gardening.
- 202 parents were reached through cluster workshops.
- 16 parents are on GBV support group.
- The Social Work department partnered with 56 different stakeholders to reach different communities during Child Protection Week.

Staff empowerment and Organizational Development
- 8 Members of our team are doing ECD courses with Falsebay College.
- 2 Staff members are doing their ECD studies with different universities.
- 3 of our staff members were trained on Basic organic gardening by SEED..
- 3 of our staff members have started an ECD studies journey with an Mpumalanga-based organization under the auspices of SALT Alliance.
- 1 Staff member has completed an Assessor course.
- 4 members have completed Word Works Training.
- 4 of our Facilitators attended a workshop on the impact of Trauma by the Sinethemba Research Institute under the auspices of the University of Stellenbosch.

Challenges
 Flooding in and around our play-sites and stimulation open spaces.
 Broken windows and leaking roofs in some of our play sites that have structures.
 We still have children with no documents i.e birth certificates
 High level of crime.
 We still have some challenges with children who could not be registered via school online applications for 2026.
 False information from caregivers about their children's well-being
 Bad weather conditions hinder the staff from making home visits, running playgroups and following up on social work cases.

“The Lord is our Shepherd”

As we mark the end of the first quarter of the year, it is so imperative to us as an organization to acknowledge and remind our society of the critical role that is played by the non-state sector towards their contribution on education and advancing community development initiatives that seek to change our society for the better.

Amid the political and economic warfare between the USA and our country, our non-state entities still carry a message of hope to continue contributing to the World Sustainable Development Goals and National Development plan. We salute you for continuing to advance equality, justice, and human dignity. We are reminded that “Families thrive, and vulnerable children develop to their fullest potential in a safe, stimulating, loving, nurturing and caring environment.”

This quarter has demonstrated and lived that vision more than ever before. This is evident in the highlights and achievements of this first quarterly newsletter. My hat goes off to our creative, hard working innovative team that has just blended new expertise into our programs and is making a difference to so many lives in the communities of Khayelitsha.

It is with a sad note that during the month of commemorating human rights in South Africa, three children in a small town called Matatiel have been subjected to gruesome acts of rape by adults at their primary schools. These are sadly places that are supposed to keep our children safe. Sikhula Sonke cries out for #JusticeforCwecwe, #JusticeforAlu and #JusticeforBoy.

Sikhula Sonke will continue to advocate for the young children of South Africa.

Our third session of the Khunqu GBV Support group happened yesterday in collaboration with Families South Africa - FAMSA. These champions are opening up hard conversations to lead the way for change!
#sisoreachingfamilyandcommunity #sisochampions

Today we piloted our Mobile Toy Library at SD Section, reaching 70 children. As it's school holidays, children who are school going also had the opportunity to play with their siblings. It was such a lovely day for the children of SD.
A little bit of history: the name "SD" is an abbreviation of "Social Distance" as the area was named during Covid-19.
#sisoplayislearning #sisochampions #sisoreachingfamilyandcommunity #sisochildprotection

Our second session for the GBV support group with Khunkqu caregivers took place yesterday in partnership with Families South Africa - FAMSA. The session was all about improving personal and overall well-being (physical, emotional & psychological) and mental health.
#sisoreachingfamilyandcommunity #sisochampions #sisochildprotection #mentalhealthawareness

It was Children's Health Day! What a great success with the nurses performing checkups on 58 children in total. We had some referrals and follow-ups: 45 children were checked for dental issues and 8 referred to the clinic for dental follow up,
11 children were immunized and 47 received deworming tablets. Another 8 children were referred for other immunizations at the clinic. Thanks to all involved!
#sisoreachingfamilyandcommunity #sisochampions #sisochildprotection

Site C update! Yesterday we held another Stress Relief workshop, this time for caregivers in Taiwan Section.
Here's some feedback: "The session was incredibly well-organised and the facilitators created a safe and supported environment for all attendees."
#sisoreachingfamilyandcommunity #sisochampions #stressrelief

Today we held an Orientation day for the Imbewu Basic ECD Training and welcomed 21 attendees (ECD practitioners, principals and SISO volunteers). Our one-year Basic ECD Training commences on the 7th of March 2025 and equips participants with the skills they need to run an early childhood development centre.
#sisoreachingfamilyandcommunity #sisochampions #sisoplayislearning #basicteachertraining

Thank you to The Community Chest of the Western Cape for the donation of Listerine Total Care Mouth Wash for our beneficiaries. ​