How a local Mama’s centre is building a thriving support system in Khayelitsha

By JNPR

THE YOUNG ONES READY FOR SOME ACTIVE LEARNING OUTDOORS. 

At the heart of Khayelitsha, Clover Mama Afrika’s Mama Nolitha Ndalasi runs her centre, Sinethemba Community Organisation which is becoming a powerful example of how community-driven initiatives can create meaningful and lasting impact. Through a combination of food security projects, youth empowerment initiatives and childhood development programmes, the centre continues to uplift both children and adults within the surrounding community.

One of the centre’s standout recent successes has been the growth of its egg-laying project. What began as a sustainability initiative has developed into an important source of nutrition and income generation for the centre. The eggs not only help provide meals for the volunteers and children supported through the programme, but are also sold within the community as affordable ready-to-go meals prepared by Mama Nolitha herself. The project has become an example of how practical community-based initiatives can simultaneously address hunger, create small business opportunities and support the daily operations of the centre.

THE YOUTH GETTING ACTIVE AND LEARNING NEW SKILLS. 

Another inspiring development at the centre has emerged through the Youth Employability Programme. One of the barbering and grooming trainees has successfully established a daily pop-up barber stall at the centre, offering haircuts, shaving and grooming services to members of the community. What makes the initiative especially meaningful is the strong circular support system developing around it. Many of the centre’s more than 100 volunteers actively support the young barber by making use of his services, helping him generate an income while contributing to the growth of another entrepreneur within the same environment. The volunteers themselves receive stipends through programmes run at the centre, creating a cycle where community members continuously uplift and invest in one another.

Mama Nolitha’s centre has also recently partnered with the Department of Sport and Recreation through a programme designed to support early childhood development. As part of the initiative, children from the centre’s ECD programme participated in outdoor educational activities aimed at strengthening fine motor skills, building physical confidence and encouraging interactive learning outside of the classroom environment. The activities introduced children to concepts such as shapes and spatial awareness while allowing them the freedom to apply what they had learned in a larger outdoor space. The programme created an engaging and stimulating environment where learning and play worked hand in hand to support childhood development.

CAP IMAGE MAMA NOLITHA: THE MAMA BEHIND THE LOVING AND CARING THAT TAKES PLACE AT SINETHEMBA COMMUNITY ORGANISATION IN KHAYELITSHA

“Sinethemba Community Organisation is built on people supporting one another and this is made possible with so much support from Clover Mama Afrika. When I see our volunteers supporting the young barber from our Youth Employability Programme, or the children learning and growing through new experiences, it reminds me that true community empowerment happens when we uplift each other. Bearing witness to this and our community coming together like this is what gives me hope every day,” explains Mama Nolitha.

Through initiatives that focus on sustainability, skills development and education, Mama Nolitha’s centre continues to demonstrate how grassroots community programmes can create opportunities that extend far beyond immediate support, helping build stronger and more self-sustaining communities in the process.