Dear Partner
UNSUNG HEROES wish you all the best for 2008. Our team is excited and motivated to equip and encourage more community leaders this year to take care of the needs of their community with greater effectiveness.
We invite you to join us in our mission and trust that you will be kept up
to date and inspired through the stories in our bi-monthly newsletter.
If you would like to add a friend to our mailing list or to comment about our newsletter, kindly send an email to: serving@unsungheroes.org.za.
In this edition, we share a case study with you that explains how we typically engage with a project. We hope that you will learn more about our work and the way in which your partnership is making a lasting difference in the lives of needy people.
Case Study: Leutlwetse Early Childhood Development Centre and Haven
Leutlwetse is a Setswana word which means “We have heard”. The Hebron District Council of Churches (HDCC) heard the cries of the children in Hebron, a semi-rural community situated 20km from Tshwane. They responded by establishing the Leutlwetse Early Childhood Development Centre and Haven in August 2003.
SC Johnson, a company with factories 7 km from Hebron, requested Unsung Heroes to assist them with the identification of a community project worthy of their assistance. Unsung Heroes searched for a project in Hebron and in September 2003, the HDCC introduced Unsung Heroes to Leutlwetse. After evaluating the project, Unsung Heroes identified the following characteristics that indicated that Leutlwetse fulfilled the criteria for the Unsung Heroes mentoring and capacity building programme:
The project responded to a real need in the Hebron community. The North West Province has an HIV prevalence rate of 31.8 % and the community was starting to feel the devastating impact of this terrible disease.
The project was initiated by the local community. CBOs like Leutlwetse typically possess expert understanding of the needs of local people and are best placed to create a sense of community ownership.
The project was supported by the local community. The HDCC was already paying volunteer teachers a small stipend.
The project was endorsed by local Ward Councillors, The Chief (Traditional Leadership) and community leaders.
The project did not have any funders or mentoring partners.
The Leutlwetse team had a big vision, but their programmes were not well developed.
Project volunteers were committed and passionate about the project, but lacked the skills and experience to run the project successfully.
Unsung Heroes felt that the mentoring programme could add value to the project.
The aims and objectives of the Unsung Heroes intervention were explained to the Leutlwetse team, they expressed a need for the programme and subsequently applied to be mentored by Unsung Heroes.
The Unsung Heroes Community Development Facilitator (CDF) then conducted a baseline study to determine areas that should be addressed through the capacity building programme. The following areas were highlighted in consultation with the Leutlwetse team:
People management
Governance
Financial management
Fundraising
Donor relations
Unsung Heroes has discovered that training and workshopping alone does not result in real behaviour change. Often trainees do not know how to practically implement what they have learnt. That is why Unsung Heroes ‘walk the road’ with an organisation in a supportive mentoring relationship until mastery is reached.
For the past three years Unsung Heroes has been visiting Leutlwetse on a weekly basis. Through this process a relationship of trust has been built. The Unsung Heroes CDF has invested hours of training, practical work sessions, meetings, dialogue and debate in order to transfer knowledge, skills, values and expertise to ensure that a strong foundation is built.
Some of the major successes that were achieved over the last three years are:
Leutlwetse registered with the Department of Social Development as a Non-Profit Organisation. This status makes them eligible to receive funding from Government.
When Unsung Heroes started its programme with Leutlwetse, their only source of funding was R175.00 per teacher per month from the HDCC. Today Leutlwetse has attracted major corporate donors and have conducted their own fundraising activities such as a fun walk. The HDCC and other community members continue to support Leutlwetse.
Unsung Heroes has introduced an Early Childhood Development (ECD) training service provider to Leutlwetse and all the teachers have now undergone formal ECD training. As a result the quality of education at the centre has improved and children are better prepared for primary school.
When Leutlwetse started it only offered an ECD programme with a strong emphasis on day care programmes. Leutlwetse expanded it services to the community and currently also runs a Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) programme with more than 100 school going OVC attending the after school care programme. Food parcels are also distributed to these OVC.
The project has greatly improved its financial management systems. This improvement is one of the reasons why Leutlwetse has been successful in attracting and retaining funding partners.
Although good facilities are not necessarily a measurement of the success of a project, Leutlwetse’s facilities have been upgraded with the help of corporate partners and provide a safe, secure and pleasant environment for the children.
Leutlwetse has a strong Board consisting of committed community members. The Board has been instrumental in the success of the project and continues to provide stability and credibility to the project.
Because of the investment in the development of the organisation, Unsung Heroes is confident that Leutlwetse will continue its good work in the Hebron community. Our ultimate aim is for community leaders to reach their full potential and to serve their community successfully. We are grateful to be part of this exciting process.
We invite you to support us to build the capacity of other organisations like Leutlwetse.
Partner with us
You can support UNSUNG HEROES to assist other projects like Leutlwetse by:
Giving an online donation. Click here to make a secure online payment.
Encouraging your company’s staff to take part in our Give As You Earn (GAYE) programme. > Read more
By finding our whether the company that you are working for are supporting upliftment projects that could benefit from our capacity building programme and to introduce your company to UNSUNG HEROES’ work.
By telling your church or bible study group about UNSUNG HEROES and asking them to join our vision.
Your investment will enable organisations to become independent and effective in reaching out to people infected or affected by HIV & AIDS, children orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS or people living in poverty.
Give As You Earn
(GAYE) is a payroll giving programme. It enables employees to give directly
from their salary to Unsung Heroes. Companies may decide to match their
employees' contributions, to encourage greater involvement and to ensure that
the donations of their staff go even further.
It is a simple and
easy way of giving and contributions are tax deductible. As staff contribute
from their own pockets, they start to take greater interest and ownership of the
company’s CSI programme.
The benefit to
Unsung Heroes is that it is a steady and reliable source of income.
Contact Ané Spies at (011) 452 4613 or on ane@unsungheroes.org.za for more information or to join the programme.