2021 TRAINING CALENDAR
APRIL -MAY 2021 CALENDAR TREE OF LIFE COURSES NORTH AMERICA ONLY
CHARITY IS THE CORNERSTONE OF HUMANITY
Is charity on the same pedestal as love? I believe charity is on a much higher plane than love. Love is a labyrinth of emotions and feelings hence its susceptible to pride, prejudice, expectations. Love is usually informed by relationships, friendships, and family bonds. But charity is giving a helping hand to someone not necessarily related to or known. It could be stranger from a different community or people living in another country.
When disaster strikes in any corner of the world, it is part of human nature to empathize and at times mobilize resources or even avail our skills and knowledge and lend a helping hand to those in distress. The urge is there to ameliorate or mitigate pain, loss, and suffering of fellow human beings.
Among the common disasters afflicting mankind are civil wars, floods, earthquakes, drought, and diseases like Ebola, malaria, and the current deadly pandemic coronavirus. Following the outbreak of covid-19 virus individuals from poor communities came out in the streets begging for food from passersby mostly in busy intersections, and outside shopping malls.
Phola was among the frontline organizations which provided psycho-social support and food parcels to the victims of gender-based violence during lockdown. The beneficiaries were women and children from Diepsloot, Cosmo city, Zandspruit and Alexander township.
Phola’s act of kindness might have been a drop in an ocean, but the ocean will be a drop less without it. The emaciated bodies of half-dressed children told a thousand stories of hunger and deprivation. Some related sad stories of how they had survived by scavenging in the dust bins.
The highest act of giving is charity. It is unequivocal, unparalleled, and selfless sacrifice borne from UBUNTU. This is the highest stage of love and knows no boundaries and is blind. It knows no religion, political affiliation, prejudices, color, or creed.
Phola’s psycho-social work services are offered gratis. The work is made possible through goodwill, partnerships and collaboration with organizations sharing similar synergies.
Phola’s mission and philosophy are firmly anchored on the values of UBUNTU, encapsulated in the motto, ‘I will be my brother’s keeper.’ Isn’t this the cornerstone of humanity, caring beyond measure and loving without limits?
IT IS IN YOUR HANDS; IT IS WITHIN YOUR POWER.
A renowned motivational speaker once said, “We all have a sleeping giant within us. Each of us has a talent, gift a bit of genius just waiting to be tapped.”
I have recognized the power that we have to change virtually anything and everything in our lives. The amazing thing is that the resources that we need to turn our dreams into reality lie within us.
Your hands represent your effort, and your will directs what they do. It is within your power to direct them to greatness.
It doesn’t matter what advantages or disadvantages you were born with. It is not the conditions or external factors of your life that will determine your destiny. What matters is what decisions you make about your life is going to be the decisions that will write the story of your destiny.
By making decisions about what to do with your life you will have become a living example unlimited power of human spirit.
How can you and I make ourselves one of those inspiring examples?
Simply by making decisions today about how we are going to live in the years to come. Your life is entirely what you decide it is. It is your spaceship and you are up or down. The universe starts in your head and spreads out into the world. Change what happens in your head and the universe changes.
We may get stuck in our lives because of a major disappointment or loss resulting in us feeling powerless and unable to do anything, however just one act, anything you can think of, can be enough to restart your engine and recharge your life’s purpose.
Just because you are out of work doesn’t mean you can’t be an entrepreneur. Just because you are out of love doesn’t mean you can’t improve your job skills. By getting better in one area will enhance your self-esteem, which may unlock the door to new opportunities and perhaps point in a new direction.
It is easy? Perhaps not. But as someone once said, ‘easy doesn’t do it?’
DO SOMETHING NOW!
If not you, who?
If not here, where?
If not now, when?
PHOLA APPEALS FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO PURCHASE A HOUSE TO SHELTER ABUSED WOMEN IN JOHANNESBURG NORTH.
PHOLA NPO has a staff compliment of (22) and provides psycho-social services through narrative therapy interventions in Cosmo city, Diepsloot and Zandspruit and surrounding areas in Johannesburg.
The personnel comprise of psychologists, social workers, auxiliary workers, and volunteers. In our fight against gender-based violence Phola is embarking on a women’s shelter project for abused women and girls in Johannesburg North.
According to UN- WOMEN Organisation, globally 243 million women and girls were abused by an intimate partner in the past year.
Meanwhile the Social Development Department said government funding for shelters was insufficient, but it could not fight the scourge of violence alone.
Why is Phola opening a Shelter home?
Phola is responding to the South African government’s clarion call that it needs stakeholders to make sure that every South African lives in free and safe country. This comes after the Commission for Gender Equality released report in 2019, on the state of shelters in SA. It found inadequate funding was crippling the fight against gender-based violence. The department acknowledges the challenge of inadequate funding and unit-cost disparities in various provinces as mentioned in the report.
CGE chairperson Tamara Mathebula said at the release of the report in Johannesburg that funding for shelters was not enough at all.
CGE commissioner Nthabiseng Moleko added: “Women found in shelters usually stay in abusive relationships because, primarily, they are dependent on the perpetrators. They stay in these dysfunctional relationships and their lives are at risk.”
The CGE disclosed the following about a government funded, partly government -funded and independent shelters in province.
-Insufficient funding
- Late payments by social development department to shelters
- Poor infrastructure and security in some shelters
- Lack of transitional housing
- Salaries were not standardized
- Survivors struggled to adapt to normal life.
Another issue exacerbating problem in shelters was that few were in the city centers and some struggled to accommodate women with children. Shelters on average, allowed residents to stay for six months. It has been realized that most of the women were going back to the street with their children.
Phola’s holistic approach is not only about mental health issues, but to establish economic empowerment programs, skills development, capacity building, life skills, and literacy programs for both women and girls during their stay at the Centre.The Shelter Home will be guided by the following values and principles; accountability, empowerment, participation, family-centered, person-centered, community centered and restorative justice.
Phola is appealing for donations either in cash or in kind towards purchase of a house to start a shelter facility.
For those keen to offer a hand of support, please get in touch with Phola Director Mrs. Ncazelo Mlilo. Full contact details provided on the website: www.phola.org
