Protest mars launch
The KZN Youth Choir performing one of their lively choral items
President and founder of Belgian NGO Cunina - Sophie Vangheel, KZN Premier’s Office delegate Dr F Ndlovu and Unilever SA Chairperson - Gail Klintworth unveil the plaque, commemorating the opening of the homes at iSpezi
What should have been a celebration turned nasty when a group of iSpezi community members disrupted the official opening of the Thokomala Cunina Community Family Homes project.
Protesters were unhappy that some of the five ‘mothers’ selected for looking after 30 children were not from the local community.
They demanded that the mothers ‘be paraded’ before them so that they could see who they were.
This was not done and they agreed to a meeting later in the week to discuss the issue.
President and founder of Belgian NGO Cunina, Sophie Vangheel, says she has never experienced anything like this in Cunina’s 20-year history of helping communities throughout the world.
Cunina raised funds for the building of the homes and will also be supporting the project for two years.
The operations will be run by Thokomala Orphan Care Organisation. This Unilever initiative was established in 2002 and now boasts 20 care homes throughout the country.
In her address Thokomala manager, Anjie Hockly, said the provision of care for orphans in a warm and loving family environment made a world of difference in their development.
Dr F Ndlovu of the KZN Premier’s office emphasised the importance of education and thanked the donors and wished the centre success in their endeavours.
Unilever Chairperson, Gail Klintworth, thanked all participants in the project for their support and thanked Cunina for the vision of providing the facility in which Thokomala could now operate.
