210 Home Based Community Care Givers in the Province completed the Thogomelo Skills Development Programme which was accredited by the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority SETA.
The word thogomelo was chosen as it means “caring” or “taking care” in Venda, one of South Africa’s 11 official languages. Community caregivers are the backbone of community care for vulnerable children, yet their psychosocial well-being remains largely neglected. The Thogomelo Project addresses the often unmet psychosocial needs of caregivers and equips them to respond to child abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Using activity-based, participatory learning to engage a diverse range of community caregivers, the project provides guidance on a comprehensive set of topics, including strengthening relationships and community, optimizing self care, accessing and mobilizing resources, responding to child abuse and neglect, and increasing HIV/AIDS literacy. This is the first psychosocial support skills development program to be registered with the South African Qualifications Authority, thereby providing credits for learners to develop a career path towards a recognized qualification. It uniquely combines psychosocial support and child protection components to address training needs identified by learners. A second curriculum focusing on advanced child protection skills will be developed for supervisors of community caregivers during Year 2 of the project.
The details of the Graduation is as forth
Venue :   Upington FET College
  Steve Naude Street
Date :  15 October 2013
Time :  10h00 am
The Thogomelo Project is built on three core principles that aim to foster local ownership and ensure the sustainability of these efforts:
• Embed the project in existing structures. By systematically linking with activities in the public sector and civil society, the project is building on current activities and helping to ensure sustainability.
• Comprehensively address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. In addition to service provision, the project is addressing the critical areas of networking and advocacy to equip community caregivers with the skills to address the needs of children at all levels.
• Build on what works. The project is incorporating state-of-the-art thinking into project implementation. For example, the nationally accredited community caregiver training manual will complement national efforts while incorporating emerging and promising practices.
Together, these principles, activities and resources are allowing communities to care for their community caregivers, providing them with the psychosocial support and skills they need to perform their tasks well. The program is also supporting community caregivers in promoting safe and healthy families – and, in turn, improving the well being of the many children who depend on them.
For any further media enquiries please contact Conrad Fortune at 0798730679

Issued By
Conrad Fortune
Manager Communications
Department of Social Development