Their Stories

At Hlumelelisa, we grow people. This narrative tells the stories of the learners who we have nurtured along their journey to rehabilitation and achievement of sustainable livelihoods. The past of our learners are widely varied and sometimes complex - we often do not know how they were brought to our door step. We do know that what led them to Hlumelelisa was their desire to learn, to heal and to do better by themselves, their families and their communities. These are their stories.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Siza's Story - Part Two

At present, Siza is working full time at The Healing Centre run by Dr. Gabaza Ngobeni in Soweto – he is working in their gardens, doing clerical work and also as a youth counselor. Since his release on parole, he has also worked as part of the team at Natalie’s Gardens, a landscaping business that specializes in waterwise indigenous gardens.

Siza attributes Hlumelelisa with helping to turn around his life while incarcerated – beyond giving him practical skills that have allowed him to find employment, he has gained self-respect and a sense of responsibility to himself as well as his community. This has led him to not only want to do better by himself but also to give back to his family and community by working to counsel youths about staying away from crime, drugs and alcohol.

Siza’s story is an inspiration that embodies the very vision of Hlumelelisa – we aim to equip sentenced offenders with practical skills so that they can take care of themselves, make a positive contribution to their community and help to create a greener, more beautiful South Africa for many years to come.

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