Over 2000 people die of HIV/Aids every year in Cape Town’s Langa township, leaving hundreds of children orphaned and vulnerable.
For the past 18 years, Cecelia Elrick and Joyce Sitsila have devoted their lives to serving Langa’s orphans. The organization Ikwezi (‘star’ in isiXhosa) currently supports 108 children. Ten are studying at universities and colleges.
“I see the change in the children when they realise that they are sponsored,” said Elrick. “Their eyes become alive -suddenly, they feel loved and cared for. They feel special. That really touches my heart.”
Both Sitsila, aged 75, and Elrick, aged 70, have struggled with physical ailments for many years but this has not deterred them from their work in the Langa community. Elrick underwent a hip replacement, back fusion and bilateral knee replacement, while Sitsila has walked with crutches for most of her life.
The journey towards Ikwezi started in 2001 when Elrick was searching for a place to donate baby clothes to AIDS orphans. Through this endeavor she found Sitsila, a Langa resident, who helped distribute food and clothing in her community in Langa.
From 2003, Ikwezi began to take shape. Elrick and her friend Joan Gerrard started weekly Bible studies and sewing lessons with the orphans’ caregivers in Sitsila’s home. Soon, the children were included in the weekly visits and the meetings were moved from Sitsila’s kitchen to the local Scout Hall and, later, the local Presbyterian Church.
In 2005, Ikwezi partnered with Horizon International, an American Christian non-profit. Horizon currently sponsors 80 Ikwazi orphans and has provided aid for many of their projects.
Ikwezi Development Projects was officially registered as an NGO in 2008 with a full board of directors with Elrick as the Head Director. “Ikwezi is the Xhosa word for ‘star’, and we believe that we are a bright star that shines in Langa,” Elrick says.
But, the organisation has faced many challenges.
A few children dropped out of the programme due to teen pregnancies, substance abuse and gangsterism. There was a robbery at Ikwezi’s central hub at the Presbyterian church, and Elrick has experienced three smash-and-grabs on her drives into Langa. And it has been a struggle to find long-term staff, volunteers and sponsors.
But, over the years, Ikwezi has grown exponentially.
Before COVID-19 struck, Elrick and her team worked around the clock: regular visits with the children to buy them school supplies and uniforms; Thursday bible studies and sewing lessons for the caregivers; Christian fellowship ‘Kidz Club’ every Friday evening; weekly after-school homework; holiday clubs every school holiday; and a Christmas party.
One Saturday per month, Elrick and Sitsila would help the Ikwezi children write letters to their sponsors, and they met with their caregivers once per term. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Elrick and Sitsila were determined to find ways to aid the children and caregivers. An agreement with Yebofresh enabled two consignments of food parcels to be delivered to 96 of the children’s homes, and PEP Bothasig donated sanitary pads and other toiletries for the female teenagers. Elrick was also able to fulfil a dream by purchasing a large house in Langa, courtesy of sponsors from Horizon, which will become Ikwezi’s new headquaters.
Elrick’s next mission is to purchase another property, which will become the office so that the house can be converted into a safe house for orphans who have lost their caregivers. Despite their physical challenges, retirement is not on the cards for Elrick or Sitsila. For Sitsila, Ikwezi has helped her discover her purpose despite her disability. “I can feel that this was my calling from God - I am so overjoyed of what I have done in my community and I will keep working until I die.”
Elrick expressed the same desire: “As long as the good Lord allows me to put one foot in front of the other, I will keep going. I will only step away fully when there are people coming in to take over”, she says.
“We’ve laid the foundation, now we’ve got to build the walls. We’re going into that next phase to build these walls.”
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