Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa
29 August 2022
Ms Sylvia Mbanjwa, founder of Velile Victim Empowerment Centre(VVEC) and her committee members are pleading for help from the community of Embalenhle.
Velile Victim Empowerment Centre which is a registered Centre and situated at Mandela in Embalenhle deals with abandoned children and adult women who seek safety for their children.
It also assists both adults and children who are victims of abuse.
The center started operating on 04 January 2010 after Mrs. Mbanjwa decided to open it so that she could assist victims around Embalenhle.
“Most young girls go back home with so much love for their children because of the precepts we have at VVEC”, said Mbanjwa.
In April, 2014, the Department of Social Development(DSD) asked Mrs. Mbanjwa and her committee members to close down the Centre because of poor service as they referred to it.
The DSD asked for proper toilets, electricity and building structures.
Instead of closing down the Centre, the Gert Sibande Municipality helped them build two(2) RDP houses at Mandela Section near the Centre where the children and women are accommodated.
In 2018, DSD also tried closing down the Centre again because of the same reason, poor services.
“We tried by all means to save the Centre with the little we had,” said Mbanjwa.
The community has been helpful to the Centre as they sometimes go out the streets and ask for donations with food.
Pick n Pay at Emba Mall helps with buns rolls and Ackermans also offered to donate clothes.
Mr Mahlangu, the senior pastor of House of Praise Church in Embalenhle, White City (Ext 2) also donates loafs of bread three(3) days a week.
Mrs. Mbanjwa and her committee have decided to build a new centre this year which shall be of good service standards as expected by Social Development.
People from the Mandela Section also offered to assist in building the new Centre.
“We are currently stuck because of shortage resources to build and no funds to buy the resources,” said Mbanjwa.
Mbanjwa pleads for donations with certain resources namely; cement, palisades, bricks, wood ash, sand and tiles to continue building the Centre.
“The children and women will also appreciate your help so they can go back and be together as a family,” said Mrs. Mbanjwa in closing.
Those who wish to assist in donations of building material you can contact Mrs. Mbanjwa on 076 797 9142
