The importance of material support

At the base of the Family Focus Program of the Ubomi Obutsha Centre lies the material support for families in need. This includes weekly food parcels, seedlings and home food garden support. Furthermore, it includes donated clothing when it is distributed, and household items as they are donated to us to pass on to those in need.

If a family will get this material support doesn’t depend on the level of a family’s need though. It depends on two other things. First of all on their level of active participation in our programme. And secondly on demonstrable progress towards becoming more self-sufficient as a household.

For the centre the end goal of the material support is not only to meet material needs of those in need. It is to take some of the material stresses of life off the shoulders of these struggling families. As a result, they can have the mental and emotional space to put their energy into addressing the more important ‘big picture’ issues. This supports them into making their lives self-sustainable.

A mother’s thank-you letter

A few times a year the centre distributes donated clothing by allowing family representatives to ‘shop’ for their family’s clothing needs. This year’s the first-years families of the Family Focus Program had the opportunity to participate for the first time. Of course, based on their participation as a family in the various activities of the programme. A few days later the centre received this short letter from one of the mothers. Her well-deserved sense of joy, achievement, pride and improved self-worth are obvious.

Thank you to those who support us and the Ubomi Obutsha Centre. You make these early moments of triumphant progress for someone like Portia possible!