KwaZulu-Natal premier Sibusiso Ndebele donated R41 000 to RivLife Community Centre at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban on Friday, the centre said.
RivLife executive manager Mirolyn Naidoo said the premier donated the money to the Pietermaritzburg-based community centre and five other organisations during his birthday celebrations.
Since 2005 RivLife has reached out to a number of orphaned and vulnerable children, as well as other vulnerable groups, from the communities which it serves in Cinderella Park, Glenwood, Eastwood and
neighbouring informal settlements in Ward 34 in Pietermaritzburg, Naidoo said.
A total of 200 families, consisting of 2 346 people of which 1 861 constitute orphaned and vulnerable children, were currently on the RivLife database.
Besides numerous other programmes, RivLife provides before and after school intervention, from Monday to Friday, for 50 children, aged between six and twelve, and they live in child, youth and granny-headed households.
RivLife has a community care facility where the children are provided with meals, supervision in completing their school work and social services.
During the month of September, 100 food parcels were distributed to RivLife beneficiaries. Youth also participate in three days of academic and job readiness training.
Social skills development programmes include dance, drama and life skills and will in the near future include sports training twice a week.
Thanking the premier, Naidoo said: ”We are extremely humbled and honoured that premier Ndebele decided to choose RivLife, as one of the six organisations in KwaZulu-Natal, to benefit from his 60th birthday celebration. – Sapa