National Ombuds Specialist

SOS Children's Villages strengthens community Empowerment efforts in Mthatha 09 july 2026- SOS Children's village Mthatha today launches its Community Family Empowerment (CFE) programme. The CFE programme adopts a community-based approach that strengthens families' economic resilience through sustainable livelihoods, enhances caregiving capacity, and establishes protective community systems such as child protection forums and incident management teams. By empowering families and communities to safeguard children and respond early to risks, the CFE programme seeks to ensure that children can remain safely within their families and communities, where they can grow, develop, and thrive. Family separation in South Africa is largely driven by structural poverty, unemployment, exposure to violence, and weakened family support systems rather than a lack of parental care or commitment. Evidence from national and international child protection frameworks, including the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, affirms that children are most often separated from their families when caregivers lack the economic and social capacity to meet basic needs or access support services. The Community Family Empowerment (CFE) programme is developed as a response to prevent unnecessary family separation by addressing these root causes at household, community, and systems levels. CFE is a further extension of the local community programmes that SOS Children's Villages already runs in Mthatha, such as the Flood Recovery and Child-Centered Resilience Programme. Named Rebuilding Hope, and with an investment of R12.2 million, this Recovery Project is a current initiative led by SOS Children's Villages in South Africa to restore dignity, safety and resilience for flood-affected communities in Mthatha. The project targets approximately 12,500 direct beneficiaries (including over 6,000 children), across the locations of Zimbane, New Payne, Phola Park, and Hillcrest. The Mbatha family is a household of three (3), a mother and her two children. They joined the SOS Children's Villages' Flood Recovery and Child-Centered Resilience Programme in November 2025. "We are deeply grateful for the support we have received from SOS Children's Villages. The clothing donations and food parcels we have received from them have made a significant difference to our household. This assistance has eased the financial pressure on the family", says the Mbatha family. So far almost 260 families have directly benefited from the Flood Recovery Programme, some have received temporary shelters while others received land donated by the local chief. There have also been cash vouchers worth thousands of rands distributed to the families for their basic needs. This project works in close collaboration with the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development and the Eastern Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre, which operates under the Office of the Premier (OTP) and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).

K4L partners with SOS to empower youth. Kick4Life resourced the 2026 GoTeach/YouthCan Boot Camp, as part of YouthCan!, a global employability initiative led by SOS Children's Villages that supports young people without parental care, or those at risk of losing it, as they transition from school into employment and independent adulthood. From 22nd to 30th June, the Kick4Life facilitated interactive life skills sessions and an employability and entrepreneurship training at SOS Children's Village in Maseru, contributing to the boot camp along with other partner-led activities. The two-weeks sessions helped participants build confidence, strengthen decision-making skills and prepare for healthy, independent futures. Reflecting on the partnership, Kick4Life Community Programmes Manager, 'Maphoka Ramokoatsi, said: "It is always rewarding to work with partners who share the core focus of our community programmes. We believe that strong partnerships are essential in addressing the key challenges facing young people and empowering Basotho youth with the knowledge, skills and confidence to make informed decisions that will positively shape their futures." The sessions drew 180 participants - 68 young men and 112 young women aged between 16 and 25 - drawn from a range of Lesotho projects and partner initiatives in Maseru, Quthing and Leribe. These included ICT Hubs, the Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship Training Project, the Supervised Independent Living Programme, community-based youth programmes, the Supreme School of Craft and SOS Children's Villages itself. Using Kick4Life's proven Sport for Development methodology, its life skills coaches combined interactive games, football-based activities, group discussions and experiential learning to create a safe and engaging environment. Participants learned by doing rather than through conceptual discussion; they actually 'experienced' the values of respect, inclusion, teamwork, fair play and positive decision-making through various activities. They cooperated, communicated and problem-solved together. By using football as both a motivational tool and a metaphor for life, the life skills coaches demonstrated how sport can promote gender equality, challenge stigma and discrimination, strengthen life skills and inspire positive social change both on and off the pitch. Through a series of interactive football-based activities, young people examined the impact of pollution and climate change on their own communities. They collected and sorted litter, working in teams to separate and properly dispose of waste. This reinforced responsible waste management and recycling. In another activity, they simulated the greenhouse effect by dramatising the roles of the sun, the Earth and greenhouse gases, to simulate actions producing global warming. They visualised and experienced how heat becomes trapped in the atmosphere and contributes to heat retention. The sessions concluded with discussions on the causes and effects of climate change and practical ways young people can make a difference, encouraging participants to adopt the principle of 'Think Global, Act Local' in their everyday lives. By focusing on health and wellbeing, coaches created opportunities for open conversations about physical development, equipping participants with reliable information to better understand their bodies and make healthy decisions as they grow. The programme also introduced practical strategies for managing stress, building resilience and maintaining mental wellbeing through mindfulness exercises, reflection and peer discussion. Participants gained accurate information about HIV transmission, prevention and testing, helping to dispel common misconceptions and empowering them to make informed decisions about their health. Reflecting at the conclusion of the Go Teach Boot camp, 'Mamatete Bridget Letsoso, Projects and Youth Coordinator and National Advocacy Focal Person at SOS Children's Villages Lesotho, highlighted Kick4Life's contribution. "Our partnership with Kick4Life has been incredibly valuable in supporting the development of young people. The gender-responsive approach of having male coaches work with boys and female coaches with girls creates safe spaces where participants feel comfortable discussing important issues. The impact is evident after every session - you hear young people repeating key messages and confidently applying what they have learned. We are grateful for this partnership and look forward to continuing to work together to empower more young people." By the end of the course, coaches observed that participants had developed greater confidence, had strengthened their communication and teamwork skills, and recognised their potential to become positive role models within their communities., When Kick4Life's sessions concluded on 30 June, a ceremony was held in which participants received certificates of completion. In addition, their enthusiasm, commitment, and positive active engagement over the weeklong course were celebrated. Participants like Moleboheng reflected on their personal achievements with satisfaction: "The session that stood out to me the most was the Triangle of Success. It helped me understand the importance of knowing my strengths and weaknesses, surrounding myself with people who support my goals, and taking personal responsibility for the role I play in achieving them". Through partnerships with SOS Children's Villages Lesotho, private sector organisations and community-based programmes that identify and refer young people, Kick4Life continues to coach using sport as a powerful tool for social change. These collaborations equip young people across Lesotho with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to make informed decisions, pursue meaningful opportunities and build successful, self-reliant futures while potentially strengthening communities for generations to come.