Project Report
| Sep 17, 2025
Elizabeth is at it again!
![Elizabeth, Co-Founder, Program manager and Trainer]()
Elizabeth, Co-Founder, Program manager and Trainer
Avuxeni? Minjane? Umfekile minjane!
Every week I sit at my computer and decide which story you may want to hear about.
I think about the goings on over the past 7days, the highs and the lows. I sift through so many stories to bring you up to date information that I trust is interesting.
This week is not different.
Its just hard to decide which story.
The kids are revving up for the camporee, an annual competition we hold in Limpopo to show case the different traditional Scouting Skills the kids have learnt over the years. This will take place in the second week of October but already they are preparing, such is the excitement. We have many trophy’s for the Camporee all broken up into different skills we are testing.
The children’s project is growing, almost every week I hear of a new group that is being opened by the SHG team but also by the ladies of the SHG team. It is so exciting because usually around this time, the groups start shrinking as the older children are expected to stay at school and study for long hours or at home. Such is the value of the program.
Elizabeth has been having more fun with the Induna’s this week, you need to understand the role of women in a particularly patriarchal Sepedi society and one that is quite racist against the Xitsonga people is a challenge in any one’s books. Elizabeth being Elizabeth is not afraid and call people out for the attitudes. Two weeks ago, they gave her a hard time about getting on her knees and then her belly to tell them food was ready.
This week, while doing communication training with them she had a plethora of examples from their behaviours to reflect back on as examples and road blocks to communication. For example, these Induna’s require R100 to be giving to even speak to them. They also expect people to come to them on their knees and present their issues. Other road blocks included their unwillingness to hear a Xitsonga women tell them what to do. This all came out during the training. But she also challenged them on the value of the training and what would have happened if she had refused to do the training with them because of their attitudes.
It was a real shock the Induna’s to hear these things, then Elizabeth projected it on to the people groups they deal with, foreigners, women and children. The realization started to hit home about how they were actual road blocks to communication, there was a real shift in perceptions. So much so, instead of being offended, which is a common response, they begged Elizabeth to return with more training. As an aside, four of the Induna’s wanted to know if she was married and if she would consider them. Its certainly not hard to imagine her response.
I also had feedback from Elizabeth yesterday about another group of Induna’s who went through training earlier this year, they are from the Xitsonga tribe and are very keen to implement the training they have received. They have created action plans and are requested help to implement the plans particularly with the Scouts to create village committees to include the voices of the children in addressing issues about children. Already some have been to the newly for CPF’s (Community Policing Forums) formed by the Cluster Level Associations and asked for help regarding students coming to school with drugs and alcohol, plus weapons. They are pushing for crime to be irradicated in the schools. The Scouts with teachers (following training by Elizabeth) are forming School Governing Boards and Classroom Level Committees to address issues.
All these stories have back stories, but I just wanted to share snapshots of this weeks impact. We continue through your support, we couldn’t do this without you, thank you so much for believing in the work we do.
Many blessings to you
Louise
My name is Elizabeth and I come from Shiluvane Village. I co-founded the beginnings of Keep The Dream196 in 2003 with Louise. In reality, Louise did all the setting up of the organization in 2007 but together we established the program and worked together training people, I did the monitoring and translation because of the different languages.
I have 3 daughters who are all involved with KTD196. One is a national commissioner of Cubs and works with WOSM (The World Scout Movement) she is also a Rover and a full-time employee of KTD196 as a Social Worker, the second one is a rover and also working as an Auditor and finally the last one is a Cub and in grade 1 at school.
I love watching kids grow from being teenagers to being young responsible adults. Although I trained as a Secondary Teacher, I completed my qualification at a time when there were too many teachers, and rather than sit at home and do nothing I volunteered as a Home Based Caregiver.
I was quickly promoted to Coordinator because of my English skills and because of the extra competencies I have as a professional. We were not employed back then, we volunteered to help in our communities because so many people were dying and I wanted to help. I also saw how hard it was for the children, I opened my home to any and all children, my daughters would bring home kids every day that just needed to belong, to have good friends, it was easy to start with these children in 2003, I already had a group. We started with 13girls and six months later we had 60kids all passionate and loving the program. I was amazed. I didn’t think it would be so popular. Back then it was hard because I had to learn the program and teach it the next week.
I wasn’t sure what I was doing but Louise encouraged me and together we made it work. My daughters were a great help as well. I still stay in touch with many of those children. Because of the success of the program, I had the opportunity to be on TV on different programs which you can google if you want. Programs such as Beyond Classroom, Earned, Nhlalala Ya Rixaka, and News 24 all because of KTD196. I hated being interviewed, the children are the real stars of this program, not me.
I have learned it takes a community to raise a child, hence I have been very involved with training parents and Induna’s (Village Chiefs) to make sure this happens. It’s important that we all look after every child regardless of bloodline. In life, I have learned to it’s important to give back, to make a difference where ever I can. Thank you for helping me do that, to make a difference.
Your support means we can do just that, raise many children in the way they should go, thank you!
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