Sethani

Who did we work with?

The Ogaganeni Resource Centre for Community Development was a joint partnership undertaken by Oaktree and Sethani, a community-based organization. Sethani has undertaken development work with orphans and vulnerable children in KwaZulu Natal since 1994, partnering with NGOs from around the world to implement its vision.

Where did we work?

Oaktree and Sethani were working together in the KwaNgcolosi Valley in the KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa. The people in this region face many challenges: grinding poverty, malnutrition, gender inequality and all the socio-economic effects of a rampant HIV AIDS epidemic. Children have lost parents and communities have lost  the bulk of their labour force, leading to food crises and chronic poverty in additional to the psychological trauma of loss.

What are we doing?

Sethani oversaw the construction of the Bongimpilo Creche and Ogaganeni Resource Centre in the KwaNgcolosi Valley. These are located within walking distance of local schools, and provide childcare, a library, computer centre, sporting equipment, kitchen and amenities. It provides an invaluable study centre and educational resource for disadvantaged local children, and is used at night for adult classes. In addition, the ORC acts as the administrative site and central meeting location for a range of services. Training programs in managing vegetable gardens, beadwork, sewing, cooking and basic computer skills will provide skills to improve local employment and income levels. Food parcels, counselling and paralegal assistance will also be available. These opportunities will mostly be directed towards those children and grannies who have become heads of the household after the death of a parent (due to the AIDS crisis), though other orphans and vulnerable children can also benefit.

The Sethani development strategy has been supported by research by the University of Natal (1998) and endorsed by the KwaNgcolosi community in regular community consultation sessions. The Sethani board includes local representatives such as traditional leaders, church members and business leaders; and all staff and board members are South African nationals.

Sethani launched the ORC in April 2006. It is currently supporting over 500 orphans and vulnerable children.

What was Oaktree’s role?

The Oaktree Foundation and the UK charity Starfish, provided financial support for the construction of the Ogaganeni Resource Centre (ORC). This support funded Funding the construction costs and the purchase of essential resources for the ORC. It also paid for vocational training of staff members. Oaktree completed funding Sethani in 2008. Prior to this, significant work had been done with regard to Sethani achieving financial self-sustainability through a combination of government funding, private sponsorship and income-generating activities. This was possible because maintenance costs were much lower than establishment costs, particularly with community members completing vocational training and able to volunteer.