Neema Lalela

"Listening Graciously"

Neema Lalela has, in partnership with another organisation, sourced over R1 million to buy the first house next to the West Rand Lutheran Community Church, to provide a home for 2 "families of 4-5 foster children" who have been affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The house is ideally situated and gives easy access to the Westrand Joyland Nursery School and Riverbank Primary School where the children will obtain their pre-school and primary school education respectively. Joyland also has an aftercare and homework facility which will insure that the children of the Neema Lalela Foster Home will be well looked after and supervised in their home work.

The children will also be integrated into the children’s and youth ministry of the West Rand Lutheran Community Church. Three Pastors and a loving and caring congregation are there to assist the family. The West Rand Lutheran Community Church and Westrand Joyland Nursery School also have a transport service in place to provide for all transport needs of the family. Schools and shopping centres are in the nearby vicinity.

• Monthly support for children and families
• Medical assistance
• Running and maintenance of the house
• Transport costs
• Develop more such houses

Johannes Mokobi’s life story is one that you may feel you have heard before. I was asked to interview him and write his story for the Neema Lalela website visitors to read, so you can know what we stand for and who our focus is on. As a psychology student, I felt I knew his story very well, simply from the literature I’ve read in recent years. However, upon listening to the audio recording we did of this interview, I discovered something totally unexpected and new. And this is what I want to share with you.

Like many children in South Africa today, Johannes does not know his biological parents. At the age of 3 months he was abandoned by his father (he knows nothing of his mother) and left in the care of an elderly lady who ran a nursery school in Dobsonville. He calls her his 'grandmother' and she raised him as best she could on the little income she received. In his adolescent years, Johannes began looking for ways to make more money and tried doing so by helping shoppers carry their bags to their cars. The security guards at the shopping centres chased him and his friends away and they began stealing petrol and begging for money instead.

Soon he lost his friends and was left begging by himself, even sleeping on the streets at times when it was too late to return home. One day he was at a local shopping centre in Wilro Park begging. The children's Pastor of the West Rand Lutheran Community Church gave him some bread and invited him to the children's ministry. This invite gave him hope and so he joined the other children every Friday afternoon. Within a few years he outgrew this ministry, became a co-worker for the children and took part in the youth ministry. During this time a social worker became involved due to his behaviour – stealing, begging and truancy from school.

He changed schools constantly and was sent to various children’s centres but ran away several times as the other teens brought in drugs, alcohol, fought and he felt he was too far away from the people he felt cared for him. Thereafter, he stayed with a mentor for a short time, but was removed and placed with one of his 'grandmother's' daughters since the 'grandmother' was too old to care for him anymore. Here, he received minimal supervision and returned to skipping school in order to beg and spent most of his afternoons caring for his sickly 'grandmother'. Later that year, his 'grandmother' passed away and he chose to stay in the home, provided by the church he became involved with years earlier. This is where he is now and here he receives supervision, care, clothes, food, money and schooling.

I was amazed when listening to his story. I looked for any trace of negativity, loneliness or hurt (because I think that's what my reaction might be in his situation) and whenever I found it, it was supported by some wise insight into the situation. I asked him if he felt lonely when he stayed with his aunt the last couple of months. He said he did but he went to care for his 'grandmother' every day and there he felt good. It is a special thing when a boy of 15 goes to see his 'grandmother' every day to cook and clean for her! I asked him, "What is your wish for others on the street?" His reply astonished me, "What I wish for those on the streets, that they would know God..also those that help others…I wouldn't be here if it weren't for God…I wouldn't be here if I didn't beg for money, if I didn't steal."

What I hear from this is how he can see where he came from and how God took that situation as it was to bless him. I'm not saying God would not have blessed him had he not begged but that God takes whatever we are in at this moment and invites us (as Johannes was invited to go to the children's ministry) and if we choose to accept that invitation, we will be blessed. Johannes' current position is tough, yet it is incredible how he can look beyond its surface. He went from having virtually no supervision to supervision and discipline coming from 3 families at once. He used to want to leave everything behind and live on the streets with no dreams or goals but he says he promised those caring for him and himself that he wants to learn and will stick this through. He is now able to dream of a future, "I have plenty of dreams...carpenter, singer, actor...I want to start a choir with the kids on the streets..my future is praising God now."

Johannes' plea with the readers and anyone who will listen is this, "There's kids out there who have parents and I'm cared for more than they are and I'm thankful... Why do you go out making kids and throw them in the bin..let's help our nation, look at the people around you".

My plea with you is best expressed in Johannes' words, "Sometimes I think of those I grew up with - I wish they were like me... sometimes I feel like going back and telling them, 'don't give up your life even though things are hard'."

Andrea Hinze – Neema Lalela Subscriber

Johannes Mokobi is financially supported by Neema Lalela.
Neema Lalela is an NPO/PBO which supports children and teenagers to become healthy adults. You can make a difference in the life of a child or teenager by subscribing or donating to Neema Lalela.
Thank you for your interest in Neema Lalela!