Hlumelelisa Continues to Grow

Less than two weeks ago on 13 June we started a new training programme at the Medium B male section at Johannesburg Central Correctional Facility. Training is being headed up by one of Hlumelelisa's homegrown facilitators, William Moropana. After spending only a short time with our 14 new trainees, William reckons they're a super sharp group - we're looking forward to watching them grow over the course of the nine-month programme.

We're excited to have started training but there is a lot of work to undertake at our new location - our facility so far is made up of one classroom. Plans are in the works for planting outdoor gardens fas well as for construction of a shadehouse. Stay tuned for photos of our progress!

Q1 NewsLetter 2011

See what Hlumelelisa has been up to in the first three months of 2011 and spread the word!

Link to PDF version: Hlumelelisa Q1 2011 Newsletter

Success!

Some time has passed since Hlumelelisa held our graduation for the Leeuwkop Class of 2010 in March but we still wanted to take the time to share some photographs and moments from this proud event as well as to thank those who came out to support our graduates.

On 15 March, 11 individuals the from the Leeuwkop Correctional facility graduated from Hlumelelisa's Ornamental Horticulture and Landscaping short skills training course that was held over the course of nine months in 2010. Two graduates from our Class of 2009 also completed our very first "train the trainer" programme that equipped them to become future training facilitators. We are proud of all of our graduates and this huge accomplishment that they have achieved.

We would like to take a moment to extend our sincere gratitude for those who came out to celebrate this occasion with our graduates - representatives were present from the Thabiso Skills Institute as well as The Healing Centre and the Department of Correctional Services. Mama Beauty of the Thusong Youth Centre opened the ceremonies with a very personal message of encouragement directed toward Hlumelelisa's graduates. Mark Lewis, who works to study sustainable agriculture and farming, delivered an inspiring keynote address that insisted that our learners take the skills and knowledge they have learned to build their futures and to work hard to contribute to a greener, more sustainable environment in South Africa. Johan Engelbrecht of the AgriSETA assisted Hlumelelisa's training facilitators, Kagiso Monegi and William Moropana, in handing out certificates to the graduates and offered them words of encouragement. We would also like to thank Flash from Alex FM and Lucky Morake for serving as our masters of ceremonies for this event - their energy was infectious.

We are proud of our learners and this milestone of learning and rehabilitation that they have passed in their lives. The most memorable moment of this celebration was to share with them as they related to the audience the changes that have occurred in their lives and the hope that they have for the future as a result of participating in Hlumelelisa's training programme. We look forward to reporting back on their future successes very soon!

Photos by David Dini

Graduation Day

Tomorrow, 15 March 2011, we will honour our graduates from the class of 2010 at the Leeuwkop Correctional Facility. We are excited to celebrate this momentous occasion together!

Rehabilitation is Rewarding

Last week we received a certificate of appreciation from the Bekezela Support Group at the Leeuwkop Correctional Facility's Medium A group. This is in recognition of the work we do toward rehabilitation of our learners through our horticulture training programme - this is a wonderful honour and we are humbled to be a recipient.

Home Improvements

In anticipation of the beginning of our upcoming training session, we've been hard at work at our training centre at the Leeuwkop Correctional Facility. Some of our most dedicated graduates from the class of 2010 have been working tirelessly and have produced fantastic results - see for yourself!

Mike Griffiths - Forever in our Hearts and Minds

Today we mourn the loss of a dear friend and colleague - Mike Griffiths passed away last week after a short illness. He will be missed by all those whose lives he touched. Mike was generous with his time, knowledge and love of the land. Our hearts are deeply saddened by his passing yet full of the happy memories he left with us. Mike's funeral will be held at the Bryanston Methodist Church on Tuesday 15 February at 10 am.