Siphosethu Ngcangisa
Tired of seeing children drop out of school, experiment with drugs and other substances and lose direction, Reverend Thembelani Vazi decided to offer them an alternative by starting the Izwi Mentorship Hub in Indwe, near Komani, in 2019.
Vazi, a Methodist Church minister, said he observed the challenges facing children in his church and the wider community and decided to use a small church hall to assist pupils with their schoolwork and to navigate other difficulties.
“I saw that children were becoming increasingly attracted to drugs, while some were dropping out of school,” Vazi said.
“I even saw this happening among some of the children in my church.
“Izwi Mentorship Hub was therefore established as a response to these challenges.”
The hub now works with pupils at 10 high schools in the Emalahleni Local Municipality through programmes including Human Rights Clubs, Eco Champions Clubs and Change Maker Clubs.
Vazi said the programmes focused on equipping pupils with practical skills rather than simply giving them information.
“Our programmes are learner-centred because we realised that it is not enough to simply give children information,” he said.
“We decided to take a different approach by equipping them with skills that they can use to respond to the challenges they face.”
Izwi Mentorship Hub provides youngsters with basic support such as sanitary pads and school uniforms, while also exposing pupils to education, technology and community issues.
“We do have programmes where we provide children with sanitary pads and school uniforms, but we also wanted to go beyond providing basic needs,” Vazi said.
“We want them to develop an interest in education and in what is happening in the country.”
One of the programmes introduces pupils to computers through offline coding, aimed particularly at children with little or no access to technology.
“What we want to achieve is for children to be ready for the world they are entering when they leave school,” Vazi said.
“We teach them to take responsibility so that they learn not to be spoon-fed or become dependent on handouts.”
The hub also runs ecotourism programmes.
Its focus this year includes ecotourism and offline coding, inspired by an opportunity late last year when two pupils travelled to Germany to showcase a documentary they had made about gender equality.
“That opportunity came after they had worked on the project for about two years.”
Vazi, who mainly works with grade 9 pupils, said children aged about 14 or 15 were particularly vulnerable to negative influences.
“We therefore give them something meaningful to be responsible for so that they can begin to see the world differently,” he said.
Izwi Mentorship Hub operates without funding and has seven permanent members.
Students from Ikhala College also volunteer to help out through peer programmes at schools on Saturdays.
“We receive donations from members of the community and local shops, which enable us to host training programmes,” Vazi said.
“My family also helps to support the programme.”
Fifteen-year-old Ovisisana Mlobisa, who joined the Change Maker programme in 2024, said it had helped him academically and in his everyday life.
“The programme has helped me a lot with school and with the ability to transfer the skills I learn here into my everyday life,” Ovisisana, who is in grade 9, said.
“We cover different topics weekly and have campaigns where we raise awareness about creating a better and safer world for us and the next generation,” he said.
“I was one of the people who went to Germany.
“I hope the programmes grow and that we will be able to reach out to other people outside our region.”
Pamela Toyana, who nominated Vazi for the Daily Dispatch Local Heroes Awards on behalf of the South African Council of Churches in the Chris Hani district, said she was struck by his willingness to act though he lacked outside funding.
“Since being stationed in Indwe in 2019, Reverend Thembelani George Vazi has worked with children and young people affected by substance use and other challenges, leading to the establishment of the Izwi Mentorship Hub.”
She said the hub provided pupils with guidance, mentorship, counselling and help with schoolwork, while Vazi and the volunteers visited schools, farms and villages.
Izwi also ran awareness programmes about substance abuse and human trafficking and supported survivors of gender-based violence.
“Reverend Vazi saw the pain caused by substance use among young people and decided to act,” Toyana said.
“He did not wait for funding. He started with what he had and brought together volunteers and community members who shared the same concern for the children.”
Toyana said the hub’s Eco and Human Rights Clubs also taught pupils about leadership, community service and their rights through activities including gardening, recycling and school campaigns.
“We are nominating him because of the work he has done with children and the community, and because he has continued doing it even without outside funding,” she said.
Daily Dispatch