
The last weeks of 2024 were an exciting time as crucial decisions for securing the future of our organization Tsibogang Christian Action Group had to be taken.
On 29.11.24 we had a colorful closing ceremony of the project management course that had been held since January on every Friday of the year. All eleven participants were awarded certificates. Before the Management Committee of Tsibogang had been faced with the difficult task of selecting from the eleven participants the four candidates who would be employed as project managers of our organization. The interview panel was made up of the four longest serving members of the Management Committee – Chairperson Theresa Mokgoro, long-acting Deputy Chairperson Jarrison Links, Secretary Dr. Undine Rauter and Coordinator Dr. Wolfgang Hermann. Unanimously they selected the following four candidates with each project manager having two portfolios:
Thabo Matlhole – Tshepanang Peer Educators and A Re Ageng Morafe, (Men’s Group)
Anne Mosing – Tshepanang Peer Educators and Financial Assistance
Kadimo Maleke – Godisang After School Project and Amogelang Support Groups
Rebaone Mogokonyane – Early Learning Centres and Tlamelang Home Based Care
It was for us a sign of God’s guidance that Christel Hermann “by chance” met our old friend Dineo Sefako in a shop in September. She was a senior employee at the local Standard Bank. She revealed that she had taken a package and would have a lot of spare time now. We dared to ask her whether she could see herself as the financial manager of our organization as she is much more competent in this field than the participants of our project management course. She agreed and the Management Committee endorsed her appointment!
That means we have now a new five-member project management team in place that will start working in January 2025. For the first three months they will work together with the long-serving Coordinator Dr Wolfgang Hermann and ELC Supervisor Christel Hermann. In April with the beginning of the new fiscal year they will be handed over the full responsibility to run our organization.
We were grateful for the joyful atmosphere at the closing ceremony of the project management course where the other participants promised to give full support to the newly elected team. There was also great enthusiasm of our organization when the new team was officially introduced to all members.
As our organization was not awarded a new contract with the Independent Development Trust that we had hoped for, the ELM indicated that next year they can no longer fund our After School Program and the funding from National Lottery Commission is exhausted, we had to decide on painful austerity measures:
The incentives of our eighty-five peer educators will be cut by R 320 which leaves our experienced peer educators with a monthly income of only R 1480. We decided to close three of our eight After School Centres. That will reduce the number of our childcare workers from currently 34 to 24 and the number of our paid home care givers will be reduced from 35 to 18. Despite these drastic steps there remains a funding gap of 10,000 Euro for next year.
But we are confident that you will help us to fill this gap. That would enable the new project managers to have a good start! Many thanks to all of you who keep supporting Tsibogang in its various activities throughout this year!
Wolfgang Hermann