Feeding the mind. Feeding the Soul

Daily nutrition is something that most of us take for granted, but for the young orphans of Tembisa, having a meal a day can be something hard to come by. As a child's nutrition and education go hand in hand, Tzu Chi's local volunteers and youth members combined their efforts in helping to feed the children's mind, body and soul. 

- by Joanne Lan -

Photo by: Mei-Hua Lee

Photo by: Joanne Lan

Walking through Tembisa, one of the first images that one sees are the beautiful faces of children playing, jumping and running down the streets. It can be hard to imagine that these children enjoying the simple joys of life are orphaned and have little means of support. Many of these children go through a day without a meal, thus diminishing their level of nutrition and health. To combat this issue, the local Tzu Chi volunteers were motivated to start a soup kitchen programme in the different parts of Tembisa to help feed the sick and poor orphans that reside in the area.

The first soup kitchen in Phomolong, headed by Sister Elizabeth, was established through the second half of 2012, whilst the second soup kitchen in Mayibuye, headed by Sister Salaminah, began last year, 2013. Two new soup kitchens in Rabie Ridge and Ivory Park, headed by Sister Lebo and Mama Semenya respectively, started their operations this year.
To further assist their community, hot, delicious meals were not only offered to the children, but also to the patients and volunteers from the nearby physiotherapy centres set up in the area.

Photo by: Mei-Hua Lee

Many of the children have been instilled with Tzu Chi mannerisms and culture through the teachings of the local Tzu Chi volunteers. This was seen as an opportunity to grow the seed of love and spread the teachings of venerable Master Cheng Yen. "Jing Si Aphorism" tutorials have recently been conducted by the local Tzu Chi youth members to pass on the Master's words of wisdom to the young children to encourage them to lead a blessed life full of compassion and good deeds.

Not only is it an opportunity for the little boddhisattvas to be nurtured from grass root levels, the local Tzu Chi youth members are also offered the chance to put their creativity into action by working in curriculum teams to develop fun, interactive lessons which include games, drawing, acting and reading.

The "Jing Si Aphorism" tutorials were established in the recent two weeks and have thus far been a great success.

Photo by: Cynthia Dlamini

Photo by: Richard Malesa