The Hlumelelisa Story…
“I was part of the Hlumelelisa class of 2009. I worked hard and loved working with flowers and nature. In 2010, Hlumelelisa recognised me and I then joined their training programme I believe that this work and nature helped me get rid of the great anger I had in my heart since I was a child. On my release from prison I was offered fulltime employment with Hlumelelisa. I now wish to start a family and take care of my mother as she is old. With the help of Hlumelelisa, I have the vision to achieve my lost dream to be a businessman in the future. I am willing to give the best of my ability to this project, help others grow and find their dreams,” says Mafika Clement Vilakazi – Leeuwkop Correctional Services.
Hlumelelisa, a nonprofit organisation (NPO) that trains sentenced offenders, parolees and people at risk in practical and theoretical horticultural skills, was registered as an NPO under Section 18a in 2003. Paul Bruns, founder and programme director of Hlumelelisa, believes that, "Growing and skilling up these inmates, enables them to make a positive contribution to communities once they are reintegrated into society."
Hlumelelisa’s vision is to equip sentenced individuals with practical skills so that they can take care of themselves, make a positive contribution to their community and help to create a greener, safer and more beautiful South Africa for many years to come. The programme is designed to enable learners to work with nature, learn important life skills such as; nurturing, patience, commitment and perseverance. By taking responsibility for living plants, they learn about taking responsibility for themselves, their environment and their futures. The programme focuses on assisting offenders to regain their humanity and self-respect and to develop a sense of hope.
Main activities and services
Students are given access to a nine-month training programme that leads to a recognised qualification. The offenders use these skills to become productive citizens outside the prison system and to secure employment in the formal sector, or to engage successfully in small-scale entrepreneurial activities.
Leeuwkop Project Impact
Hlumelelisa has been working within Leeuwkop Correctional Facility since 2003 and has trained over 200 students within this facility. Five of their current facilitators and Train-the-Trainers are previous students of Hlumelelisa at Leeuwkop. Other examples of success include one ex-student who has started his own nursery in Witpoortjie; six other previous students are employed by a landscaper, another is a landscaper with a municipal contract in Midrand.
Thusong Project Impact
As part of the learnership, students were on a R50 daily stipend for a year. Hlumelelisa donated vegetables sown and harvested at Thusong to feed the children at the nearby crèches and the communities of Alexandra. The vegetables were also given to the kitchen of Thusong Community Youth Centre.
Vegetable gardens as well as decorative gardens were created at Thusong Community Youth Centre. The community of Alexandra was encouraged with the greening of Alexandra during Hlumelelisa’s involvement at Thusong Community Youth Centre.
Challenges facing Hlumelisa:
- A negative preconception of parolees exists;
- Formal work opportunities for ex-offenders are slight as are for unemployed youth; and
- The greening of Townships.
Hlumelelisa’s objectives and purpose have a long-term horizon, but the 2013 strategy is to implement strategies that will make Alexandra township more green, and create a sustainable environment for the project to carry on the next phase.
Hlumelelisa requires:
Hlumelelisa is evolving from a training provider to a facilitator in the developing of small groups of community-based business. Building the organisation’s institutional capacity and human resource is an immediate priority.
Existing fundraising mechanisms and sustainability measures need to be reviewed in terms of income generation. An income generating project needs to be created where people will be able to benefit from selling their products – this will require a detailed analyses of the viability of the project.
Impact on society:
Hlumelelisa addresses the learning and economic needs of their learners by providing them with the technical and practical skills to gain employment in horticulture or agriculture. There are also many possibilities to start a variety of small-scale businesses in horticulture or agriculture such as growing seedlings or vegetables for local sale. Hlumelelisa’ programme also addresses the rehabilitative needs of the learners – it equip its students with important life skills to give them new hope and to enable them adopt a lifestyle that will result in a second chance towards becoming productive citizens.
To view Hlumelelisa in the Prodder NGO Directory, click here