Last week Tuesday the Gauteng Department of Social Development officially unveiled the Xilembeni Project Centre of Excellence in Bapsfontein, Ekurhuleni as part of MECs 100 Days Programme.
This follows a commitment by MEC Thuliswa Nkabinde-Khawe in her maiden budget vote that the department will launch three (3) centres of excellence in Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng, and Johannesburg to create economic opportunities for the youth and equip
recovering substance abuse service users with skills to survive beyond their treatment.
Beneficiary of the Xilembeni Project Centre of Excellence, Nthabiseng Makola (27) from Ivory Park gave gratitude to the department for allowing her and fellow students an opportunity to be trained as Artisans.
She said when she sees a brick, she sees millions, and when sees a wheel barrow, she sees a Range Rover.
The determined Nthabiseng, who is from a family of five, said she managed to use the skill she acquired at the centre to revamp her parent's house.
She said being part of this programme was not an easy journey, but her attitude towards life changed for the better.
"My plan is to work very hard so that I get everything that I have wished for. I'm not going to disappoint my parents, Xilembeni Projects and the Gauteng Department of Social Development. We work hard as a team here, and we love each other," she happily said.
The Xilembeni Project Centre of Excellence is a Non-Profit Organisation which was established in 2012 to offer support and skills training for the youth. From 2017 they have worked in partnership with the department to provide skills development training to the youth and post-recovery services (aftercare) to substance abuse service users.