GAUTENG – The continued support from the Gauteng Department of Social Development has helped strengthen services at the Battling Kids Community Centre in Soweto. The centre, founded by 75-year-old community activist Gogo Rachel Mthembu, known as Mamthembu, provides essential care for elderly residents through meals, social activities such as exercise, singing, and knitting, and emotional support aimed at reducing loneliness and poverty-related hardship.
Over time, the centre expanded its services to include a feeding programme for about 70 children from nearby primary schools, ensuring learners who arrive hungry after school receive food and care. Although the organisation also receives donations from retailers like Pick n Pay and Woolworths, as well as occasional support from the City’s Metro Police, rising demand continues to strain its limited resources. Mamthembu has expressed hope for continued and expanded support to sustain both elderly and child-focused programmes, highlighting the importance of partnerships in addressing hunger and vulnerability in the community.
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