Mama Albina Maleka, Helping Hand and Unsung Heroes PDF Print E-mail

Mama Albina Maleka is 64 years old, an age when most people think of retiring. After working for 40 years as a nurse, Ma Albina had certainly earned her right to a relaxing and peaceful retirement. But this resourceful, caring woman simply could not stand back and ignore the desperate plight of the families affected by HIV and AIDS in her community of Tembisa. She therefore started a home-based care group called Helping Hand in 2001. Armed only with gloves and antiseptic donated by the local clinic Ma Albina started caring for five patients in their own homes. Today she and her team of 21 caregivers make home visits to 60 patients a week. The organisation also looks after 70 orphans in the community.

The Helping Hand organisation has been given regular support from a non-profit organisation based in Gauteng called UNSUNG HEROES. This organisation helps existing community-based organisations to increase their capacity and effectiveness through training and mentoring. A Community Development Facilitator from UNSUNG HEROES has been visiting Helping Hand on weekly basis and has taught the organisation how to manage its finances. The members have also been shown how to write narrative and financial reports for donors.  Ma Albina said that these weekly visits have encouraged her caregivers and given them greater confidence in the value of their work. Schools and clinics in the area now refer families in need to Helping Hand and the Department of Health has commented on their good reporting practices.

When asked what her future plans were, Mama Albina explained that she is developing other leaders within Helping Hand to take over from her when the time comes for her to retire.  But for the moment Ma Albina is so dedicated and passionate about this work it is unlikely that her helping hands will stop reaching out to needy neighbours in Tembisa any time soon. 

UNSUNG HEROES launched an ambitious project in 2006 which plans to build the capacity of 100 new community-based organisations within the greater Gauteng area over a three-year period. It will do this through its pioneering M3 model, which focuses on Mentoring, Management and Money. As the smaller community-based organisations form over 50% of the non-profit sector they represent an important and rapid response to immediate problems at a community level. UNSUNG HEROES believes that projects initiated by the communities themselves have a better chance of being effective and sustainable in the long term, especially if they receive capacity building assistance.

Albina Maleka can be contacted at Helping Hand on 011 925 1198 or 073 709 6512.


For further information on UNSUNG HEROES telephone 011 452 4613 or email Ané Spies at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or go to www.unsungheroes.org.za