{"id":32594,"date":"2026-03-03T10:40:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=32594"},"modified":"2026-03-03T10:40:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:40:39","slug":"vut-brings-hope-to-matwalas-childrens-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/vut-brings-hope-to-matwalas-childrens-home\/","title":{"rendered":"VUT brings hope to Matwala\u2019s Children\u2019s Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

“VUT Victim Empowerment Centre visited Matwala\u2019s Children\u2019s Home in Vanderbijlpark SE2, donating food parcels and clothing to support 67 children, including orphans and abandoned infants, as part of its ongoing commitment to community upliftment and compassionate care.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

02 March 2026 | Story by: Sphiwe Sadiki<\/strong>\u00a0| Picture by: Keitumetse Mokgope<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"VUT<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Victim Empowerment Centre (VEC) visited Matwala\u2019s Children\u2019s Home on 25 February 2026 in Vanderbijlpark, delivering food parcels and clothing to 67 vulnerable children. Beyond material support, the visit reaffirmed the University\u2019s commitment to compassion, dignity and community care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A home built on purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VEC Manager, Ms Faith Mocoancoeng, reflected on the remarkable legacy of the home. Over the years, Matwala\u2019s Children\u2019s Home has nurtured children from across the Vaal region, many of whom have gone on to build independent and successful lives. Some are graduates of VUT, while others are employed across various provinces, living proof that a stable and loving environment can transform futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founder and Director, Ms Elizabeth Twala, shared the story behind her calling. Guided by her motto, \u201cGiving a place to call home,\u201d she began her journey after noticing that a neighbour was caring only for boys. She felt compelled to focus on vulnerable girls from infancy to young adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first child she raised, Ms Manana Kojana, has since grown into a capable and compassionate woman who now supports Ms Twala in caring for the children. This full circle moment reflects the enduring power of guidance and unconditional love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustained by community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Ms Twala had long cared for children informally, the home was officially registered in 2008. Since then, it has been sustained by the generosity of the Vaal community and committed partners. Sponsors such as Blue Ribbon provide daily bread, while Debonairs Pizza, Spur Steak Ranches and Food Lover\u2019s Market have offered support in various forms. Notably, some of the children raised at the home are now proudly employed by these very organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community members continue to contribute clothing and food, reinforcing the shared responsibility of protecting the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restoring dignity and hope<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Ms Twala is raising 67 children between the ages of 0 and 18. Among them are triplets whose biological mother felt unable to care for them. Where others saw difficulty, she saw possibility. Under her care, they are thriving in an environment defined by safety, belonging and stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the children are orphans or were abandoned. Within the walls of this home, however, they are met with structure, affection and a sense of family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expressing her gratitude to VUT VEC, Ms Twala emphasised the significance of sustained support. \u201cEvery act of kindness reminds these children that they are seen, valued and loved,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matwala\u2019s Children\u2019s Home is more than a place of shelter. It is a sanctuary of second chances. Through steadfast dedication and collective goodwill, Ms Elizabeth Twala continues to live her mission of giving each child not merely a roof over their head, but a place they can truly call home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catch the full experience on Flickr <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“VUT Victim Empowerment Centre visited Matwala\u2019s Children\u2019s Home in Vanderbijlpark SE2, donating food parcels and clothing to support 67 children, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":32597,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32598,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32594\/revisions\/32598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}