Early childhood centre named after Lily Goldblatt

Lily Goldblatt may be 91 years old, but this humanitarian hasn’t let up in helping those less fortunate. On Thursday, 28 November, Goldblatt, whose late husband was acclaimed photographer David Goldblatt, will be recognised by having an early childhood development (ECD) centre in Soweto named in her honour.

Sibongile Mkwananzi, the founder of ECD centre Nanga Vhutshilo, will rename the new centre after Goldblatt at a ceremony.

“We have built this organisation together and kept it going for so long, and many people in various levels have kept it going in the face of immense difficulty. So, to be honoured in such a way is remarkable,” Goldblatt told the SA Jewish Report.

Mkwananzi said she felt it important to honour Goldblatt in such a way while she was still alive to allow her to feel the appreciation the organisation has for the work she has put in all these years. “I want her to witness the appreciation that the Nanga Vhutshilo beneficiaries and their families have,” she said, “and to show her that we love and honour her for the hero she is to us.”

Goldblatt said she was honoured to have the centre named after her, not out of vanity but to serve as a testament to the amazing impact she and Mkwananzi have made through their friendship of nearly 25 years.

Brenda Goldblatt, Lily’s daughter, said it meant so much to their family because it acknowledges the dedication her mother has to others. “It’s nice that someone is acknowledged, and that Sibongile wants to honour their relationship in this way. It says something about their history together and the journey they’ve travelled,” she said.

Mkwananzi and Goldblatt met through Parents for Aids Actions in 2000, and immediately hit it off, realising that the work they could do together could last the test of time.

Goldblatt was always involved in child palliative care, so when Mkwananzi approached her about 20 years ago about Nanga Vhutshilo and asked if she could assist, she jumped at the chance.

Said Mkwananzi, “From the start, Lily was on board and helped in every way she could. Lily would collect bread from Spar in town and deliver it to Nanga Vhutshilo daily. She also started buying food for our orphans and vulnerable children.”

Goldblatt was at Mkwananzi’s side throughout the life of Nanga Vhutshilo, and has done many different tasks over the years. She was a member of the centre’s board, and served as an ear to anything Mkwananzi had to say and tried to help in any way, whether it be by running around Johannesburg getting food to feed the children, or just making sure that whatever needed to be paid was paid.

Nanga Vhutshilo offers a high-quality ECD curriculum and accompanying programmes in one of Soweto’s most vulnerable communities of Moroka. At the centre, children receive language exposure, well-designed cognitive education, and stimulating human interaction, all of which are essential to ensure that a child develops all the necessary skills for life.

Said Goldblatt, “Very often, the government subsidy just stops, and then there’s no money for food and they can’t feed their people, and we’re trying to see her over a patch, and I help in any way I can.”

There are many different centres like Nanga Vhutshilo, but what sets it apart, according to Goldblatt and her daughter, is that it flourishes because of the work of Mkwananzi.

Said Brenda, “Community organisations like this are vital to the health of communities. Sibongile is particularly gifted in working with vulnerable families and with young people.”

Goldblatt hopes that the ECD centre continues to grow from strength to strength in the years to come as “life is hard for nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). The government has reneged on a lot of its promises to support registered NGOs. Just surviving would be wonderful.”