In 2012, in Ga-Rankuwa, Ms Faith Sibeko founded the Faith and Hope Foundation after a simple yet profound conversation with her five-year-old daughter. “Mom, why don’t you adopt 10 children and women? In the house we have lots of food… you can give them shelter and clothes,” the little girl said. That child’s observation became the seed of an organization dedicated to uplifting vulnerable women and children in the community.
As a woman leading community work, Ms. Sibeko faces the familiar challenge of inconsistent funding that sometimes delays programmes. Yet she refuses to let it define her path. “I started this without funding,” she says. “Whether I am getting paid or not, I won’t stop because of it.”
The Foundation equips women with practical skills. Participants learn beading and sell their creations, generating income. Through agroforestry farming, the garden provides food when households go without. These initiatives offer both skills and dignity, recognizing the hardships the community has endured. The organization also partners with South African Policy Alliance (SAPA) to raise awareness about gender-based violence, highlighting how easy access to alcohol contributes to the problem and educating residents on its effects.
Ms. Sibeko’s message this Women’s Month is clear and urgent: “If you want to start something, start now. Don’t wait saying if I get this, I will start… just start. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. If you want change, be the change start now.”
Through quiet determination and community rooted action, Faith Sibeko continues to turn her daughter’s childhood vision into lasting support for women and families in Ga-Rankuwa.
