Dlalanathi

Dlalanathi was born from grief and grew into one of KwaZulu-Natal's most thoughtful and evidence-grounded child psychosocial support organisations. Its founding story involves three people: a young boy from a children's home, a social worker named Liesl Jewitt who cared for him, and a farmer named Rob Smetherham who was battling brain cancer — whose intersecting experiences of loss and care gave rise to a shared vision: that children facing death, loss, and trauma deserved specialised, compassionate, play-centred support. Twenty-five years later, Dlalanathi has trained 185 community health workers, conducted 1,215 home visits supporting new mothers, reached 1,050 young people, and supported 183 children through family support groups.

Their model is grounded in a vital insight: children heal most naturally in relationship and through play. Their programmes do not wait for children to come to a clinic — they go into homes, schools, and communities, and they work through the caregivers who are already present in those children's lives.

What They Offer Children, Caregivers, and Families

Trauma Informed Children's Groups Structured group programmes for children who have experienced trauma — using play, creative expression, and peer connection to support processing and healing. Trauma-informed practice means meeting children where they are, without requiring them to narrate or re-live their experiences.

Play4Communication A caregiver and practitioner training programme teaching the foundational skills of communicating with children through play — building the relational capacity that enables adults to truly hear and support the children in their care.

Foundation Play Skills Training in the developmental building blocks of play — equipping caregivers and early childhood practitioners with the knowledge to use play as a therapeutic and developmental tool.

Play Mat Training Programme A targeted programme training caregivers in how to use a play mat as a structured learning and therapeutic environment — particularly relevant for very young children and in home-visiting contexts.

Ibhayi Lengane — Home Visiting for New Mothers A home-visiting programme supporting new and expecting mothers — with 1,215 home visits completed as of 2024. In a province with high rates of maternal stress, poverty, and HIV, early caregiver support is one of the most powerful investments in a child's future wellbeing.

Me Power In & Out School A youth empowerment programme operating in and out of school settings — building young people's sense of agency, identity, and capacity to navigate challenges.

Career Work Guidance and support for youth navigating education and career pathways — building the economic agency that is foundational to safe, autonomous lives.

The Solution Focused Approach (SFA) A structured youth facilitation methodology focused on strengths and solutions rather than problems — building young people's capacity to identify and act on their own resources and goals.

Self-Help Group Approach Community-based self-help groups for caregivers and parents — building peer support, shared knowledge, and collective resilience in communities where professional services are scarce.

Families4Children A parenting support programme for early childhood development, with an associated policy brief (published March 2026) aimed at influencing government support for family-centred approaches to child development and protection.

Dlalanathi is at 191 Burger Street, Pietermaritzburg, KZN. Phone: 033 345 3729. Email: admin@dlalanathi.org.za. Facebook: dlalanathi | Instagram: dlalanathi.