Angela Larkan's work to help orphans in rural areas has won her a national award. Angela Larkan's work to help orphans in rural areas has won her a national award.
KwaZulu-Natal’s Angela Larkan, founder of non-profit organisation Thanda, has been chosen as The Clarins Most Dynamic Woman of the Year for 2011 in recognition of the work she has done to fight the destructive impact of HIV/Aids and poverty on orphans in rural communities.
The award recognises and rewards women making a difference in the lives of children and Larkan is the 10th winner.
Her prize includes a R200 000 cash prize from Clarins, a BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone and the use of an economy air-conditioned vehicle for one year, free of charge from Avis.
Based in Hibberdene, on the South Coast, Larkan, 27, established Thanda five years ago and has pioneered new approaches to fighting HIV/Aids in rural communities and taking care of HIV orphans that could be implemented throughout Africa. The project supports 325 children daily, and she is working to bring hope to thousands more through her model for community change.
She also established Thanda After-School, where young people from the local community are employed. They receive a meal each day and are provided with a stable support system that offers guidance, mentoring and skills development.
By working with people from the local communities, Thanda keeps the rural social fabric intact and embraces the Zulu custom whereby relatives, friends and neighbours are trusted to take care of one another.
Larkan says she realised the “onset of Aids and the ensuing flood of orphans presented a challenge that traditional forms of aid and charity could not address. I felt the issue needed to be looked at in a new way, built on the strengths South Africa possesses, its people and its communities”.
Robynne Adams, the general manager of Clarins South Africa, said: “Angela is making a difference, sowing the seeds of hope, for so many. Thanda empowers people to become problem solvers in their own community, working with existing resources, traditions and structures to ensure solutions are lasting. We were so impressed by Angela’s quiet determination to get things done.” – Lifestyle Reporter