Tumelong:
Mission & Development Programme
Diocese of Pretoria

Introduction
Our Diocesan Theme which was introduced in the Bishop’s Charge in December last year is “New wine is put into new wineskins and so both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17). The theme is undergirded by three sub-themes, i.e. Remembrance, Identity, and Defining the New Normal.
Remembrance calls for an appreciation of the past, a reflection on where we came from, and is essentially a call to allow our blessed history to fund our hope and dreams for the future. Identity calls for a critical look at who and what we are, so that we can determine if we have or are compromising our calling. Lastly, Defining the New Normal is an exercise in coming to terms with the changes which the C-19 pandemic and our ever-changing VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) context demands.
Remembrance
Tumelong Mission was originally a settlement in Lady Selborne. It was established in about 1939 at the request of Bishop Wilfred Parker. A large nursery school (early childhood development centre) was established on the premises which already housed the church and the mission house. The staff of Tumelong were available to the Church and community and handled anything from sacristan work in the church, Sunday School work, first aid for victims of assault, training for church workers, etc. Tumelong was not an apolitical ministry and got caught up in the resistance to the oppressive laws during the establishment of grand-apartheid in the 1950’s. One of its earliest Wardens, Mrs Hannah Stanton was imprisoned and later deported.
Tumelong Mission in Lady Selborne was eventually demolished by the Apartheid regime in 1966 and the work continued from the Cathedral premises, and spread to include projects in Hammanskraal, Ga-Rankuwa, and Mabopane. These projects included sewing clubs, school-feeding schemes, selling high-protein foods, developing curriculums for Sunday Schools and facilitating the training of teachers.
Tumelong has survived further disruptions like the 1976 unrest and the resultant changes in staff, location, and projects. Today it’s administrative headquarters is at the St Saviour’s Church premises in Pretoria West, and its work has footprints all over the Diocese of Pretoria.
Identity
Today Tumelong is ministry of the Diocese of Pretoria which focuses mostly on relief and development and it does this work in partnership with HOPE Africa (an Anglican Church of Southern Africa entity). Its program of work covers HIV/Aids; Fill a Bag (Food parcels and clothes), Bottle Tops and Bread bag Tags to exchange for wheelchairs, Orphans and Vulnerable Children (in collaboration with the Starfish Greathearts Foundation), Early Childhood Development, and Family Values.
Our stated objective remains to focus on the actual needs of the people and to provide material and other means of support to those in need regardless of religion, race, or creed. It also includes the building of sustainable quality of life through the provision of skills in order to overcome hunger, poverty, ad unemployment.

Defining the ‘New Normal’
The Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the critical need for a ministry such as Tumelong. Through its vast network it has helped the Church in the Diocese of Pretoria to respond to the need for relief, care and development amongst those who were deeply affected by the pandemic. In this Tumelong were greatly assisted by the governments’ Solidarity Fund (through HOPE Africa), many of the churches in the Diocese of Pretoria, and a number of individuals who provide support.
One of the positive developments in our response to the ‘new normal’ is the cementing of the partnership with the Department of Health, and the beginning of a new partnership with PEPFAR.
The need for Tumelongs’ work has become more pronounced during the pandemic and it is indeed heartening to see how well the staff is responding to the increased demands.
Conclusion
Immense gratitude must go to Paulina Tlaka (director) and her team, the Tumelong Board, our funders and partners, the parish churches of the Diocese of Pretoria and the individuals who support the mission of Tumelong.
We face the future with confidence, since we are able to see how Tumelong has been provided for in the past. We remain committed to provide care, relief, and development to the holy faithful people of God.

The Rt Revd AJ Kannemeyer
Chairman of the Tumelong Board

It gives me great pleasure to present this 2021 Annual Report for Tumelong.

Operating for the second full year under the conditions dictated by the Covid-19 pandemic has been exceedingly difficult. We have felt this most sharply in the dramatic drop in enrolments at our ECD centres, and our inability to implement capacity building projects. Nevertheless, our ECD centres remain important assets for the Diocese and the communities they serve. This is underlined by the decision of the church at provincial level to prioritise early childhood development and their desire to learn from our experience.

On the positive side, our HIV-AIDS work received a substantial boost by the full absorption of our Community Health Workers into the payroll of the Department of Health. By this, Tumelong surrenders a degree of control over its personnel but gains in return a progressive new model of partnership which ensures the church’s witness continues – and does so at much reduced cost – while shared outcomes are achieved.

Another positive thing to highlight is that despite the financial pressures that our local congregations have been subjected to since the Covid-19 pandemic began, they still were able collectively to donate than 1 173 food parcels, 115 bags of clothes as well as bottle tops. Food parcels are the bedrock of our Care and Relief Programme and it is indisputable that without the participation of individual parishes this work would collapse. We are especially grateful to those handful of parishes which despite their own financial pressures refused to de-prioritise this area of their own mission to the world in need.

Perhaps the most significant achievement has been the addition of a whole new project to our suite of services following a successful fundraising effort. This is the PEPFAR-funded Family Matters / Parental Care project, which at its peak will equip 720 parents with skills to foster healthy relationships with their children.

I believe that 2022 will be a better year. With the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions and the opening of churches, we will now be able to meet with Friends of Tumelong and social development coordinators to work on scale, using a new model of delivery which significantly shifts the locus of activity to the local and archdeaconry level. This is in line with the empowerment approach introduced to our social development coordinators a couple of years ago, called the Church and Community Mobilisation Process (CCMP).

I ask you to continue to support us as you have done with material and financial help, but above everything else with prayers for us and for the work we do.

Lastly, my deep-felt thanks to all – our parishes, diocesan institutions and organisations, donors, and stakeholders – for your support. Special thanks are due to Bishop Allan and the Governing Body for their commitment and guidance, as well as to our staff and volunteers for their hard work, patience and sacrifice.

MRS PAULINA TLAKA

DIRECTOR: TUMELONG MISSION