THE Emndeni Skills Development and Orphan Drop-in Centre - spanning four decades - is one of the longest-running development facilities in Soweto.

Food schemes, farming, business and computer skills are some of the activities the centre offers to 550 Soweto residents. The centre is one of the many organisations that depend on Lotto funds for survival.

Nomaswazi Mhlaba, a programme manager at the centre, said the centre had applied for Lotto funds in January last year.

"Normally it takes up to six months for the whole application and funding process to be completed," Mhlaba said.

But a year later the National Lotteries Board (NLB) has still not responded to the centre's application for funding. The centre had previously been funded by the board, Mhlaba said.

Last year the NLB distributed letters to hundreds of beneficiary applicants notifying them that funding will be considered for "previously unfunded applications".

The centre's first priority was the sustainability of the orphans project, where food parcels are distributed to children and parents living with HIV and Aids, Mhlaba said.

She said while the skills facilities were running themselves through "learner contributions", no one was funding the orphans project, hence the Lotto application.

"We use to be assisted by some of the big companies but they had to abscond because of the recession," Mhlaba said.

Emily Mohaje, who has spent 12 years looking after the orphans in the centre, said: "The children are in need of food, education and spiritual aid."

Lack of funding meant that sometimes there won't be food for children and coordinators would not be paid their voluntary stipends, she said.

The centre's plight attracted the services of Joburg funding facilitator Steven Read, who has spent two years raising funds for an information centre launched at the weekend.

"This place has big potential," he said. "If you want to see change in the world, be that change."