Buckets of love – school holiday hamper campaign
As part of our family reunification efforts, most of our children go home for school holidays. But food is not always plentiful back home. And this is even more serious for those kids on life-saving medication like Antiretrovirals, that need to be taken with meals.
That’s why we try to send the kids home with a Bucket of Love … a handy plastic kitchen bucket filled with non-perishable food items to keep tummies full all through the holidays. Each hamper contains:
- Baked beans
- Tinned fish & vegetable curry
- 5kg rice
- 2kg maize meal
- 2kg sugar
- 2kg samp
- Morvite instant porridge/Jungle oats
- Tea, coffee and powdered milk
- 2 litre bottle of cooking oil
- Peanut butter and jam
This year our target is to fill 40 bukets. Please will you help us, so no child has to go hungry during the holidays. Every bucket is filled with love, hope, and nutrition – because no child should have to choose between food and family.
Click here to donate towards Buckets of Love.
children deserve to be safe & happy
But it’s not a perfect world.
The Durban Child & Youth Care Centre strives to give children who’ve been orphaned, abandoned, neglected or abused, another chance of a happy childhood. We provide a safe home, all the daily necessities, education and encouragement to help them develop into healthy, well-adjusted kids.
Wherever possible, we work with the family to enable children to return home. Because every child needs a place to belong.
WATCH OUR VIDEO TO FIND OUT MORE
SOUTH AFRICA’S CHILDREN ARE HURTING
In mid 2018, South Africa was home to 19.7 million children under the age of 18
Of these:
million orphans
million dependent on grants
thousand live in
child only households
%
live below
the poverty line
HOW WE HELP
OUR PROGRAMMES
RESIDENTIAL CARE
![]()
OUR PROGRAMMES
RESIDENTIAL CARE
Up to 60 boys and girls, between the ages of 2-18, live in three units. They attend local schools and receive counseling, remedial teaching, therapy and other activities designed to encourage them to develop skills, talents and confidence.

OUR PROGRAMMES
AMAQHAWE CENTRE
![]()
OUR PROGRAMMES
AMAQHAWE CENTRE
This is a home for 14 children suffering from chronic life threatening illnesses (mainly HIV) and disabilities. We focus on their emotional, spiritual and medical care. Wherever possible, families are encouraged to be involved.

OUR PROGRAMMES
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
![]()
OUR PROGRAMMES
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Professional support to other child & youth care centres, the National Association of Child Care Workers, Regional Youth Forum, etc.

OUR PROGRAMMES
RESIDENTIAL CARE
![]()
OUR PROGRAMMES
RESIDENTIAL CARE
Up to 60 boys and girls, between the ages of 2-18, live in three units. They attend local schools and receive counseling, remedial teaching, therapy and other activities designed to encourage them to develop skills, talents and confidence.

OUR PROGRAMMES
AMAQHAWE CENTRE
![]()
OUR PROGRAMMES
AMAQHAWE CENTRE
This is a home for 14 children suffering from chronic life threatening illnesses (mainly HIV) and disabilities. We focus on their emotional, spiritual and medical care. Wherever possible, families are encouraged to be involved.

OUR PROGRAMMES
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
![]()
OUR PROGRAMMES
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Professional support to other child & youth care centres, the National Association of Child Care Workers, Regional Youth Forum, etc.

Play your part
Although we receive a government subsidy for each child, this is nowhere near the real cost of caring.
Your donation helps provide food, shelter, education, medical care and the therapeutic programmes
these children need to overcome their unhappy past and develop into confident, happy young people.

Gifts in Kind
We appreciate donations of non-perishable food items, clothing and toiletries. Please contact us for a list of our most pressing needs.
Get a MySchool Card
Choose the Durban Child & Youth Care Centre as the beneficiary of your MySchool card and help raise funds every time you swipe the card.
Volunteer
Helping with homework, mentoring older children and sewing clothes are just some of the ways you can make a difference.
Maintenance
Provide a regular monthly service like removal of garden refuse, or general maintenance like replacing light bulbs and tap washers.
Fundraise for us
Run a marathon and ask your friends to sponsor you … or ask for donations to DCYCC in lieu of birthday or Christmas gifts.
Set up a monthly payment
Even small donations – made regularly every month by debit order or recurring EFT – add up to a whole lot of help.
Leave a bequest
One sentence in your will could make a lasting impact on a child’s life – and costs you nothing right now!
Sponsor a child
Contribute towards the cost of caring for one child, with a regular monthly donation towards food, clothing, education and medical bills.
Buckets of love – school holiday hamper campaign
As part of our family reunification efforts, most of our children go home for school holidays. But food is not always plentiful back home. And this is even more serious for those kids on life-saving medication like Antiretrovirals, that need to be taken with meals....
Lenovo Friendship Day
We were excited to be chosen as beneficiaries of Lenovo's “Global Month of Service" (GMOS). During the month, employees of the company around the world are encouraged to participate in activities to uplift their communities, uniting as a global force for social...
Message from the Director – Mandy Goble
And in a heartbeat, our 120 year celebratory gala event is now recorded in the history book of this special organisation. The evening certainly lived up to the hype. Board members, past residents, special guests, donors and new friends arrived in all their...
Instilling pride in kids’ traditions and culture
On Heritage Day, 24 September we celebrated the cultural wealth of our nation ... and also the many different cultures represented within our organisation! Heritage Day is really special at the Durban Child & Youth Care Centre. Our children enjoyed every moment of...
120th Anniversary Fundraising Gala Dinner – a truly special and memorable event.
What an epic night of celebrations we enjoyed to mark the 120th anniversary of the Durban Child & Youth Care Centre! Our Fundraising Gala Dinner, sponsored by Standard Bank, was a truly special and memorable event. Thank you to our vibrant and funny MC, Darren...
A tribute to our Organisation by a Child & Youth Care Worker
“In Circles and Systems, We Grew” By Thabiso Kunene In the heart of care, where small hands grow, You held the space where courage flows. Belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. The Circle of Courage you lived it with tenacity. To the childcare team, with...





