Feb 12, 2025 | News
Once upon a time (35 years ago to be exact), our buildings stood amid extensive, lush, green lawns. The sprinklers ran at least three times a week – more often in winter. But, as the cost of water rose, we had to cut down more and more, until we were dependent solely on the rain to water our lawns. During the long, dry winters, the grass dried up and died. So when the rains did come, top soil washed away, leaving us with a bad case of soil erosion, and no funds to sort out the problem.
Imagine our delight when a gardening enthusiast volunteered to help. She rolled up her sleeves and started transforming the gardens, patch by patch. She planted a seed, in more ways than one, by showing us her vision of how landscaping could enable us to reclaim our grounds.
Building on her early work, JD Landscapers have taken charge of our grounds and have worked miracles. In less than a year, we are already enjoying the benefits of their green fingers.
If you are an avid gardener and have slips or unused garden pots and ornaments to donate, you will be welcomed with open arms. It’s incredible what can be achieved when people come together with a common purpose.
Feb 12, 2025 | News
This year marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of our organisation. Based on Wikipedia’s estimate that the average generation spans 20-30 years, we can proudly boast that the Durban Child and Youth Care Centre has provided a safe and nurturing home environment for up to five generations of children in need of care.
That’s certainly cause for celebration – and we have plans to mark this significant occasion with a special event later in the year. Be sure to keep up-to-date with what’s happening by following us on social media and visiting our website for all the details.
New logo
To commemorate this memorable milestone, The Durban Child and Youth Care Centre has a fresh new logo and slogan. Although our values and beliefs have stood firm for over a century, they are now expressed in a more modern, colourful way that resonates with the children placed in our care, their families and their communities.
Against the backdrop of our celebratory year is the day-to-day reality of ensuring that we have the necessary human and financial resources to provide efficient, quality care. Having survived two World Wars and numerous other natural and man-made disasters due to the goodwill of friends and members of the community, we know that we can count on your continued support throughout the year and into the future.
Feb 12, 2025 | News
Paint peeling off the walls, damp stains on the ceilings and carpets that had seen much better days. This is how the upstairs bedrooms and passages of SAWAS House used to look.
But, thanks to Ironman for the Kids and the Victor Daitz Foundation, this section of SAWAS House has now been completely renovated and refurbished – much to the delight of the boys who call it ‘home’. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity and kindness these organisation have shown to the Durban Child & Youth Care Centre.Their combined support has enabled us to complete Phase Two of this project.
However, we still need just over R330 000 to complete the third and final phase. We are in discussions with potential donors and hopeful that SAWAS House will be completed within the next few months. If you would like to be involved, please do contact us.
Feb 12, 2025 | News
School bags, lunchboxes, books, stationery, school uniforms, shoes and more! Thank you so much to everyone who got behind our Back-to-School call to action, helping to make sure that every one of our children had everything they need to learn, grow and excel at school this year.
Whether you popped into our Home to deliver items in person, or made a donation online to enable us to buy school essentials on your behalf, thank you! We were overwhelmed by your generosity, and blessed to know that there are so many kind-hearted people in our community who genuinely care about our children’s education and future.
We look forward to sharing the children’s academic and sporting progress with you throughout this school year.
Feb 12, 2025 | News
Much as our children enjoy watching the antics of the monkeys in our neighbourhood, our vegetable gardeners were not amused to see their precious produce being carried off by these naughty creatures.
The answer, we thought, was plastic netting to keep the trespassers out. But the monkeys had great fun bouncing on it like a trampoline, tearing large holes in the netting in the process. After that, they could come and go as they pleased, making off with our crop even before it was ready to be harvested.
Thankfully, the 1 Association AEAS came to the rescue with generous funding to have new steel fencing installed. With their help we have been able to extend the garden and make sure that it’s the children who enjoy the fruits of our labour.
Special thanks to 1 Association AEAS for their help.
Oct 17, 2024 | News
Did you know that Child and Youth Care Centres are amongst the most highly regulated services in South Africa? The Children’s Act has an entire chapter dedicated to the establishment and operating requirements of registered Centres, along with a very long list of Norms and Standards that must be complied with. Centres such as ours are regularly monitored and evaluated by The Department of Social Development to ensure compliance.
Even if this was not the case, the protection, safety and treatment of children placed in our care on court orders remains our top priority. At DCYCC we are committed to keeping the child at the centre of every decision taken regarding their care and welfare. Their needs are our main concern. And those needs are many.
Plenty of nutritious food … clothing and shoes, including school uniforms, books and stationery … safe transport to and from school … medical and dental attention … and therapy to help children recover from past abuse or trauma.
But, on top of the day-to-day needs, we have to provide safe and comfortable shelter.
Right now, we are embarking on extensive renovations to our SAWAS House, which is ‘home’ to 20 adolescent boys. Owing to the age of the house, a great deal needs to be done to restore it to a warm and welcoming place where these youngsters can thrive. It’s a massive undertaking and will remain at the centre of our fundraising efforts for the rest of the year.
Despite the sheer size of the project, we are confident that success is on the horizon. We are moving forward in faith and hope, and I look forward to being able to report back on the successful completion of the project in due course.
