Oct 30, 2023 | News
Our Annual Friendship Day took place on Saturday, 28 October. This year’s theme was, “Friends are like Diamonds, Bright and Beautiful”. It’s important to celebrate friendship. Because, as Bill Watterson said, “Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.”
It was an opportunity for the children to showcase their talents and spend quality time with their mentors, friends and family in a fun-filled environment.
Special thanks to radio personality, Chantal Moonsamy from Radio Point 3, for being our incredible guest speaker on the day. We also acknowledge with gratitude all our sponsors: What’s the Function for the popular photobooth and stage décor, J&J Professional Sound for creating such a wonderful vibe, The Sai Group of Chatsworth for the donation of snack packs, and Shell Overport Motors who sponsored meals for all our guests.
Oct 5, 2023 | News
Imagine going home for the school holidays and not having food to eat!
Many of our children are from underprivileged homes, where good, nourishing food is in short supply. Some of the children are on Antiretroviral treatment and cannot risk missing a meal as medication can’t be taken on an empty stomach.
But being allowed to go home for the holidays is an important part of our family reunification programme – and eagerly anticipated by the kids. Cases are reviewed regularly and we partner with the children’s extended family to ensure the children’s welfare while they are away.
Part of that is arranging food parcels for the children to take home with them. Over the years, our “Buckets of Love Campaign” has been generously supported by schools, religious groups, corporates and individuals. And now we need your help again.
Please become our partners in caring; help fill a bucket by donating non perishable food items such as:
- 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
- Onion soup
- 2 litre cooking oil
- Peanut butter and jam
In most cases the bucket of love we send them home with, becomes their only source of nutrition over the holidays! And we need 35 buckets by 14 March 2024.
Items may be dropped off at the Durban Child & Youth Care Centre in Glenwood. Thank you for your ongoing support and care for our precious little ones.
Oct 5, 2023 | News
In July this year, the unimaginable happened! Our last remaining school bus was hijacked. Despite all our efforts, we were unable to recover the vehicle.
We were already under immense pressure. Just last year, one of our two vehicles – both of which were critical for transporting our children to and from school, clinics, hospital, psychological assessments and community activities – was hijacked. And then it happened again. With Quantums being one of the most sought after vehicles by hijackers, we needed to look at other suitable options that would prevent us from going through this again.
The only problem was that every suitable vehicle available cost much more than the insurance payout. We were in an impossible situation until a real-life Superhero swooped in and saved the day.
Ironman came to our rescue! No, not the Marvel Comics Superhero, but our local triathlon champions, Ironman 4 the Kidz Charity Trust!
Thanks to their incredible generosity, we were able to make up the shortfall needed to purchase a new vehicle. And their act of kindness didn’t just stop there. When they heard that we were in need of a new Industrial washing machine, they agreed to donate the necessary funds for us to purchase a new one.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Ironman 4 the Kidz for empowering us to continue the work that we do for our children.
Oct 4, 2023 | News
Like all our buildings, the hall at Durban Child & Youth Care Centre is old. And the years have taken their toll. At the beginning of 2022, we were fortunate to receive funding from two donors, which allowed us to repair the roof and fix up the ablutions. But the state of the flooring literally had us ‘floored’.
Broken and worn tiles were becoming a tripping hazard, as well as unhygienic. But we couldn’t stop using it, because the hall is the heart of our Home. It’s a central meeting point for the children from all the units … a place where they can get together for educational, developmental and recreational programmes, as well as various activities and events. Staff, too, use the hall on a regular basis for team meetings and training.
We are thankful to Ironman 4 the Kidz for coming to our aid and donating the funds needed to renovate the hall flooring. There was even enough left over to renovate the showers at the Amaqhawe Care Centre. Talk about being showered with blessings! A huge shout out to Ironman 4 Kidz for their wonderful generosity and caring.
Oct 3, 2023 | News
Working in an organisation as old as ours has its pros and its cons. One of the pros is the history. A history captured in faded ink on yellowed paper, plaques capturing the age of old buildings, children’s files – the oldest on record dating back to 1917 – black and white photographs of a bygone era. And … the oldest Annual Financial Report on record, dating back to 1968.
It would seem that the maintenance requirements of our buildings were as much a need then as they are now. “Because our houses are fairly old, the cost of maintaining them is always high and this has been an expensive year”. Fast forward 55 years and in our most recent Annual Financial Report our President reports, “Our buildings, which are in the geriatric stage, are in need of constant high care, a costly expense’’.
The 1968 report records an amount of R 4 207 being spent on repairs, whilst in this past year we spent R402 250 – and this figure doesn’t include project funding that we have had to secure outside of our budgeted allocation.
I shudder to think what would become of this place, which many children continue to refer to as home, were it not for the generosity of our longstanding and new donors. Words will never be sufficient to express our gratitude for your willingness to stand with us as guardians of the vulnerable in our country.
Oct 3, 2023 | News
Our Amaqhawe Care Centre and Khayelisha House were recently revamped and renovated internally and externally – all thanks to the incredible generosity and support From the People of Japan.
Together, these buildings, which date back to 1910 and 1914 respectively, accommodate 34 children, ranging in age from two to 18 years. Over the years, the buildings have been a safe haven that many vulnerable children and youth in KwaZulu Natal have called home.
Children remain here while we focus on reunification and reintegration with family and/or the community, with the ultimate goal of returning children to their homes. Throughout the process, the child’s family is involved and viewed as partners. And, where immediate family is not available, the extended family and community are drawn on for support.
Residential Programme
During their time with us, the children are developmentally assessed, and clear care and development plans drawn up. Developmental programmes provide strengthening and capacity building, whilst therapeutic programmes allow for healing, healthy development, and a sense of well-being.
As a non-profit organisation, our priority has to be on operational needs. However the demands of our aged buildings are a constant concern. Maintenance needs are prioritised, with the most critical and urgent projects being attended to first.
Raising enough money to meet our operational shortfall annually is a challenging task in itself in the present economic climate. And having to raise additional funds to attend to all our maintenance needs makes the task even more difficult. Despite how impossible it seemed, we remained committed and kept approaching donors and sending out appeals for help.
After numerous “No’s” and “Declines”, we are just bursting with immense gratitude and joy to share that we finally received a “Yes” From The People of Japan. This BIG makeover has breathed new life into the buildings and allows them to remain a safe haven for many more vulnerable children in need of a safe and caring home environment.
Thank you to the people of Japan for being our Partners in the Care of Vulnerable Children and Youth.
