Positive momentum in 2022 at SA Children's Home

Like most South Africans, the children and staff have emerged from the past two years of uncertainty with new momentum in the first quarter of 2022.

The compassion and generosity of our supporters have enabled the SA Children’s Home to do whatever it takes to ensure that our children are growing up in a safe and healthy environment in which they can learn and develop to the best of their abilities.

Dispatches from our  Social Workers Office

Family reunification is back on track 

In 2019, we had 8 children aged 18 and over who remained in the Home for further education, training and internships. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in 2020, we hardly had any movement of children in or out of SACH. In 2021 family reunification started up slowly and we were able to admitt a number of new children. 

Six of our children aged over 18 years turned 21, bringing their stay with us to completion; three children successfully reunified with their parents and two children were placed in permanent foster care. While saying goodbye is always hard, it’s good to see our children reaching these milestones and moving into a new phase of their lives where they can hopefully flourish. 

Since places have started to open up in the Home, we have had an influx of new children joining the SACH family. The challenge now is that we find ourselves with a number of teenagers in need of support, and it seems that there is not a lot of potential for family reunification or foster care given their age and other factors.

A new need for volunteers, host parents 

and BIG BUDDIES

Our Transitional Support Program provides opportunities for mentorship and the development of important life skills for older children. The new teenagers will benefit from participating in our therapeutic and recreational programs and they are receiving educational support. 

For these programs we draw on volunteer support and we hope to boost our volunteer numbers to help us meet the needs of these children. They deserve opportunities to overcome the adversities they have experienced in their young lives; and to help them find their pathways to success. Mentoring and engagement with mature adults and positive role models, makes an extraordinary difference to teenagers, which makes this one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities. 

What it takes to be a BIG BUDDY? 

We hope you may consider signing up as a SACH volunteer, which involves getting police clearance and submitting Form 30. The time commitment is important as it enables building a meaningful relationship and provides consistency. We’re looking for individuals, or families, who can preferably volunteer consistently over a 6-month or more period. Big Buddy time takes place on weekends, and it does not involve home visits. Encounters are hosted at SACH, or it can involve short, fun outings during morning or afternoon visiting hours on either a Saturday or Sunday. 

If you are interested in this fulfilling volunteer experience, please contact Vasti de Villiers, our Reunification Social Worker at vasti@sakinderhuis.org

All the fun in the  Kid's Corner

The kids at SACH started 2022 with lighter hearts! While we remain COVID conscious, the heavy weight of the past two pandemic years has lifted somewhat and it’s been easy to have some fun, whilst learning and playing.

Love that style!

 

The kids celebrated Valentine’s Day with a ballroom dance which gave them all the opportunity to dress up in their best outfits and celebrate the occasion in style.

Special thanks go to Stephanie Le Roux for donating gorgeous dresses to our lovely girls! The best dressed boy and girl respectively won a his- and hers pamper hamper.

Fun at Bloubergstrand

Our children enjoyed the fresh sea air on a wonderful summers day, participating in a fun run at Bloubergstrand.

Learning life skills at home

As part of our development program, our senior children wash their own school socks and shirts on a daily basis and do their own laundry every Saturday. They are also taking turns to cook, dish up and clean up every Wednesday.

Look who moonwalked into the home last weekend!

 
Thrilled by song and dance - everyone at SACH was delighted to host performer and Michael Jackson impersonator, Peggy Wolf. 

Peggy travels the world sharing the joy of Michael Jackson’s music and dancing.

Beneficiaries of the Cape Town Cycle Tour

SA Children’s Home would like to congratulate and thank the seven intrepid cyclists who took to the road to raise funds for us at the Cape Town Cycle Tour in March. 

All of them completed the ride in support of our wonderful children. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Meet Jennifer Gray,

SACH's new General Manager

We are very proud to introduce Jennifer Gray who joined us as General Manager of SA Children’s Home at the end of last year. 

Jennifer, a single mum of three, now grown-up children. She brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to the leadership team of the Home.

In addition to her Social Work degree, Jennifer has an Honours degree in Psychology and she is a certified Play Therapist. Her work experience includes a 7-year stint as trainer for FAMSA and other NGOs, and she recently served on the committee of the HERO organisation in Knysna. She has written and developed training materials on counselling and social skills and has authored a parenting education manual.

In addition to her work in the non-profit sector, Jennifer has worked in Human Resources in the corporate world and at a High School in London.  She says, “I see myself as an advocate for children’s rights and I am passionate about positive parenting. I am delighted to join the SACH team and contribute to the vital work of raising confident, resilient children in the Home.” 

When it comes to her work-life balance, Jennifer enjoys all things arty and intellectual including painting, dancing, playing music, reading, gardening, yoga and chess. 

Please join us in welcoming Jennifer into the SA Children’s Home family!

Thank you for your continued support!

We’re deeply grateful for the support we get - we can’t do our work without you. Thank you for your continued interest in SACH and our children. Please reach out if you can volunteer or help us in any of the ways as set out above, and please share our newsletter and encourage your networks to help us build loyal supporters of the SA Children’s Home. 

We wish you all the best!

SA Children's Home ~ How you can help?

Tutoring:

Most of our children struggle academically, especially in Maths, English, Afrikaans and Physical Science. Tutoring is a proven strategy to help children make up for any learning deficits that are holding them back. We are currently looking for volunteer tutors for our high school children.
 

Study Guides:  

We are in need of curriculum-aligned learning resources in the Home. We are looking for Study Guides from Grade 5 and up, particularly in Maths, Afrikaans, English and Physical Science.
 

Winter warmers:

The seasonal change is upon us, and our growing children are mainly in need of warm shoes and jackets.
 

Administrative assistance:

Do you have a couple of hours available to help out our office staff? We are struggling with complicated ID applications and would greatly value your assistance.
 

Job Shadowing:

Despite the programs we run, we find that our children are struggling to visualise themselves in a workplace. We want to ignite their aspirations and fire up their dreams. Can a child from SACH shadow you at work? This is quick and easy way to make a difference that doesn’t require a long-term commitment.
 

Cooking programme:

Wednesday is cooking day at the home and we want to promote lifelong healthy eating by making it possible for the children to cook with fresh veg, herbs and fruit. To achieve this, we require of regular fresh produce donations for our Wednesday cooking program.
 

Home maintenance:

It happens in every home – we find ourselves with a lot of maintenance upgrades to attend to! If you can assist us in any way, please give us a call.
 

Home hygiene:

We are currently in need of washing powder and bleach.
 

Financial Donations:

Our work directly impacts the lives of children who desperately need a safe space to live, grow and learn. In order to provide this year upon year, we need the financial support of companies and individuals, such as yourself. Please consider making a financial contribution towards the operational cost of the SA Children’s Home. Another way to support us is to host fundraising, such as a high tea, lunch or networking event at your home or office in support of SACH. For more information, please email fundraiser@sakinderhuis.org or you can online at https://sakinderhuis.org/donate/