Lifeskills for 2,587 Children in South Africa

Dear All,

I am sorry about last week’s short and sweet report although I am sure you were more interested in what Charleen had to say than about what I said. For the last month we have been struggling with kidnappings affecting our programs, fortunately because of the measures we have put in place for the safety of the children, none of our children have been taken. However, the strain on all of us as we try and put in more security to keep the kid’s safe affected my health and I had developed bronchitis which would not go for 3weeks. Hence the short and sweet report from last week.

Anyway, I am back! We have not had any more reports of children being taken, we have been able through the Self Help Groups (SHG) get the word out to all the communities about being actively on guard for all the children.

Also we are training men in Journey of Life, over 80% of the men do not live with their children, they are very estranged and struggle to take responsibility accepting the need to be involved with their children’s lives. What was sad was most of them as adults identified not having their fathers in the family growing up as a source of pain, and lacking the fatherly input. It had not dawned on them; they were doing the same thing to their children. Now with the kidnappings we are challenging them as men to go to their children, walk them to school and home, and to our children’s program, and to build relationships. Hopefully this will assist with many issues.

The SHG’s are also working with the policing forum by mobilizing young men and women who are unemployed to walk the streets especially before school and after school to provide an extra layer of protection. The police are stretched very thinly and it comes down to the community caring for the community. Hopefully in the long run it will form community social capital and cohesion.

We are also raising more awareness through our parent committees associated with the children’s program and trying to raise awareness and mobilize the parents. Those who are still attending scout groups are watching the younger ones like hawks and are also walking them home after the meetings. It is such a sad world in which we live. Kids can’t be kids, can’t be care free, can’t have innocent fun.

Your support means we could pivot from our everyday routine and address the issues in the community immediately. Your funding allows us to do this outside of our regular work. For example: it costs transport money, staff, resources to go to the different communities, to mobilize and to assist where ever possible, going door to door in some cases. Travelling to the Induna’s and having meetings to plan and strategize how we can stop this scourge on a village level. You have supported that, amongst all the other things we continue to do. Thank you is such a puny word to convey how grateful I am, as are the parents and the children.

As I said before, if you pray please pray with us for the safety of all children.

Blessings

Louise

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