04/13/11

A.    CONTACT & REGISTRATION DETAIL  

B.    PROFILE

1.     Project Origins

Ki-Deo Children’s Home provides a stable home environment for 9 destitute children.

They are all traumatised children that were removed from their parents care by the legal system. The house is filled with children from different ages (between 5 and 18), and has very much the same structure as a normal family.

The house parents, Hein & Theresa Geldenhuys, provide for all the needs of the children, including social, physical, material and emotional.

Ki-Deo’s goals are to provide quality accommodation in small, family size unit that doesn’t label the child as an institutionalised child. Ki-Deo also aims to provide health care rendered by medical professionals, therapeutic counselling, schooling, relaxation & cultural activities to the children.

As a dream of Hein & Theresa, the children’s home was started by the Doxa Deo Midstream Campus in partnership with the AFM Executive Welfare Council. The social services delivered by the church and the social work arm of the church extend into a practical solution for children placed in foster care by the courts.

Hein & Theresa live their passion to take care of vulnerable children.

The children’s home is based in Lyttelton, Centurion. The location was specifically chosen to be central and close to the city centre and schools for the children.

2.     Preparation 

A well-known African proverb states that “it takes a village to raise a child”. The pressures of modern society on parents who raise children in isolation are one of a multitude of reasons for the breakdown of family structures.

With this in mind, the AFM Executive Welfare Council and other partners of Doxa Deo Midstream Campus did research to establish the need for children’s homes. It was found that the Centurion area has a great need for safe homes for children in foster care. The search for a suitable home followed. A large house was found in Van Riebeeck Ave 112, Lyttelton Manor. The house has 4 bedrooms, a large kitchen, a large living area, a swimming pool with large lawn area, etc.

The house parents occupied the house on 1 July 2005. The children arrived 2 weeks later and settled in well after an adjustment period. To create a strong network of support, the church network is used. The house parents are part of a marketing committee that is responsible for fundraising for the children’s home.

3.1   Community Setting

Ki-Deo serves children from broken family structures. The children cannot be cared for by the community and is ‘homeless’, although they often have parents. The statistics on abused women and children in SA shows that Ki-Deo Children’s Home addresses a huge need for care to traumatized children in South Africa.

The SAPS released the following shocking statistics in 2004:

These figures do not include indecent assault on children. Indecent assault can, in terms of its present legal definition in South Africa include anal and oral sexual penetration of children in abusive situations and, if these figures were included in the statistics, would considerably increase the official child abuse statistics.[1]

The other problems Ki-Deo is faced with are children that are removed from families due to abuse, neglect, poverty, abandonment, alcohol abuse or parents serving a prison sentence. Some of the children have no contact with families because their families disappeared. Other children are orphaned due to death of both parents, and traumatised – not fitting into any alternative placements.

The statistics is shocking and the terms that make us shiver, is not just terms for our traumatised children. These children need a safe haven. Ki-Deo.

3.2 Constraints

The children’s home are faced with several challenges. Overcoming these challenges will enable the house parents to create an environment that provides holistic care to the children:

• Money for operational expenses – currently we are fully reliant on ad-hoc donations from church and community members to sustain the monthly expenses. A regular donation on a monthly basis would allow us to plan ahead and ensure sustainable care for the children.

• Safety of premises – we need additional safety gates and equipment to make the premises 100% safe for the children.

• Maintenance of premises – as with any older house, the house needs some maintenance work. We also need to build on 4 small bedrooms, due to the age differences of the children.

• Funds for activities – children need to be involved in sport and recreational activities in order to develop to their full potential. Money for sport clothes, equipment, costumes for concerts, etc. is scares. Donations for these specific areas are greatly needed.

3.3 Lessons Learned – Activities undertaken in the past 

The involvement of an astute partner in child care like the AFM Executive Welfare Council assured us of lessons learned being implemented. One of the most valuable lessons learned is that children should not be institutionalised (place in large hostels) but rather cared for by a dedicated group of parents, friends and community members. We therefore only take 9 children into the house at any given time, and provide them with a family.

4.     Assumptions

Giving these children a stable environment to complete their adolescent years in where they can receive the right guidance with regard to ethics, personal values and careers, will result sending well adjusted young adults into the society.

5.      Situation expected at the end of the project

Children from abusive and lacking home-environments can be placed in an enabling environment where they can grow into self-sustaining well-balanced adults. Partnerships are formed to ensure that the children will be developed after school into employable adults.

C.    PROJECT DESCRIPTION

6.     Objectives

To provide quality accommodation in small, family size units that doesn’t label the child as an institutionalised child. Ki-Deo also aims to provide:

• Health care rendered by medical professionals,
• Therapeutic counselling,
• Schooling,
• Relaxation,
• Cultural activities to the children.

7.      Location and Duration

The children’s home is based in Lyttelton, Centurion. The location was specifically chosen to be central and close to the city centre and schools for the children. The project is on-going and need monthly donations from people that will contribute for at least one year.

D.    PROJECT MANAGEMENT

8.     Organisational Structure

Doxa Deo Midstream Campus will, as the implementing agent, is responsible for the management and implementation of the programme. A steering committee was established and implemented who ensure the effective management and implementation of the programme and review the programme progress with regard to the achievements of milestones. The programme team were drawn in the expertise from AFM Executive Welfare Council, acting as project manager. The daily programme is undertaken by a task team consisting of the staff & house parents who has the necessary knowledge and capacity to undertake and manage (financial aspects) of this programme.

9.     Local Participation

The community benefits through addressing of a vital social issue – children abuse. Community members are encouraged to become involved as weekend and holiday parents for the children, contributing resources other than money, e.g. time, skills, etc.

E.    PROJECTS FOR 2009

• To add four bedrooms and a bathroom to the house.   Recently there are three boys, ages 12, 14 and 18. The girls are 11, 13, 16 in one room which is not suitable because of the age difference and space in the room.

• Safety gates and burglar bars.

• Bucket project:  to help with the monthly groceries.

• Educational tour to the Cape.  We are already busy working for the tour and need approximately R20 000 to be able to do this.  All the children will be helping as this exercise also serves to make the children aware that they have to work for what they want in life.

F.     Needs

• Monthly debit orders

• Help with monthly groceries (see list on the website)

• Fresh meat, cold meat, viennas, patties, etc

• Winter clothing

• Serving dishes

• Plants for the garden

• Dentist to see the children on a regular basis

• Psychologists

• Loose carpets for bedrooms

• Sandpit

• Paving

Thank you for the opportunity to tell you more about Ki-Deo!