World Vision mobilizes partners in South Africa to protect children at-risk

Aiming to strengthen its efforts of protecting children at-risk of abuse in South Africa, World Vision joins forces with Maranatha Church and the University of South Africa (UNISA) to support its child protection program. Founded in 1984, Maranatha is located where there is a high number of vulnerable children and some without parents. The church has started a feeding program to children and the homeless keeping them from hunger.

On Mondays, they provide vegetables to the elderly in four sites. From Tuesday to Friday, they prepare meals for over 150 vulnerable children around the community. Some of these children are not members of the church but they come to the church every day from 3pm to 5pm, where they learn life skills. They refer identified abused children to BOSASAOrganisation.

BOSASA works with the Department of Social Development to establish the first Youth Development Centre. Its website states that the immediate aim was to move youth in conflict with the law out of adult correctional facilities. The ultimate objective was to equip troubled youth with the values, education and vocational skills they needed to live productive lives in society.

World Vision trained four church members from Maranatha on child protection process, who in turn trained 17 people. At present, 21 volunteers have been trained on child protection processes, most of them are the youth members of the church. Moreover, the BOSASA Project has been providing some training for the young people on teaching children in the care centres.

These young people also visit the day care centres in the community and provide their services for at least two hours a day. Fifteen centres were established in the community, most of them owned by retired women. “We engage with these children and teach them numerals, life skills and the English language. World Vision has renovated four of these centres and provided furniture and toys,” Molebogeng Vilakati, the church administrator said.

Irene Moyo, 60, a mother of five who supervises the Ekuphumuleni Care Centre said World Vision repainted the walls last year. This centre, whose name means resting place, takes care of 17 children. “These walls were terrible and I didn’t have money for the repainting. Some parents are paying for the children but some of the children are orphans and no one is paying for them. Their parents left them for a long time without even checking on them. I have to stay with them, provide them with food and accommodation. I will never forget what World Vision did for us. Our centre is beautiful now,” she said smiling.

Palesa Mokobedi, a personal assistant to the Maranatha Bishop said the church’s funds were always not enough to support the needs of the children. “The young people from the church usually cook pap, chicken and vegetables. If funds are low, sometimes just bread and butter. We often use our personal money to buy food for the children if there is no more budget. It is very sad to see how some of these children are suffering thus we cannot stop this feeding program. It is very important to us to make them feel loved and cared for,” she said.