The centre supports the principle that children should be reunited with their families as soon as possible, once the original reason for admission has been dealt with. Reuniting the children with their families is usually the responsibility of an external social worker (usually the same social worker who placed the child in the care of the centre originally). However, the social workers operate under a great deal of pressure, which has a direct effect on the amount of time which lapses before reunification of children with their families can occur. Conversely, there is also a growing number of children being taken into care who do not have any family connections or support systems. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify families in the community who are willing to act as weekend- and holiday-friends for the children, particularly the older children. The centre hopes to address this problem by expanding on the existing services, and by initiating new community projects.

The Abraham Kriel Child and Youth Centre has a particular interest and involvement in the following projects which benefit the children in our care:

THE BANA PELE PROJECT

Whenever services are delivered to children, the culture from which they come has to be taken into account, as this may affect their behaviour. Occasionally, children who are brought to the centre have no family connections or support systems to speak of. In some of these cases the children lose their sense of cultural identity, and become estranged from the values, norms and traditions which are part of their culture. To remedy this situation, the centre endeavors to recruit and screen families from these children’s communities of origin to build meaningful relationships with the children. The children then spend weekends and school holidays visiting these families. The families receive support from the centre in the form of conferences and training. There are currently twelve approved families involved in the project, and collectively they accommodate 16 children.

Bana Pele Case Study: Mary Moeng*

Mary was taken into the care of the centre approximately four years ago. She was shy and introverted, and had no family or support system outside of the centre. She was aware that she had no-one, and that the other children could leave the centre during the holidays. Mary was included in the Bana Pele project, and a specific family in the community was selected and approved for her. She now visits the family every second weekend and every school holiday. The impact this family have had on her has been remarkable! She has finally gained the love which she craved, and looks forward to a future with this family. She has developed into a self-confident and independent young lady who now plays a supportive role in the lives of the other children.

*Pseudonym to protect the identity of the child

REUNIFICATION/FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT PROJECT

Occasionally the relationship between the Bana Pele parents and children develops over a period of time, and a very strong attachment forms between them. In such cases the Bana Pele parents may wish to become the foster parents of the children. They are required to undergo a separate foster-parent screening process before their application is considered.

Reunification Case Study: Ben Mogale*
“I lived in the children’s home for fourteen years, and shared many experiences with many other children. Although the children’s home looked after me very well, I never felt as if I belonged there, what I really wanted was a family of my own. Eventually I started smoking and doing things to impress my friends. All that I achieved by doing that was getting myself into trouble.

“A social worker from the centre enrolled me in the Bana Pele Project. In the beginning, I only visited the family over weekends, but later I started visiting over the holidays as well. In the end, the family took me into their care, and opened their house and their hearts to me. The father of the house is a leader, and someone who always gives me good advice – just like a teacher. I now also have a brother and two sisters.

“In my family, we treat each other with respect, and we also have responsibilities which we have to fulfill. It was unbelievable how quickly I was accepted into the community and how soon I was able to make new friends. I understand now why people respect their culture and customs. I know where I come from and where I am going.”

*Pseudonym to protect the identity of the child


PLACEMENT OF GERMAN VOLUNTEERS INTO EXISTING COMMUNITY PROJECTS

The centre expanded its services by placing the German volunteers in various projects, as agreed with the German authorities. The work the volunteers did was mainly focused on:

• Assisting teachers in schools with various small tasks, supervising learners on the grounds and doing activities with the children

• Support of personnel in a community-based organization by assisting with home care and visiting the elderly

• Supporting and assisting NGOs by:
  - Raising funds
  - Presenting programmes for children in the community
  - Administrative work
  - Construction of houses for foster children affected by HIV/AIDS
  - Improve and help implement early childhood development programmes in nursery schools

The German volunteers contributed to the improvement of service delivery as well as to the creation of new development programmes. Before they were included in any of the projects, the volunteers received thorough training and preparation so that they would be able to make a significant contribution towards reaching the objectives of the project.

WILDERNESS CAMPS
 

These are intensely therapeutic camps where established patterns of anger, and feelings of hurt and rejection are addressed.