Strathyre staff acknowledged by UK group
SFAC provides training to NGOs that care for vulnerable children.
Strathyre Girls’ Home in Kensington was recently visited by SFAC, an organisation from the UK that provides NGOs with training and advice to improve their work in caring for vulnerable children.
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SFAC’s philosophy is “children belong in safe families”.
“We have travelled to different countries and visited a number of NGOs, and in most cases they are not adequately trained to run homes. The passion is there to care for vulnerable children, without any specific training or qualifications.
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“We provide professional support that is accessible, adaptable and applicable to their culture and context,” said Mick Pease, founder of SFAC.
The home’s administrator, Major Naomi Malinga, was pleased with the training provided by SFAC.
Also read: Strathyre – a haven for young girls
“We have learned a lot from the training. It has given us an idea where we can improve as a home to ensure that we care for the girls in the best way we can,” said Malinga.
Pease said he was impressed with how the girls’ home is run and the support systems they have in place.
“Some homes and NGOs do not even have professionals – it’s just people who are concerned about the well-being of vulnerable children and they want to make a difference.
“In most cases they don’t even have funding to properly provide for the children. When we visit homes like Strathyre, we have hope that even if these girls don’t get reunited with family or find loving families, the home will provide a stable, positive environment for them to grow into responsible adults who can build a future for themselves,” said Pease.
He said as SFAC their wish is for every child to be in safe families and not orphanages.
“Every child wants to be loved and belong. Safe families are more likely to provide children the attention and caring environment they need.
“They are more likely to be responsive and attentive to an individual child’s needs, such as education, health and interests,” said Pease.
Malinga said organisations like SFAC benefit NGOs and homes that cannot afford to train their staff because of funding, and that makes a difference.
“As a home, we are grateful for the support we receive from the community, organisations, companies and government. The support makes a difference to the home and the girls.
“Understanding the challenges that other homes and NGOs face, we realise we are fortunate,” said Malinga.
She said that, as with any other home, it costs money to keep up with their needs and that they still need donations and sponsors to cover some of the costs of running the home.
“We currently need money for renovating our building, as it is old. We also need plumbing, as the pipes are old. We would appreciate any donations towards these two major needs the home currently has to cover,” said Malinga.
Contact the home on 011 615 7327.
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