UPDATE: Home-Start will keep their doors open as long as they can

Home-start will be keeping their door open for as long as they can.

Director, Erica Strydom, would like to thank the public for the generous donations they had received.

A recent golf day hosted by the organisation has raised enough money to keep them afloat until the end of the year.

Home-Start programmes are focused on early intervention to prevent the breakdown of families by giving them relevant, practical and emotional support.

Strydom has seen 35 children for therapy including 13 children for trauma counselling, 16 children for school assessments and 14 for emotional assessments in this year.

According to Strydom, there is an intake meeting with the parents for each child from the age of four to 12-years that will be seen in therapy, a three-hour assessment is conducted and a minimum of six sessions with the child including a feedback meeting of which she spends two to four hours to write a report.

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Home-Start needs funding to keep their doors open

Most of the children seen by Strydom come from no- to low-income homes and most of the time she cannot charge for her services as the families cannot afford to pay for therapy.

Although she does work on a donation system, she can see most of the children and doesn’t turn away anyone that needs help.

The non-profit organisation conducts home visits to 70 families situated in Benoni and Daveyton, utilising trained volunteers in addition to school holiday programmes for children on the premises.

In an attempt to stay afloat, the charity shop is open four days a week and have been doing well although they need more items to sell as they are running out of things to sell. The computers used in the shop are outdated and a donation of new or second-hand machines that are in good working condition will be greatly appreciated.

Currently, the organisation is short-staffed and needs more volunteers to assist with fundraising, this is one of their biggest challenges.

“I would like to focus on the child I see which does not give me much time to fill out forms and organise fundraising events,” said Strydom.

They would like to expand their services and be capable to assist more families but they cannot do this without the assistance from the public.

Residents can assist by giving annual donations to cover the following costs:

• R50 000 will cover their monthly operating costs

• R40 000 will cover volunteer training for the year

• R24 000 will cover play therapy for 10 children per year

• R20 000 will cover play therapy training

• R12 000 will train a PET instructor

• R10 000 will cover an eight-week PET course

• R3 000 will cover the bereavement programme

• R5 000 will support a family for a year.

Monthly donations can be made as follows:

• R400 supports a family for a month

• R200 provides a play therapy session for one child

• R200 provides materials for bereavement counselling for one child.

Home-Start is also attempting to raise funds through a crowdfunding initiative through the following link https://www.thundafund.com/project/homestart

Any donation will go towards helping a family.

Residents can deposit money into their bank account.

Banking details:

Standard Bank

Branch Code: 013 042

Account No: 022 434 259

Strydom is also looking for a sponsor that would be willing to pay for courses she can take to improve her skills.

Volunteers are encouraged to join as they are taken on an eight-week training program before they are sent out to conduct home visits.

The charity shop based at their offices at 18 Mowbray Avenue, Benoni is open on a Monday and a Friday from 9 am to 1 pm and on s Tuesday and s Thursday from 1 pm till 4 pm.