Help support Home-Start to remain operational
Home-Start programmes are focused on early intervention to prevent the breakdown of families
Holding onto its last hope, local organisation Home-Start needs a lifeline to keep its doors open again.
The organisation has over the years experienced a bumpy ride, following its closure in 2017.
Fortunately, in 2018 they managed to reopen after they received cash donations from generous members of the public.
The Benoni City Times reported in 2019 that the organisation ran into tough times again and a golf day was hosted that raised enough money to keep the organisation operational.
According to the admin assistant, Khethiwe Mnyanda, at the moment the organisation is struggling.
“We mostly survive on donations from businesses, individuals and other organisations such as the church and RoundTable, but due to the current economical financial standing things have been difficult.
“We’ve been forced to cut services hence we are asking the community to support us.”
Situated on 18 Mowbray Street, the NPO established by Ann Heart in 2000, offers emotional support and practical guidance to families with young children to prevent the breakdown of families.
The organisation has five board members and the services they provide include home visits, parental effectiveness training, a bereavement programme and play therapy.
“We support families with young children by visiting them in their homes. We connect them with resources such as applying for Grade One and wherever possible, families are assisted with food. We also send the mothers for the Work for a Living Course which is a career-building course to empower them. Their details are then placed on the database for employment.
“Our director, Erica Strydom, offers play therapy for trauma counselling, school assessments and emotional assessments,” said Mnyanda.
Play therapy is a form of counselling that uses children’s natural ‘language’ of play to communicate using games, toys and drawings to help the child express themselves.
The parental effectiveness training teaches parents how to communicate effectively with their children as it offers step-by-step advice for resolving family conflicts. The bereavement programme offers support to children who have lost a parent or a loved one. Children learn how to express their feelings and discover ways of coping with grief.
Mnyanda said they have two volunteers based in Benoni and four in Daveyton.
“We need volunteers because we service about 73 households in Daveyton and Benoni. We get our clients from referrals at schools, courts or from the community,” said Mnyanda.
Some of the cases that they come across in communities are abuse, poverty and neglect.
“In most of the households there are single parents (mothers) and the majority of the families are unemployed.
Meanwhile, Home-Start also has a charity shop which sells goods ranging from adult and baby clothes, garden tools, kitchenware, books and stationery from the donations that they receive.
“We are appealing to the community to support our charity shop because the organisation’s source of income comes from the shop. Community members can donate items like clothing, furniture, toys, kitchen utensils, appliances and other goods,” said Mnyanda.
The shop is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 09:00 to 13:00.
Anyone interested in contributing to the sustainability of Home-Start and its activities may email homestart@telkomsa.net or visit their website at www.homestart.org.za
Also Read: Home Start welcomes new start
Also Read: A new start for Benoni Home Start
