Help with golf day to help children

BERMUDA 5, a satellite home of Abraham Kriel Child Care in Glen Marais, will host a fundraising golf day at Modderfontein Golf Club on October 28.

To make the day a success, the home needs donations and sponsors.

All donations will be used for renovations at the home and its escalating running costs.

Bermuda 5 recently bought a vehicle to transport the children and the running costs and repayments are a huge cost factor.

If you can assist, call Rina de Kock (house mother) on 072-302-5662 or 082-566-2255, Johan Fourie (finances) on 082-716-2637 or Charl du Preez (chairman) on 072-783-0770.

Bermuda 5 satellite home was established 12 years ago by a few community members who felt the need to provide a safe haven for underprivileged children within Kempton Park. This is one of numerous satellite homes currently based in Gauteng and operated by Abraham Kriel Child Care.

Abraham Kriel Child Care identified the need for a care model for children, which mimics a family environment as closely as possible and provides supervised care in an environment that avoids the institutionalisation which results from big children’s homes.

The need for satellite homes in local communities remains dire due to the high unemployment rate affecting a large portion of the South African population. Unemployment often results in drug and alcohol abuse by parents, which in turn leads to neglect, abuse and sometimes abandonment of their children.

Abraham Kriel Child Care started in 1902 to reach out to neglected, abused and abandoned children. Although these children are committed into their care by the courts, the funding provided for their care is about a third of the actual cost.

Therefore communities and businesses are approached to assist Abraham Kriel Child Care in alleviating the pressures of this enormous task.

The satellite home comprises a permanent house father and mother. A small committee, comprising local community volunteers, assist the house parents with all the necessary support in order to function as a family.

Bermuda 5 houses 10 children from various backgrounds, ranging from four to 18 years of age. Before admitting a child to the home, qualified personnel from Abraham Kriel assess the child’s background, mental and emotional state to determine if the child is suitable for placement at a satellite home.

A satellite home can only operate with the continual support from the local community. It is true that satellite homes operate exceptionally well when it is actively supported by the community and the chances of a successful future for the children privileged to grow up in a satellite home is greatly enhanced.

The community not only support the home financially but also participate in the children’s educational development through assisting with homework and attending sporting events.

The children attend local community schools and participate in various extramural activities provided by the respective schools. Some volunteers provide means to celebrate special events like birthdays and sporting achievements. These are only a few of the ways community sponsors/volunteers can help to create better opportunities for underprivileged children.