LifeLine West Rand pampers orphaned children

The LifeLine West Rand team and stakeholders recently opened their hearts to vulnerable children of Hekpoort and Magaliesburg.

The outreach formed part of Mandela Day celebrations where two different events took place. The first was on July 17 when numerous stakeholders from the community and local municipality worked together to identify orphans in the area. Some were from a list of beneficiaries while others were from the community. The purpose of the visit was to give love and show appreciation to the children.

The children, aged between eight and 16, were taught about teenage pregnancy, the importance of reporting sexual offences, their rights and responsibilities, children abuse, and safety tips. The stakeholders also gave them party packs, sanitary and comfort packs, as well as educational toys from Mogale City Local Municipality.

Many of these children have been orphaned as a result of losing their parents due to illness or motor vehicle accidents.

“These children do not have parents like other children and there are many children who are then raised by their grandmothers,” explained LifeLine director Karina Swart.

Then on July 18, the stakeholders visited the Bubble Laughter Day Care in Hekpoort. They started their day at 09:00 and helped prepare breakfast for the 33 children, washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. They later removed weeds from the garden and started a vegetable garden for the daycare by planting spinach, cabbage, maize, and more.

This daycare is not funded by any department and has been operational since 2010. The team chose this school because many of the learners’ parents do not work, the school fees are reasonable and they are situated in an underprivileged community.

“The events were very successful. It was an honour to see the reaction and happiness from the children who suffer and sometimes have so little time to just be children and play without worries,” Swart said.

She added that LifeLine cares for the individuals and groups that make up the community. Their mission is to provide mental health and emotional wellness services that are in line with human rights, through their programmes that are precautionary and redactional.

“Through Mandela Day and other actions, we would like to convey the message and encourage others to follow our example of giving and getting involved. I would like to encourage others to be aware of their own mental and emotional wellness. A person who has mental health knows how to handle stress and has realised their potential to learn and work effectively and contribute to their community.”

For support and counselling you can phone the LifeLine national crisis line on 0861 322 322, the Aids helpline on 0800 012 322 and the Stop Gender Based Violence helpline on 0800 150 150.