As President Cyril Ramaphosa announces the closure of all schools until after the Easter Weekend, parents are concerned about how they will manage to keep their kids entertained (other than Netflix or browsing the Internet!) without having to physically leave the house.
Fear not! We have compiled a list of things you may find helpful to ease the boredom and keep the children (and even yourself) busy until the Coronavirus panic dies down.
We have a vision to take care of, and support, children in the Woodstock and Salt River areas who live in shelters, informal settlements or severely underprivileged homes.
There are currently 120 children living on the streets of Cape Town – this is a significant decrease to the estimated 800 in early 2000. While this is a large improvement, the problem is far from over. Paul Hooper of Homestead Project for Street Children says, “Cape Town is still surrounded by chronically deprived communities where children continue to be abused, neglected and exploited.”
There is a need for greater care of the city’s children through collaborative community efforts. We have pioneered a project to address this need, by hosting holiday programmes for children twice a year – in July and December. There is currently one underway at Al Noor Orphanage Centre in Woodstock until 24 July.
The organisations involved in the facilitation of these holiday programmes include our WID team, Woodstock SAPS, City of Cape Town, ACVV and Law Enforcement. The programme includes fun activities such as face painting, colouring in, swimming, and playing outside.
A different meal is served every day, depending on the donations that are brought in on the day. These include hot dogs, cooked meals, soup and sandwiches.
Abigail, our social officer says, “I love that these types of programmes uplift and help children in need. It’s also an opportunity for them to gain some self esteem and self worth through the lessons they learn.”
We rely on community sponsors and donations for this programme to run. We would like to thank Power Flow Exhaust in Salt River for sponsoring R500 towards the holiday programme, and to Al Noor for hosting us and sponsoring food and fruit. More than that, we’d also like to thank Mr Parker for sponsoring juice to the holiday programme and continuing to make an impact in the lives of our children in Woodstock and Salt River.
If you’d like to find out more about this project, donate bread and other ingredients, or make a financial contribution, please email Abigail at WID at abigail@wid.co.za.
