A helping hand for abused children
2009-05-14
Liezl Dyson
"There are people who really want children, but can’t have any, and then there are people who don't want to look after their children or care for them.” Major Naomi Malinga, head of the Island of Hope Centre for abused children in Breda Street in Paarl, would like the community to care more for our children and not just turn a blind eye to them. Island of Hope is a centre for abused, abandoned and neglected children as well as mothers with babies in the same predicament. Malinga said that with her job there are happy moments and sad moments. “It is really sad to see when a mother goes back to an abusive husband or partner. But there are still caring people who love and appreciate their children.” The centre opened in Paarl two years ago and since then they have helped 206 clients. The centre offers one-on-one counselling sessions and group debriefing sessions. They also offer counselling to clients that are not staying at the centre. They provide nourishing meals, on-going spiritual guidance and support, life skills, handcrafts and arts for older people and educational arts and crafts for younger people. They also have crèche facilities for the little ones. The centre’s mission is to alleviate suffering, to love the unloved and unlovable and to protect the unprotected Clients stay in their care for at least three months while social workers try to relocate them to a safer environment. According to Malinga they take in adults and children that are referred by the police, organisations or institutions and social workers. When Malinga talks about the success stories at the centre she smiles: “We had two siblings who have been adopted, one child is in the process of adoption and another one in the process of foster care.” Another five youngsters who were at the centre also managed to find jobs and their own place to stay. The centre also managed to reunite families. Malinga said they would like to do more for the children and their mothers, but they face a few challenges, such as limited funding and lack of volunteers. Some of their income is derived from the shop selling second-hand goods on site - “donations of used goods including clothes and domestic ware are welcome”. This year two social work students from Huguenot College have assisted her doing their practical field work at the centre. They have initiated a community project to improve awareness of the abuse of women and children within society. The goal of the project was to get other professions and businesses involved to form part of the centre’s support system and assist in client aftercare. “I hope we will again live in a society where your child is my child and my children are yours and we love them”. For more information, contact her on 021-872-6032 or 082-408-2409.
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