Celebrating our students – big and small!
We were thrilled to celebrate the amazing academic achievements of not only our matriculants but all our children and young people at the end of last year.
Brother and sister, J and A, (right) were delighted to hear they had both passed matric 2024. Boy MM passed with four distinctions in Geography, Life Sciences, Maths and Physics. Three of our five matrics who passed received Bachelors passes and two with Diploma passes. These are amazing results and we are so proud of all our Grade 12 students who worked so hard in the year.
Along with our matrics we also celebrated our 107 children who passed the year and have moved up into the next grade this year. “This is truly a real achievement for many of these children who have faced immense challenges from an early age. The small number of children who did not pass or were progressed onto the next Grade due to age are being loved and encouraged to do their very best this year. We fortunately have many support structures to help them in their education journey,” explains Sam Mokgopha, ceo of Kids Haven. “We are very proud of all our children and young adults for all the effort and determination they have shown this year.”
And we want to keep these incredible results going year after year but can only do so with the help of donations. “School fees, uniform and stationery costs, school tours and everything else related to school are a huge expense each year. We rely massively on donations to get us through. If this is an area you feel passionately about and would like to assist please contact Susan Daly on sued@kidshaven.co.za. Thank you,” says Sam.
Donations can be made directly here.
Pathways to brighter tomorrows
Young people need jobs. Our Pathways Program is aimed at doing just that by helping young people find their unique pathway to employment.
We host three Pathway Programs in a year for 25 young people at a time. After the in-person sessions, there is ongoing assistance to implement their pathways. In 2024, 44% of young people secured and are still in employment. We continue to work with the Pathways 2024 alumni. It is a transition program that includes digital literacy, psychosocial support, trauma counselling and employability skills. There is a strong focus on exposure to the world of work and possible career and entrepreneurial pathways. The first program for this year kicks off on 17 February.
“We need your help,” says Ilka Stein, Manager: Youth and Skills Development Kids Haven. “We are always looking for companies we can visit or professionals who can talk to us about CV and interviews etc. We will be hosting two career expos this year: Grade 10 -12 on 29 March and Grade 8-9 on 2 August. Here we need organisations and individuals to explain their careers and how to get there.”
This year for the first time Kids Haven is also starting an initiative called Career Talks. “This is for Kids Haven kids (grade 8 – 12) as well as staff. Our children, young people and staff are often not exposed to different careers and opportunities. But if you don’t know, how can you become curious? We want to ignite curiosity and interest by exposing them to a wide range of professions and industries. Every fourth Thursday we will organise a Kids Haven Career Talk. If you want to join us on one of these Thursdays, simply check your calendar and choose a slot on the electronic form. In the form please indicate your career/ profession and kindly send me a message (youth@kidshaven.co.za) so that I have your name and email address.
The Career Talks are in person at Kids Haven Benoni. We can’t wait to hear all about your career and the journey that got you there!” says Ilka.
For any information relating to the Pathways Program and other youth-related initiatives at Kids Haven contact Ilka Stein on youth@kidshaven.co.za or call on 011 421 4222; 074 700 4559.
A highlight from 2024 – WHO application success – There is no health without mental health
Kids Haven submitted an application titled There is no health without mental health to the World Health Organization NCD (noncommunicable diseases) Lab Cycle 4 in August 2024. From the more than 80 projects submitted, five promising innovations are selected to be included in the growing global portfolio of leading NCD innovations and receive tailored support to enhance impact and achieve scale. Kids Haven was selected as one of the five and we made our presentation to a global online audience in December.
Our application detailed the ongoing work on mental health support that Kids Haven is doing with the Ukwazisa Soccer Coaching Project of the In2Position NPC led by Quintin Tovey. Kids Haven has been included in workshops for coaches to emphasise the importance of child protection and to remind coaches that child protection is everyone’s business. The workshops also include awareness and information sharing of common mental health challenges and how to offer support. Results have been excellent with In2Position NPC wholeheartedly supporting the work of Kids Haven, and the coaches gaining understanding into their own mental health status.
The group is co-producing the concept that one can be both doctor and patient. Be aware of your own mental health needs and self-regulation in order to provide support to others. Kids Haven has written a booklet to supplement the training describing the developmental ages of children, normal behaviour of each stage, challenges within each stage and how to offer support. The project will continue into 2025.
The Kids Haven project has been uploaded and is showcased on the WHO knowledge action portal on NCD’s: https://knowledge-action-portal.com/en/news_and_events/country-stories/9788
World Read Aloud Day – 5 Feb – we need books and you!
We are celebrating World Read Aloud day on 5 February and would love you to come read to our children. Reading aloud is more than just an activity; it is a vital tool for nurturing a love for literature. Research shows that children who are regularly read to from an early age are better equipped to achieve success in their academic lives.
If you are interested in coming to read to our children – our pre-school children will be available in the morning and our primary and high school children during the afternoon at the Kids Haven Centre in Benoni. Contact Khethiwe on volunteers@kidshaven.co.za.
We are also looking for book donations specifically non-fiction, career- and skills-related books and South African books (fiction and non-fiction) that are culturally relevant for the African child. If you would like to donate books please contact Connie on connie@kidshaven.co.za and we will gladly come and fetch the books or you can drop them off at the Benoni or Bryanston offices.
Happy reading everyone!
It was a beautiful Christmas at Kids Haven – thank you!
We are so grateful to everyone who visited, donated gifts and food, and got involved in initiatives including the Santa Shoebox to make our Christmas a very happy one. Thank you! We appreciate you!
Get Involved
You can get involved by volunteering, donating money or second hand goods.
If you think your company could help make a difference please contact us.
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