Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside

An unforgettable experience – seeing the sea for the first time

Three of our boys shared this very special experience this month when they visited Durban and got to go to the beach for the very first time. Two of the boys live at Kids Haven and one boy lives in the community. One of the boy’s said, “I never imagined I would ever see the sea. I want to dream differently because I am setting standards for my life to match what I see here. I thought Durban was only real in the movies and here I am. I can dream of more and make it happen.”

We can only make these dreams happen with the support of our amazing community of donors. Every time you make a donation to Kids Haven we find ways to not only care for, protect and educate our children but to open their minds to new experiences.

“We want them to dream big but you can’t dream about what you don’t know. They have to be exposed to possibilities out there. We are so grateful to our donors for helping us make this a reality for our children. Thank you. Please if you have any opportunities to expose our children to new experiences, including the world of work and what different work looks like, reach out and get in touch. Help us change lives,” says Sam Mokgopha, CEO of Kids Haven.

Family is everything – and comes is all shapes and sizes!

We celebrated our annual Family Day this month. The idea of this day is to encourage family members to connect with their children living at Kids Haven and to celebrate all kinds of families. Despite it being a rather chilly Saturday, there were games, dancing and a delicious braai with everyone enjoying a boerewors roll, thanks to our wonderful sponsors of the event.
“Children belong in families and we will always do all that we can to promote that, building healthy family relationships. Thanks to the social workers for leading the way and to all our caregivers and Kids Haven staff and families for making everyone feel welcome and loved,” says Khethiwe Zwane, fundraiser and volunteers manager at Kids Haven.

It was a swinging good time at the annual Kids Haven Golf Day

The annual Kids Haven Golf Day was a great success with 28 teams entering and lots of fun had by all! Once again our young people on the Pathway Program brought their energy to the course running a funny Human Slot Machine stand and educating our golfers on the work challenges out there.

Despite rain ending play earlier than expected, teams gathered in the club house to enjoy drinks and dinner together. Raffles were sold, prizes handed out, much goodwill shared and networking happened. Many thanks to the Kids Haven team for gathering prizes for everyone who plays and thank you to all the players and the hole sponsors. You all made this day a special one for Kids Haven. See you next year!

Our young people are shining

Our Kids Haven family celebrated the graduation and success of Max, who once lived Kids Haven, returned to Zimbabwe and now graduated with an Honours Degree in Psychology. He shared his pictures with social worker, Farayi. “I wanted to thank Kids Haven for everything”.
Max – we are so very proud of you. We are pleased to have played a part in your childhood, and for your resilience, determination and hard work to shoot for the stars. In 2015, your school reported that you were going places … and now look. Well done Max.
 
We also had a great turnout for our Career Expo. Our Grade 8-12 learners got the opportunity to explore different careers in sports and arts. Kids Haven partnered with Decathlon South Africa, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, Legend Barbershop, Body by Martha, and Mzansi Pickleball to make this event a success. Knowledge and learning goes beyond the classroom and we are always thrilled to expose our children to opportunities out there.
 
If you would like to get involved in the next Career Expo day please contact Ilka Stein on youth@kidshaven.co.za.

Please help us fill tummies and pencil bags this Christmas

We often get asked by our incredible donor community, ‘What can we do this Christmas time for Kids Haven?’ Well, we have three specific requests this year: meals, staff care packs and stationery.

Celebrating through food and fun is a big part of Christmas so here are 4 opportunities for you to get involved:

1. Sponsor our Christmas day meal – We cater for 130 people for our Christmas day breakfast and lunch. This usually includes something special for breakfast and then a 7-colour meal for lunch. You can cover a child’s Christmas celebration meal by donating as little as R80. Simply scan this QR code and make your donation. Thank you.

2. Food vouchers: Donate food vouchers for our children and families in our Precare and Aftercare programme who live in communities that we support. Contact Connie on connie@kidshaven.co.za.

3. Sponsor our Boxing Day picnic – We enjoy taking the children for a picnic on Boxing Day. While we will include any leftovers, we always like to supplement this with picnic items if funds allow. Donate party packs: We are grateful to receive party packs of a few sweets, small chips, small biscuits and cold drink in a bag for 130 children. Contact Connie on connie@kidshaven.co.za.

4. Sponsor our New Years Day braai – Braaiing on News Years Day is a fun tradition that all those at Kids Haven enjoy. We would appreciate any food donations like boerewors, chicken, beef, charcoal or monetary sponsorships to go towards making it a special day. Contact Connie on connie@kidshaven.co.za.

Our 92 staff members work tirelessly throughout the year protecting and caring for our children and young adults. We love to thank them with a small care pack at the end of the year. We appreciate donated items to go into packs that can include:

• Hand creams
• Chocolates
• Toiletries
• Small gifts like mugs, bookmarks etc.

Please contact Connie on connie@kidshaven.co.za.

Then there’s stationery. At the start of every school year our children need to arrive at school with stationery just like every other child. We have partnered with Copywrite to make it super easy for you to purchase a stationery pack or two by clicking on these links below:

Copywrite Office National – Kids Haven Junior Grade 1-7

Copywrite Office National – Kids Haven Senior Grade 8-12

Copywrite Office National – Kids Haven Value Pack Grade 8-12

Thank you for making our Christmas a special one!