Our big girls teaching our little girls
Kindness and responsibility
During the April holidays our big girls had great fun doing helpful volunteering activities around their house as part of The President’s Awards programme for leadership that they are involved in. They also thought it would be important to include the little girls so showed them the ropes. The small girls were of course delighted to be included with their ‘big’ sisters! They repacked and cleaned cupboards, tidied the house and took on washing all the windows.
We are so proud of all these wonderful girls for who they are and their resilience. Showing kindness to another and stepping up to be a leader does not always come easily for many of our children who have faced very challenging situations. Many have never seen an adult demonstrating these values before coming to Kids Haven.
We always encourage compassion, taking responsibility and participating as part of the Kids Haven family. Kids Haven protects and cares for children in a family environment where every child matters and every child is free to learn and to play.
If you would be interested in learning more about the President’s Awards programme and how you can financially support our children please get in touch on hello@kidshaven.co.za.
Support our Residential Care programme by becoming a monthly donor.
Our new kitchen is making a big difference
So, we would like to brag a little about our new dining room and central kitchen at the Village – group homes. Instead of running six separate kitchens, we have streamlined five kitchens into one big energy efficient, water efficient kitchen with enough space for all the children to eat together. And we are so excited about it! It is making a big difference to our bottom line and seeing the children sit and eat together, talking about their days and sharing reinforces that we are one family at Kids Haven.
We are also about to sink a borehole in front of the kitchen that will pipe water to all the houses, making sure that every house is water-secure into the future. Drilling should start in the next 1-2 months.
We are very grateful to our wonderful partners Engineers Without Borders SA who meet with us weekly to plan and check and plan again. Kids Haven is in the best hands and will reap the benefit of careful study and this planning for many years to come. We appreciate our funding partner, Discovery Vitality for securing the funding to make this dream a reality. This money will be well spent on exactly the right solution to ensure our Children’s Home has water.
Kids Haven is proud to work collaboratively with these great partners – taking the time to do the right work in the right way and ensure that the funding is well spent.
There is always more work to be done so if you can assist in any way please drop us a mail on hello@kidshaven.co.za.
We all had a hopping good time this Easter
It was a morning of hunting high and low for Easter treats hidden all over Kids Haven on Easter Sunday. Our children and staff had great fun hunting, laughing and celebrating this special time together. Hot cross buns and a special Easter lunch was enjoyed by all. Many thanks to all our donors who gave us eggs and bunnies and to those who heard our appeal for continued financial support to feed our children nutritious meals and gave so generously. You all make a difference in the life of Kids Haven. You make our children feel special and we are so grateful. Thank you!
Our Garden champions got stuck in during Starke Ayres training
Kids Haven has been involved in setting up food gardens in our communities since the food crises during Covid. The initiative has been highly successful with hundreds of gardens set up over the years. Garden champions appointed work with their neighbours in their communities to develop yard gardens for families. There are more than 200 family gardens in the communities of Barcelona, Mayfield and Nigel. We also have our own vegetable gardens at Kids Haven.
On 15 April, we enjoyed a fantastic day of learning with Starke Ayres and Rotary Club Benoni Van Ryn. Our garden champions learned all that they could about growing vegetables from seed. The emphasis was on soil preparation and then planting. It was a hands-on experience filled with learning, growth, and a shared passion for nurturing both the earth and our communities. In a recent Facebook post, Stark Ayres wrote this about the day, ‘With this training, even more gardens will be established—bringing fresh food, hope, and sustainability to more children and families in need. Kids Haven continues to do remarkable work protecting and caring for children in crisis, while empowering families and communities to create safe, nurturing environments where every child can thrive.’
We extend a heartfelt thank you to Starke Ayres and Rotary Club Benoni Van Ryn for investing in our garden champions and the great work they do.
Growing healthy food is an important part of protecting children. When children eat well, they have the best start in life.
Going shopping
Going shopping – for most of us this is just an everyday thing that we do. Sometimes it’s even a bit of a chore. But for many of the children and young people at Kids Haven, going shopping is something they have never experienced. A novelty. So, this month some of our children got to take vouchers they had received for good academic results and spend them at Shoprite, buying whatever they wanted to. It was incredibly special seeing them carefully look at all the items and prices and working out what they could afford – a very important life lesson along with it being lots of fun. We not only want to care for, protect and educate all the children who come to Kids Haven but also teach them how to cope in the world. A day like this shopping day does just that.
If you would like to know how you can sponsor vouchers please get in touch – hello@kidshaven.co.za.
Mandela Day – do you want to do something for or with Kids Haven?
Mandela Day is not far off and we know so many of our Kids Haven supporters enjoy getting involved in Mandela Day with Kids Haven. If you would like to come visit us, find out what you can donate, or need some ideas of how else you can contribute please email Connie on connie@kidshaven.co.za. We are looking forward to it!