What a difference a day can make!
We are so grateful for all the Mandela Day donations and volunteers. Thank you.
As Mandela Day approached this year, the emails and calls started flooding our offices. Individuals, companies, small businesses, churches and schools all started asking the questions: ‘What do you need this Mandela Day?’; ‘How can we help?’; ‘How can we get involved?’ And from there the love started flowing in.
The week before actual Mandela Day we had companies coming to visit our children, playing sports, taking them on outings and dropping off donations. Our children buddied up with community service students to attend a theatre production.
On Friday 17 July and Saturday 18 July, our Bryanston and Benoni centres were buzzing with volunteers. Many arrived to assist with putting together party packs and creating beautiful playmats and ShweShwe tree decorations. Others painted, cleaned, gardened and redecorated rooms at our Village in Benoni. There was laughter, banter and plenty of hard work done. Our children enjoyed delicious meals supplied by donors, received party goodies, played games and some enjoyed a beautiful hike together. Our donation centres were packed full of groceries, toiletries, baby products, clothing and cleaning supplies.
This spirit of generosity spilled over into the following week when more donations poured in.
Saying Thank You just doesn’t feel like enough. The impact that this giving has on Kids Haven is immense. Not only did the children love receiving party goodies and having fun experiences but our pantries are now filled with nutritious staples. Our children and community members will also receive much-needed toiletries throughout the coming year. We are so grateful.
We want to encourage all those who gave so generously this Mandela Day and came to visit us to continue supporting the Kids Haven family. You are one of us now! Please consider becoming a monthly donor so we can keep helping the children in our care and the communities around us. It’s a quick and easy process to sign up. Having monthly income means we can budget and steward the funds we receive responsibly. Thank you to you all for making this Mandela Day (or week as it turned out) a truly special one for Kids Haven.
Donate today and keep the love rolling in…
Dressed for success
Interview Day is a big thing. The 25 young people in the Pathway Programme run by Kids Haven prepare their CVs in Week 8 and in Week 9 they go through an interview process as practice for real-life job applications. Ilka Stein, Manager: Youth & Skills Development at Kids Haven, explains that this year professional clothes were donated by Harambee and other donors and a pop-up shop was set up. The participants then got an opportunity to ‘shop’ for their interview outfits which they will keep for future interviews too. “We were privileged to have the team from Pnet come to Kids Haven to conduct the mock interviews and give the participants feedback which is super valuable. Through this feedback they can improve their skills ahead of actual job interviews. A heartfelt thank you to the Pnet staff for generously giving their time, expertise and constructive feedback,” she says.
The aim of the Pathway Programme is to work closely with individuals to help them find their unique path whether it be an apprenticeship, tertiary education, starting a business or hustle, or another path.
“An important part of the journey is understanding what is expected in an interview – how to prepare properly; how to dress; how to promote yourself. For many of these young people this is the first time they are exposed to this concept. Getting it right can be a game changer for them and future employment opportunities,” explains Ilka.
If you would like to know more about the Pathway Programme and how you could get involved please contact Ilka on youth@kidshaven.co.za.
“We are always looking for companies that could have a small group of our young people at their offices or factory for a day. We also need work or learnership opportunities for our participants. If you could help in any way please get in touch.”
Our Golf Day is coming up in Oct – get involved today!
Our four balls are filling up fast so don’t miss out, book your spot today! Our annual Golf Day is happening on 29 October at Parkview Golf Club. We are looking for prizes, hole sponsors, a halfway house sponsor and a dinner sponsor. Please consider getting involved. It is a great way to support an NPO and get your brand out there. We are also looking for a sponsor for fabric for goody bags. If you can help please get in touch. Contact events@kidshaven.co.za for more information. See you there!
Happy birthday to Uncle Sam our CEO
Our CEO Sam Mokgopha completed one more rotation around the sun this month and we wish him a wonderful birthday and year ahead. Sam has been in his leadership role at Kids Haven for almost 6 years and we are very grateful to have him as our captain. He is a fierce champion for children, a protector, a father, an example, a colleague and friend. He will go to extreme lengths for our children – even climbing into dark holes while hiking with them! Happy birthday, Sam. Thank you for being who you are.
