Aid for South Africa

Our mission is to help – also abroad

For many years ASB Regional Confederation Herne-Gelsenkirchen e.V. has been supporting the Relebohile Daycare-Center, a major aid project abroad, located in the South African Township Tumahole. Since July 2007 the Daycare-Center has been offering support to AIDS orphans living in the poor area next to the city Parys, which is 150 kilometres South West from the metropolis Johannesburg. The Center has opened in a solid brick house and its mere sight evokes a feeling of shelter and protection in the middle of the Township. Every day about 150 orphans from the poor area receive care and support. These children have lost their parents due to the immune deficiency virus and are now more or less on their own. For little children the Daycare-Center serves as a daycare facility, whereas for older boys and girls it is a place where they can go before and after school and receive regular meals, homework supervision, psychological and medical support. The permanent staff working in the centre, all of which are black women from the Township, represent a kind of family replacement for the orphans, a strong shoulder to lean on and a play mate.

Time and again staff from Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Herne and Gelsenkirchen went to Tumahole in order to get an idea of the project and to bring in their own abilities, be it in child care or nutrition.

The new commitment to set up a new Management for the Center was of great benefit for the care support of boys and girls. The funding organisation, which is composed of black and white citizens from Tumahole and Parys, was able to gain a grammar school teacher for this function, who is able to bring in her valuable know-how in early childhood education and training. In addition to the well-established homework supervision, sufficient spare time to play and rest breaks, which are crucial for little children, there are a large number of further leisure time activities taking place in the Center. However, the programme set up for young people also includes taking part in preparing meals and doing the dishes afterwards.

The interior of the Daycare-Center has been adorned with wall-paintings by the children themselves and an additional relaxation room offers the opportunity for an afternoon nap. But also the outdoor area has been expanded with playground equipment and climbing frames. Most recently a ping-pong table has been set up in the enclosed outdoor area of the Center and it is used by the kids every day.

Furthermore, a music band and a choir have been founded in the Daycare-Center Relebohile, where boys and girls in all age groups rehearse traditional songs and learn to play traditional African instruments. They are supported by young people from a nearby congregation, who is a closely cooperating partner in the project. For their next performance the group has even considered to wear the traditional costumes they made themselves.

Meanwhile the Center’s excellent work in terms of child care has become well-known throughout Tumahole. By popular request, a kindergarten group was established, in which a dozen children between the age of one and three are being cared for – it goes without saying that this care service is subject to a charge which goes straight to the funding earmarked for the support of orphans. The funding organisation has become larger and widely-known as well. It counts approximately 50 members, who are responsible for raising awareness for the project among the society. Accordingly high was the turnout when voting new executive directors.

The Board of Directors and the Management of the Daycare-Center have moreover intensified the contact with the children’s parents. Many orphans are living with older siblings or distant relatives, who regularly assist to the meetings in the Center. This way, families have the chance to get even more familiar with the facility and the staff have the opportunity to learn more about the children’s background. In addition to these events and information evenings there are also numerous learning courses directly offered to the children and adolescents of the Daycare-Center. Representatives from the Police teach boys and girls how to protect themselves from criminals. Lawyers, doctors, tax consultants or bankers provide information about their jobs in order to give the Center’s visitors an idea about different perspectives on life after school.

Also in everyday life education and common activities play a prominent role. Under different environmental projects plastic materials and other materials are collected and reused. In future the collected materials will be resold in order to create an additional income source for funding similar education projects.

Health education also constitutes an essential part. A series of sexual education courses is especially addressed to the girls of the Daycare-Center. All children have the possibility to receive free testing for HIV/AIDS at a nearby clinic. Care assistants working at the Center pay particular attention to children’s hygiene and take care that the boys and girls wash their hands after every meal and brush their teeth.

IMPORTANT HELP:
VOLUNTEERS FROM GERMANY SUPPORT THE TEAM AT THE DAYCARE-CENTER

Over two months now two volunteers from Germany have been supporting the local Relebohile Daycare-Center team. The 18 and 19-year-old girls live in a safe accommodation close to the small town Parys. They almost work every day at the Center. They have initiated and implemented many of the new projects and are an important and very welcome complement to the staff. Especially when it comes to the organisation of the kindergarten group the German guests play a pivotal role. In autumn two new volunteers that still need to be selected by the organisations SageNet and Weltwärts will come to Tumahole. The selected volunteers will be thoroughly prepared for their year in South Africa.

With further endeavours the ASB Regional Confederation Herne Gelsenkirchen e.V. wants to strengthen the economic future of the Daycare-Center. The Confederation has pledged to provide the funding for the support services for the years to come. Yet, the Confederation wants to give them the perspective of becoming financially independent. The Center has already received funding from the financial sector and the business community. Further financial support shall be provided by different aid funds.

The commitment of the ASB in South Africa is, however, not exclusively restricted to the Township Tumahole. The Regional Confederation also supports an already established support project in the most notorious South African Township, Phillippi located at the suburbs of Cape Town. The country’s highest crime and murder rate has been frequently recorded in Phillippi. However, for decades Reverend Otto Kohlstock and his team have been relentlessly caring for children and AIDS patients. Apart from their church, they are running a pre-school, a hospice ward for critically ill patients as well as a daycare center. In this Centre young people are being cared for and people of all age groups receive counselling, support and practical advice for daily life.

Are you interested in our projects in South Africa? Do you want to know more about our commitment or support our work?

Please call us on +49(0) 23 23- 91 90 40 or send us an email to info@asb-mail.de and get in touch with us.

The Relebohile Daycare-Center is a place of shelter and protection in the middle of a poor area

Staff working in the Center are checking the documents of the newly registered boys and girls – the Daycare-Center takes care of children who have lost their parents

A day of great joy – the Daycare-Center team celebrated the opening of the new Center with music and dance.