The vital child and family services of a Hermanus-based organisation, compromised by elderly and failing vehicles which have negatively affected investigations, home visits and the transport of vulnerable children to court, are back on-track, thanks to a R270 000 seven-seater vehicle donation.
Hermanus Child and Family Services, a registered NPO and PBO, is responsible for providing child protection services in Hermanus and surrounds, under the oversight of the Department of Social Development.
However, its two aging vehicles have become increasingly susceptible to failure, posing a severe risk to both its staff members and the children they support. But, no longer. The South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) recently stepped in, sponsoring a brand-new vehicle.
Commenting on its donation, SAMCT representative, Mr Faried Boltman, said: “The primary role Hermanus Child and Family Services is to promote the safety and well-being of vulnerable children within families and the broader community in and around the town.”
“Its speedy intervention, child abuse prevention and early childhood development endeavours are hugely dependent on reliable transport. When safe, reliable and economical transport is compromised, it places the organisation’s entire operation in jeopardy, preventing social workers from effectively undertaking and expanding its very necessary investigations, home visits and assistance with transporting children for court appearances.”
The organisation was established in 1944, providing social and developmental services to children, families and communities. Servicing the community of Hermanus and its environs for more than 75 years, the organisation has long focused on child protection intervention, child abuse prevention and early childhood development.
Mr Boltman said: “With many of the town’s children finding themselves in terrifyingly difficult circumstances and requiring emergency assistance, the SAMCT was extremely pleased to have been in a position to lend its support, sponsoring a new vehicle to be used exclusively for child protection work in Hermanus.”
“Our support has enabled the organisation to expand its fleet, thus ensuring the continuance of its essential services to children and enabling staff to focus wholly on child abuse prevention. This entails parenting skills development programmes, child abuse prevention programmes for pre-primary and primary schools, community-based information programmes regarding the Children’s Act and holiday programmes for children to develop an understanding of how to enjoy positive leisure time while learning life skills and developing a positive outlook,” Mr Boltman added.
In addition, the organisation concentrates on programmes dealing with parenting skills and responsibilities for unmarried fathers and early interventions designed to prevent the removal of
children from families, the recurrence of problems and a reduction in the negative consequences of risk factors, as well as diverting children away from either the child and youth care system or the criminal justice system.
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds. The organisation provides funding, services and other resources for the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged. It has been singularly successful in delivering sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work to support needy organisations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation and education.
“We hope and trust that our vehicle sponsorship intervention here will give effect to renewed momentum to the work of Hermanus Child and Family Services and its crucial protection of the interests of vulnerable children in and around the town,” Mr Boltman said.
Ends
For more information about the SAMCT or it’s Hermanus Child and Family Services vehicle donation, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer
Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za
www.samct.co.za