| Measure | Number |
|---|---|
| Children funded by the Department of Social Development, all places filled | 25 |
| Family conferences held in residential care | 19 |
| Children at Kabouterland Educare Centre, including aftercare | 30 |
| Graduates from Kabouterland to Grade R (1 December 2022) | 8 |
These figures come from the reports that follow.
Reporting for the period 2022-2023
It is with great honour and privilege that I report on the activities of the year past, and on the new year in which we celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Sparrows Child & Youth Care Centre (CYCC). It is a historic milestone and a great achievement by the staff and by everyone who has served on the board of management over the years. I am proud to be part of it.
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
— Mother Teresa
I cannot imagine what the founders of this initiative were thinking, and I doubt they dreamt it would last this long. It must have been very hard in the early days to make sure that resources and funds were enough to provide every day for the vulnerable children in their care.
The Management Committee. Thank you for volunteering your time, counsel and support. A special mention to the chairperson, David, for the exciting engagements from the day you brought the news that I had been shortlisted, right through to my first day in the office. You welcomed me with kindness and made me feel safe and comfortable at Sparrows and in Tarkastad. Thank you also for your continuous emphasis on knowing and understanding the Children’s Act.
Donors. I acknowledge the Department of Social Development, the National Lotteries Commission, the many partners, private and retail businesses, local faith-based centres, friends, hunters and individuals who continued to provide financial support and other resources. They enabled us to render much-needed services to vulnerable children. Without them it would be extremely hard to continue. Residential care is an extremely expensive service and, unfortunately, grossly under-funded.
Schools. Special thanks to the principals of our local schools, who accept children from Sparrows at any time of the year.
Sparrows CYCC is a home away from home for children from various communities. The Residential Care Project is a vital part of the successful running of our other programmes, which include:
Development Director. To reduce dependency, Sparrows is blessed to have the new office of Development Director, run by the founder and former centre manager, Jenny van Heerden. Her task is to broaden our sources of income for the betterment of the children in our care.
Social and behavioural services. The children take part in therapeutic and developmental programmes offered by our in-house social worker, Faith Fusa, who constantly reminds us of her advocacy for the children. Sparrows appreciates and acknowledges her work. Ms Tiny Msila, thank you for the supervisory support you give to Sparrows through the social worker. I also thank Faith for welcoming me and taking me through the many aspects of running a project like this.
Child & Youth Care Workers. For children to feel safe and loved they need caring adults around them. My gratitude and deepest appreciation go to our dedicated, committed and loving Child & Youth Care Workers: nine women, including three temporary staff who assist them. I always say they are magicians, because they manage the difficult situations our children come with. I know this from my many conversations with them about the well-being of each child. Their concern, and their eagerness to find a solution for a child, is touching. They also help to identify children’s strengths and talents and, through the social worker, involve them in programmes and activities that build their development and skills.
Specialised behaviour management. This programme offers intensive, specialised help for children and youth with behavioural problems. At Sparrows it is provided by psychologist Brent Phillips, who works in person with the staff at large. He works closely with the doctor at the local hospital, who arranges transfers to the provincial hospital for specialist care.
The district office of the Department of Social Development (the NPO and Programmes sections) visited Sparrows to check overall compliance in our services and programmes. They meet with me and the social worker and, on special cases, sometimes with the management committee.
Sparrows CYCC has made its mark in the community of Tarkastad, and that continues. The Executive Director took part in the selection of a Tarkastad Junior Station Commissioner, organised by the local SAPS office to represent Tarkastad at district level. The Tarkastad Community Police Forum (CPF) included us as a stakeholder when it organised “67 Minutes” to celebrate the birthday of Nelson Mandela. We also took part in the Women’s Month commemoration in August of women who have died through gender-based violence.
In June 2023, during the school holidays, Sparrows lost one of its children. We remember him with love. Our thanks go to Gateway Community Church, which stood by Sparrows and his family at the saddest time we have known.
I thank the Almighty God for giving us wisdom, love and a heart to serve, and for parenting the children entrusted to us by the Children’s Court.
Nopasika Bhazana
Executive Director
First, I drink the coffee.
Then, I do things!
Sometimes, a second cup …
and then I realised: adventures are the best way to learn.
I have found the transition quite difficult. But as I browse the fundraising sites, I gain more confidence. The database needs much more research, but it is growing. I am still looking for an easy way of writing fundraising proposals, so each day I set out on an adventure.
I am very grateful to David and Pasi, and sometimes Faith, for helping me with relevant information for the funding proposals.
| Activity | Detail |
|---|---|
| Report submitted | National Lotteries Commission (NLC) final report |
| Proposals submitted | Caltex Oil SA; Givengain |
| Online meetings | ACT Foundation 2023 grant cycle; Ilifa Labantwana three-year acceleration plan for early childhood development funding; NGO Fundraising Forum, 25 and 26 January 2023 |
I trust that the new financial year will bring new funders and, with them, financial sustainability for the organisation and an easier working environment for the staff. That is my goal for 2023-2024.
Jenny van Heerden
Development Director
This was a hard year. We are grateful to Gateway Church, to several board members and to Mrs Jenny van Heerden, who supported us emotionally through a difficult time. We thank the principal of Tarka High, who donated a school bus with a driver, and the teachers. Thank you also to Justine, our management board secretary, who has been with us since day one, for caring about us.
This is one of the most important parts of our work. It restores family bonds and returns children to the families and communities where they belong, giving them a sense of belonging and building their self-esteem.
Nineteen family conferences were held within the residential care programme. Some were held at Sparrows and some online, because of the distances involved. They include rehabilitating families, parenting-skills programmes, and monitoring the child’s behaviour during their stay with us.
| Description | Participants |
|---|---|
| Revised job descriptions | 7 |
| Review of individual development plans (IDPs) | 9 |
| Management meeting | 10 |
| Assessment tool for children in alternative care (virtual workshop) | 5 |
On 15 June 2022 a representative of the Human Rights Commission visited Sparrows to check compliance and guard against human-rights violations. The local office of the Department of Social Development, the external social worker, the internal social worker and the child and youth care workers work hand in hand so that the children never forget their families, who they are and where they belong. This is done through family case conferences, held at Sparrows and sometimes online. When a conference outcome means a child cannot go home for the holidays, the child still has plenty to look forward to: potjiekos days, baking, indoor games, picnics, mountain climbing and more.
Children are different from one another, and Sparrows treats them that way. We encourage them to be active in sport, with friendly matches against local schools and organisations in Tarkastad, Queenstown and Hofmeyr. Sport gives children who are average or below average academically another path to build on, and it brings joy and excitement, with travel and some pocket money for treats.
The social worker and the child and youth care workers held a yard sale, and the profits went into the organisation’s bank account. Proceeds from rooster koeks baked and sold around Tarkastad by the child and youth care workers pay for the children’s hair-care needs, especially the girls’ hair extensions. We thank Peter, who cuts the boys’ hair at no cost. The children’s health needs are cared for by the local clinic and hospital.
| Residential care | Number |
|---|---|
| Residential care supervision reports in terms of section 159(2) | 1 |
| Reports on extension of placement in alternative care beyond 18 years, section 176(1) | 0 |
| Care plans | 1 |
| Children found to be in need of care and protection (section 150(1)) | Number |
|---|---|
| Child removals | 0 |
| Family placements | 8 |
| Institutional placements | 1 |
Casework
Group work
The children are grouped by age. The groups work well on Fridays and during the holidays, and they help with behaviour, because the children draw up their own group rules and the consequences of breaking them. Sessions cover independent living for children leaving the residential care programme, victim empowerment, family preservation, the rights of children, income-generating activities, individual counselling, grief counselling, trauma counselling and play therapy.
Successes
Challenges
Each child is gifted. They simply unwrap their packages at different times. Children may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you make them feel. Sparrows’ children are blessed to have loving mothers in our Child and Youth Care Workers.
Compiled by Faith Fusa
Social Worker
At the last AGM, Kabouterland reported on the graduation of eight children. They left the Educare Centre to join mainstream Grade R in 2023.
In the last quarter of 2022 the manager, the principal and the educator sat down to decide how to bring Kabouterland back to its state before the 2020 pandemic. The idea that won was to operate full days in 2023. We drafted an advertisement and shared it at busy spots in Tarkastad, inviting new admissions, and it was a success. Kabouterland now has 30 active children, including aftercare. Among the changes, school fees went up from R100 to R120 a month. The full day runs from 07:30 to 16:30 or 17:00. We have had no problems with the transition. Thank you to the parents for paying their monthly fees promptly. This helped when our funding from the Department of Education was delayed for three full months.
At a recent parents’ meeting the parents complimented the educator on her excellent teaching. We have raised the bar once more and are flying the flag high in the community. Our children took part in games with other Educare Centres in Tarkastad.
| Activity | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Cutting | Control when cutting; following the outline of the picture |
| Pasting | Following instructions; cutting out from the picture outline; pasting to make the picture |
| Colours and colouring | Identifying colours; holding crayons correctly; colouring within the lines; improving motor skills |
| Counting | Recognising numbers; ability to count; addition and subtraction |
| Puzzles | Improving cognitive ability |
| Outdoor games (ball games, climbing, team games, slides) | Hand-and-eye co-ordination; gross motor skills; sportsmanship and sharing; helping one another |
We appreciate every donation, whether in cash or in kind. If your name or organisation has been left off this list in error, please contact us.