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Welcome to the 25th anniversary edition of the James House Quarterly Newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading a little about the history of James House and are able to join our celebrations on March 17th (more details at end).
James House began some 25 years ago when compassionate and farsighted residents saw the dire need for a place of safety for the vulnerable children of Hout Bay. Funds were raised to build and run a simple six-roomed structure to house 15 children. The centre was named after the first boy given shelter (James’ story can be found on our website in the section entitled Ukwakha Ikhaya).
The approach to child and youth care in South Africa has changed dramatically over the years, with the emphasis now on maintaining the child within their family or community. So, 25 years later, James House still provides residential care for 15 abused, abandoned and neglected children, but responding to the rapid growth in the population of Hout Bay, James House now also provides community care and youth development services each year for over 730 orphaned and vulnerable children, young people and their families. This is not about handouts to the poor – as you will read, our trained and dedicated staff work to transform the lives of the children to enable them to reach their full potential.
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Highlights from the Quarter |
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The new Lions Club Youth Development Centre built in the grounds of James House was opened in October 2011. This is a wonderful step forward for James House, enabling the Life Centre Programme to run, at last, from our own premises. The building will provide a suitable place for the youth development programmes, for meetings and events, counselling sessions and the Sibanye Youth Club. The centre was sponsored by the Lions Club of Hout Bay and James House is very grateful for their continued, generous support. |
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Christmas was very special, as James House, blessed by generous donations, was able to provide many organised treats and holiday programmes for children from all our vari ed programmes. However, the Christmas dinner party within the Residential Programme was the highlight. All the children, staff, and volunteers sat down to a delicious meal in the beautifully decorated meeting room. The meal also celebrated the placement of one child at Pretoria Boys High School, and another at the Holy Cross Convent, thanks to bursaries from generous donors. The occasion was tinged with sadness, however, as James House said sad farewells to several children, including one boy who had been with us for over 10 years. His beautiful farewell speech brought tears to the eyes of many of the staff! |
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Our Programme Reports
The purpose of James House is to care for, protect and bring about transformation in the lives of children and young people in need, and their families. We are pleased to report the following progress in our three programmes: |
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Residential Care: Between October and December, there were 15 children in care, with two new arrivals during the period. Three new volunteers joined the residential programme and have been offering helping |
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| hands, extra love, creative ideas, fun activities, and special skills to the programme. The reunification team was able to place nine children with their families for the Christmas holidays.
Two children left this quarter. One little boy was finally reunited with his aunt, whom he perceives as his mother. The aunt is still very young, but took over the care of her sister’s children after she and the children’s father passed away. Back then this family was a child-headed household. The children were placed at James House to relieve the young aunt from the burden of responsibility. Today all siblings have grown and the aunty is ready to take her little nephew back into her care. His brother will follow after the school break. We are extremely happy to see the positive development of this family and each of its members over the years. Notwithstanding the significant loss and hardship these children have suffered at such a young age, they have never stopped being a loving family, and have a lot of hope for a brighter future.
The other boy had been in our care for almost ten years. His sponsor found a placement for him at the prestigious Pretoria Boys High School, where he will be schooling and living from 2012. This is a very talented young man with great potential and a strong personality, who truly deserves this fantastic opportunity. We are delighted to see him moving on in this way – happy, confident and proud.
>>Read More |
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Isibindi: In the year to date, a total of 300 families and 623 children were served through Isibindi, with 103 children and 44 families moving into the aftercare phase of the programme. |
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| In addition, 43 individuals underwent voluntary HIV/AIDS testing and counselling, with 302 families and 367 children receiving ARV treatment. James House distributed 190 food parcels as an integral part of the programme, but lack of funds threaten these and transport for the programme during the next quarter.
The Gogo programme, which assists grandmothers who head up households or care for orphans, is moving forward with great vision. In total, there are 14 active members who now sell their art and craft products on Saturdays and Sundays at the Harbour Market in Hout Bay.
Our partnership with the Kronendal Music Academy, which offers guitar lessons, trumpet and saxophone lessons, and marimba lessons for children and young people from across all our programmes, continues to flourish. The marimba band has done particularly well, and has performed to great acclaim at the One and Only Hotel, the Hout Bay Market, and various fundraising events.
>>Read More |
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Life Centre: The Life Centre is a youth development programme that serves unemployed young adults and primary school children. Of the 20 young people who completed the first intake last year, placements |
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| in employment or further education and training were secured for 18 – a placement rate of 90%.
The second intake only graduated at the end of November, and the team are currently working on finding placements for the youngsters. Notwithstanding the success we have had in securing placements, we are concerned about the number of young people who drop out during the early stages of the programme. The programme is extremely demanding, as one would expect from a programme that has such astounding results. The team are working to understand the underlying causes for the drop-outs, and to strengthen the recruitment process.
The Sibanye Youth Club continues to flourish with 60 regular attendees. The very successful choir performed at several venues including the Hout Bay Market, Heritage Day and the James House AGM. >>Read More |
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Our 25th Anniversary Celebration
James House cordially invites you and your family to our 25th Anniversary Fundraising Celebrations. It is an opportunity for you to enjoy a day of celebratory music and song, children’s entertainment, good food while learning more about James House and our work in the community of Hout Bay. |
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Tel: +27 21 790 5616 | Email: daniela@jameshouse.org.za | Website: www.jameshouse.org.za
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