events

EVENTS
Volunteers/donations for home for disabled children, Cape Town
Sive Nathi Licensed Home
59 Robert Street
Blackheath
Cape Town
7580

Administrator: Gideon Dapula

Tel: +27.21.905 6048

Sive Nathis is a home for severly and profoundly physically and /or mentally disabled children. The home was originally started by Mrs. Lorraine Joja, a domestic worker from Khayelitsha, in 1997. Since then Mrs. Joja has given a home to disabled children whose parents have either died, no longer want their sick children or simply cannot cope with their disabilities. The home grew from a couple of children to 42 in just a few years. There are now fifty two children living at Sive Nathi.

Mrs. Joja initially operated from her small home in Khayelitsha and a nearby wooden hut. Thanks to a generous sponsor she was able to relocate the home to a house in Blackheath, generously adapted by the sponsor for the special needs of the children. Sive Nathi currently operates out of this property. Sive Nathi moved to the new home in June 2001. Already the home is too small having been recently designated as having capacity for just 40 children.

Initially Mrs. Joja and a small number of helpers managed the home without any outside help. The need for a constitution and board was identified last year, particularly after the home moved from Khayelitsha in recognition that the home had grown beyond the capacity of Mrs. Joja and her staff alone. In January this year a constitution was adopted and a Board of Management appointed from those people who had been providing voluntary support and advice for Mrs. Joja and the children. They desperately needed help and support with, for example fundraising, liaising with government departments, administering the home and its staff and just running the home generally. None of the staff have any formal training in caring for disabled children or running such an organisation.

Mrs. Joja wants to ensure that her children have a safe and caring environment in which to live. To do this the Home relies almostly entirely on charitable donations. Government support is minimal with only R7,025 per month being awarded as a subsidy, this has been under review for almost a year. This does not even cover the cost of staff salaries each month (from 1 April these will be R24,000 per month). On top of salaries, just to keep the centre running we must cover the cost of, for example, electricity, water rates, food, the cost of running and maintaining a very old vehicle (required to pick up food donations and take children to the clinic and hospital) and nappies (most of the children are incontinent).

We have been awarded grants from the Nelson Mandela Childrens fund (R90, 000) in August 2001 and The National Lottery Fund (R25,000). A proportion of the Nelson Mandela Fund donation is earmarked for specific tasks such as training staff and child development, improving the facilitites etc. A relatively small sum was allocated to running costs. We are still awaiting payment of the National Lottery money and the second instalment from The Nelson Mandela Children Fund grant (R36,000).

Financial

Our needs are varied although our primary concern is funding the running costs of the Home so that we can continue to operate. Although our last accounts show minimal running costs these figures relate to the Khayelitsha dwellings. Since moving to Blackheath our expenses have increased dramatically. For example, since August electricity amounts to over R12,000 and water rates over R14,000 (largely due to the running costs of washing machines and tumble dryers donated to the Home). We had a sponsor fo rthese accounts until the end of March 2002 after which we will become responsible for the full costs. As yet, we do not have any funding arranged for electricity and water for the coming year. We have also increased our staff members from 14 to 20 and have agreed to pay a minimum salary of R1 000 per month for each member of staff (5 staff members are on higher salaries). Our monthly salary bill has risen from 10,000 to R24,000.

Welfare

Dept .of Social Services for the area provides no support whatsoever. We have a Social worker assigned to the centre but she provides no support, advice or assistance. We have no contact with the individual children’s social workers. We have no idea what they are supposed to do for the children and the centre. Because we don’t know what they are supposed to do we are not aware of the support they should be giving.

The Department of Health currently provides us with a subsidy of just over R7,000 per month. This subsidy is for 28 of our 52 children. We have requested a further review as we belived more children should qualify the the subsidy. One of the delaying factors for considerable amount of time to get the constitution in place and adopt the Board of Management as this was done by volunteers all of whom had full time demanding jobs. Our next major hurdle is finding the money to equip the hme for fire safety to qualify for an increase in subsidy. We have also been informed that we will not receive a subsidy for any children above 40 (currently 12). We have been told that it is our responsibility to find new homes for these twelve children.

Specific Needs:
· Someone to explain what we are entitled to and how we get it. ·
· Provision and maintenance cost of fire safety equipment ·
· Upgrading and maintenance of vehicles used to transport the children, for example to Red Cross and Clinic ·
· Home base centre training for carers and training for kitchen staff.

In the long term we would like to purchase the house next door so that we can take in more children.

Health

Our only medical support is Red Cross Hospital and clinic. We also receive help from the Cerebal Palsy association which sends a physiotherapist once per month for the children with Cerebal Palsy. We need our children to have regular medical checks and for the medicines to be made freely available. The Department of Health has also said that they have recommended that we should have a qualified nurse at all times. This has yet to be confirmed but would have to be funded entirely by Sive Nathi from the government subsidy.

Specific needs · Physiotherapy on a regular basis · Regular medical checks · Lockable and mobile medical cabinet · Standing frames x 4 · Leg and arm gaitors · Wheelchair of Sindiswa (child of Spina Bifida) · Cushions various shapes and sizes (for supporting children in lying and sitting postures and to help prevent bed sores) · Training for all staff on aids awareness and basic physiotherapy

Education

At the rear of the property we have a physiotherapy/teaching room. Whilst many of our children are severally mentally handicapped there are approximately 20 children who are either just physically handicapped or whose mental state is such that they would benefit from regular mental stimulation. One of the problems we have is that our children’s ages and abilities are very wide ranging. This makes teaching difficult. Also we need equipment and workbooks so that the children are given an opportunity to develop in the same way as non-disabled children.

We emply a woman (Lillian) who “teaches” the children. She is not qualified as a teacher but has matric and lots of enthusiasm. We would like to be able to train Lillian to become a qualified teacher.

Specific Needs: · Training for the teacher · White Board, marker pens and board eraser · Books in Xhosa and English · Basic educational toys (for example Duplo, wooden building blocks, puzzles, paints, pots, brushes and paper, counting toys and letter toys) · Childrens text books/work books

Staff

Although we have recently employed an extra four care givers and one kitchen staff we are desperately understaffed. We have 52 children with a staff of 20. A similar house in Athlone has 82 staff for 82 children. We need as a minimum requirement an extra laundry woman and teacher/physiotherapist. Our caring staff are currently working on a 4 day 24 hour shift pattern. To comply with labour legislation we would need to have at least six more caregivers, an extra kitchen assistant and laundry worker. As set our above the Department may also require us to employ at least one qualified nurse.

Summary

Lorraine and her staff have done a wonderful job thus far. However, in reality, whilst receiving volumes of love the children live close to the breadline. They have very few things to look forward to with only their most basic needs being met. At a similar home elsewhere in Cape Town the cost of keeping one child is R3,000 per month. Sive Nathi has budgeted to spend less than R1000 per child per month in the year to March 2003, that being significantly higher than our expenditure last year. Our children’s diet needs to be improved and we need to begin educating and stimulating them both physically and mentally. We need to improve the employment conditions of our 20 staff members who are all people from disadvantaged homes where they are often the main breadwinner for entire families.