How We Help
| SCF Gauteng has been around for more than sixty years and we have never been afraid to change the direction of our work to match the needs of an ever-changing society. Our projects are based in the Johannesburg townships of Soweto and Alexandra, and the much under-developed rural province of Mpumalanga, about four hours drive east of Johannesburg. |
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We focus much of our efforts on development initiatives with groups of young people and adults who are enthusiastic and eager to gain skills in order to become self-employed, self reliant and escape from poverty. Our success stories in these fields include our beading group in Soweto and baking and juice production groups in Alexandra and Mpumalanga.
Early childhood development remains at the core of our work. Our mobile and static playbus schemes in Mpumalanga, our crèche in Alexandra township and children’s play scheme at Leratong hospital are our key projects in these areas and crucial to preparing children for formal schooling.
Traditional sources of funding have changed as donors re-structure and alter their focus. Meanwhile, the demands made upon organisations such as ours continue to grow while the challenge of fund-raising is becoming increasingly difficult.
Development is not an overnight achievement, it takes time and patience to build a successful project and our flagship projects are a credit to the commitment of our donors, staff and project and our flagship projects are a testament to the commitment of our donors, staff and executive committee members.
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Helping Children in Poverty
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  Mobile and Static Play Bus SchemesSizolomphakathi Community Production Centre, Mpumalanga
A mobile play bus equipped with educational toys and books, travels around the local rural areas providing a play and feeding programme for children living in these deprived communities. For many children who benefit from this scheme, the bus is the only educational stimulation in their lives and is an invaluable asset to the area. A static play bus was launched last year.
The bus, which remains parked in the community production centre provides a play an feeding programme for children of the men and women working at one of our employment creation projects.
Both buses have qualified staff on board to ensure the children have the best possible start to their education. To help see our wish list
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 Hlayisanani Day Care Centre, Alexandra Township, Gauteng |
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Our day care centre is situated in Setswetla, in the heart of the sprawling township of Alexandra. This community provides a typical example of the poverty and high unemployment rates facing those living in South Africa’s informal settlements.
Our crèche is a haven in the middle of its bleak surroundings and takes in around 30 children each day for a full programme of educational play. There is a clear need for this project in Setswetla and we continue to be frustrated that so many parents appear unable to afford the modest fees we charge and we would certainly have the resources to cater for up to 70 children a day.
Our early childhood development programme continues to provide much needed stimulation for our attendees. During the day we provide breakfast and lunch as well as nutritional snacks for the children – which, for many of them, are the only meals they expect to get.
When we first set up the crèche in 1993 we catered for more than three times as many children as we currently care for and are disappointed to have seen such a dramatic decline in numbers in recent years. Our sponsor a child scheme will, we hope, assist more children to receive the benefit of our carefully planned programme. To help, see their wish list.
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Highlights for the children over the last year have included a day trip to Hartebeespoort Dam – which for many children was their first glimpse of life beyond Alexandra.
We also held a mock graduation day for children leaving the crèche to go to school – an event of great excitement for teachers, parents and our little students.
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After-school Care Programme
Our after school care programme is aimed at providing young learners with a safe and comfortable environment in which they can study. Organised indoor games are also provided along with a full life skills programme covering issues such as sex education, HIV/Aids, hygiene and nutrition. To help, see their wish list.
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Children's Stimulating Play Scheme, Leratong Hospital, Johannesburg
SCF Gauteng provides a stimulating play scheme for children needing long-term care at Leratong. We are looking for volunteers willing to help run this programme which is greatly appreciated by the children and their parents.
The programme currently runs in one ward and we would dearly love to extend it to other wards for the benefit of many more children. To help, see their wish list. |
HIV & AIDS
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Sizolomphakathi Community Production Centre, Mpumalanga
The devastation wreaked by HIV/Aids throughout South Africa is lain bare in the community surrounding our community centre. Many parents of the children attending our play bus schemes are ill or dead, leaving their children in the care of siblings, relatives and grandparents. The situation is becoming extremely grave and we feel almost powerless to provide relief because of our limited resources. We are networking closely with other agencies in the area to seek assistance for these families.
The HIV/Aids pandemic is the greatest disaster confronting our country. But it is not to late to help many of our young people. SCF Gauteng is working to bring relief to the communities where we work.
Click here to find out how to sponsor a child , make a donation or how you can help
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Phlisani Home-based Care Group, Sun River, Hazyview, Mpumalanga
This home-based care group continues to work with dedication providing day care for children left orphaned by HIV/Aids and much-needed counseling and practical assistance to those bereaved by the disease.
We are assisting with the building of a centre from which they will extend their work.SCF Gauteng offers life skills training and financial support to the group. |
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Job Creation & Enterprise
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Sizolophakathi Community Production Centre, Mpumalanga
We had run a feeding programme in this area for 12 years prior to setting up of this centre in 1997. Situated 25 kms from Badplaas, the centre has provided income-generating skills training for scores of unemployed young men and women from this deprived area, as well as providing educational play for their children on our static and mobile play buses.
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Food Gardening ProjectMore than 40 men and women work in the centre’s food garden which supplies vegetables to the centres employees. Any excess are sold to raise money for new seeds and to maintain the plots. To help them, see their wish list
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Job Creation Schemes
Much of our effort is now focused on initiatives which enable people to move away from dependency and become self-reliant. To achieve this, we provide training in basic business, life and practical skills for adults of all ages at our centre. Two working groups – one making fences, another making juice and bread - have emerged at Sizolomphakathi who are now selling their products to the local communities and sustaining their own fledgling businesses.
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Baking Group
Mothers of some of the children at our crèche in Alexandra formed a baking group which is working very successfully. The women use the crèche at the day care centre to bake scones which they sell to friends and neighbours. SCF Gauteng trained the group in basic business skills to enable them to run their business independently and profitably. The women are hoping to recruit others to join them and expand their small enterprise.
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Bongani Baking Project, Bongani Mission, MpumalangaWe provide skills training for the baking group based at the Bongani Mission. The group bakes food to feed their own families and sells any surplus stock to raise funds to buy stock and maintain equipment. To help, see their wish list
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The Soweto Beaders
A group of young jobless men and women living in Soweto and other areas of Johannesburg were recruited by SCF Gauteng in 2003 and trained in basic bead craft skills. Since then, the group’s work has featured in the South African and UK media and is selling very well. The project’s beaded charity badges have sold by the hundreds and raised money for Aids and breast cancer charities. The group’s beaded net food covers are sold in shops in both in the UK and South Africa.
For many of the group, the project has provided the first wage packets of their lives and taught them valuable craft skills which will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. To help, see their wish list
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Pre-Release Programme, Johannesburg Prison, GautengWe first began working at the prison in 1999 providing a pre-release preparation programme. Since then, we have extended our work to working with prisoners facing long jail terms and training them to act as facilitators in group workshops covering a number of issues including HIV/AIDS awareness and counselling; communication skills; conflict and stress management.
Last year we launched the Moral Regeneration Programme and the Batswariwa ke Batho project which encourages staff and inmates to raise money for an adopted project. Since then, much-needed funds have been donated by prisoners and staff to the Salvation Army in Soweto and the After School Care Programme at our own crèche in Alexandra. To help, see their wish list
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