Driven from their homes due to poverty, domestic violence and dysfunctional families, many children resort to substance abuse and begging on the streets, but we as the caring public have the ability to help them.
Through begging on the street, a child can make up to R300 a day (the average is about R70 but can go right up to R300 on a weeked), with a small amount of money being spent on food, while the rest is either stolen by the older children, or used to buy drugs and alcohol. This kind of behaviour leads to substance abuse, prostitution and gang involvement, but the organization I Care is trying to prevent this by getting the children off the streets and helping them to make a positive contribution to the society we live in.
“About 18 to 24 children come in a day,” said Bhekani Dludla, an employee of Durban’s I Care, when referring to the number of children seeking help off the streets in our area. Although some children know to go to the centre, many residents of Durban have called I Care during the day to come pick up children who stand and beg for money at the traffic robots.
Rehabilitation
Dludla finds that if after the rehabilitation the children go back to their homes, they often end up where they began . . . begging on the streets again. However if the living conditions of the children’s homes are not up to standard, they are able to stay at I Care’s housing facilities, where house parents provide supervision and care for the children.
The I Care trust was formed in 2002 by Graham Cochrane in memory of his father, and he used his father’s values and principles as the foundation for all that he hoped to instill in underprivileged children. It began simply as an awareness campaign, asking the public to refrain from giving the street children money, but rather to make some contribution to the I Care trust instead. Support was given through outreach to the street children, educational support as well as financial support to the shelters that housed some of the children and skills development programmes.
I Care is devoted to providing a long-term solution to the problem of the growing number of children who live on the streets, as well as addressing the social problems that these children experience, such as substance abuse and stealing. Children who allow the organisation to help them go through a rehabilitation process, and are provided with housing and education, as well as having the opportunity to learn a skill to gain employment and provide a service by giving back to society.
Donations
However, the running of I Care depends on local and international donations, as well as the need for volunteers and employment opportunities for the rehabilitated street children. I Care has organised events to raise funds such as the Big Walk sponsored by Lexis Nexis and their annual Golf Day.
The Golf Day for the Johannesburg branch of I Care is coming up soon on Friday, July 22 at Bryanston Country Club, so if you are up there during these holidays make sure to see what it’s all about! Anyone is able to pay R2000 for a four ball, or simply sponsor a hole or a prize for the benefit of the children under the care of the trust.
Visit I Care’s website
To get more information and consider making a donation or doing some volunteer work to help the street children of Durban . . . they most definitely need it. – By Nicole Rodel
Useful info: Contact number: 031 572 6870
Golf Day number to contact: 086 147 0047
On the web