A Heideveld family centre has received a R100 000 donation from a big chain store.
Arise, a non-profit organisation, helps strengthen families and place children in loving homes. It provides counselling as well as family- and adoption-support programmes.
In one case, director Danielle Moosajie explained, the organisation had helped a grandmother and her grandson, who was misbehaving and failing at school.
“The boy had no relationship with his father and mother who were in and out of prison. Arise placed them within a group support six-week programme where they learnt about the strength that they hold.”
The support group takes its lead from the strengths and weaknesses of superheroes.
“In that way kids can identify because they are the experts in superheroes,” Ms Moosajie said.
She said the grandson was now motivated to go to school, and the family realised what changes it needed to make.
“That relationship really grew stronger,” she said.
In another case, a mother, who had suffered abuse, had struggled to give her child physical attention, but after therapy, she had hugged her 10-year-old son for the first time.
Ms Moosajie said Arise helped families enjoy family time and not just watch television. Parents discovered things about their children they hadn’t known such as their favourite colour or what they loved most about them.
She said it was hard asking Cape Flats parents to look at life positively as they were often just trying to make ends meet and felt added stress when a child started acting out or didn’t want to go to school.
“Parents learn to stop just living according to survival mode and actually live a nurturing meaningful life with their children. As parents, you need to put effort into your child’s life and not just depend on doctors and therapists,” she said.
Call 021 633 4058 or email info@arisefamily.org for more information.