Drop In Centre

The Drop-in Centre (DiC) centre within the local informal settlement of Smasher Block, provides services to a total of 76 children. Fifty of the registered beneficiaries receive full services at the Drop-in-centre daily while the rest are being served via home-visits within the community.

The DiC provides:

  • Daily cooked lunches
  • Academic support
  • Extra mural activities- sports, cultural activities, skills development
  • Special outings & functions
  • Home-visits to the children’s homes
  • Support for the very needy households
  • Guardian/parent support groups

Daily cooked lunches

  • Nutritious meals provided after school for the 50 children attending

Academic Support

  • Daily support with schoolwork by the DiC carers. These measures have brought a positive outcome judging from the children’s improved school
    reports. 
  • Extra academic classes twice a month on Saturdays. This is being done by a qualified teacher.
  • All DIC children receive school uniforms and school bags when needed. This makes them feel special and encouraged to attend school.    
  • DIC carers liaise with the relevant class teachers to discuss the performance of each child.

Extra-mural activities

- Sports

  • To ensure physical strength and health, various activities are enjoyed throughout the week.
  • The boys also play soccer while the girls play netball.
  • They sometimes join the CYCC children for soccer and netball matches.

- Culture

  • Every week the children practice traditional cultural dances. Events to celebrate their heritage are always enjoyed. At such events, each child, guardian and staff member are encouraged to dress in their traditional attire. Traditional food is cooked and tasted by everyone. Traditional dances according to the various cultures are performed during the ‘Heritage event’.

- Skills Development

  • Painting and drawing allow for the children to express themselves freely. This helps with mental stimulation and nonverbal emotional expression.
  • Acquiring vegetable gardening skills- enables the children to start a backyard garden at their homes. Thabang provides seedlings to the children who have a garden at home, 14 households have started a backyard garden.

Special Outings & Functions

Educational outings and functions are varied:
 

  • Visiting the Marakele National Park to learn about conservation and the wild animals of the bushveld.
  • Joining Thabang CYCC to participate in functions, such as: Spelling Bee, Debating and Mental Maths.
  • End of year function and Christmas celebration: The children dress up to visit the Tumela Recreation Club and have a good time of entertainment with a group of visitors who play some games, braai/barbeque and swim with the children. They each receive specially selected Christmas gifts.
  • Birthday celebrations are celebrated every quarter with a cake that is donated by Thaba spar. Children receive new clothes as birthday presents.

Home visits and support

The Drop-In-Centre carers do home-visits three times a week to:

  • Monitor the living conditions of the children at their homes 
  • Build a strong relationship with the guardian and the children 
  • Provide necessary support via the distribution of food parcels, clothing and toiletries
  • Do referrals to the relevant helping institutions
  • Help with drafting budgets and saving money to invest for tertiary education

Needy households support

We have 31 needy households who are served by Thabang DIC at the community:

  • They receive food parcels monthly to ensure that there is enough food for the children in their household.
  • Donations of second-hand clothes are also distributed to the people in these needy households.
  • Health education and hygiene awareness discussions are always held by the DiC carers with the members of these households.
  • The carers also provide referrals to the relevant institutions which can provide support for the households e.g. Home affairs, SASSA etc.
  • Special support to the babies of vulnerable families is provided via: milk formula, diapers and clothes.

Parents/guardians support, crafts group and psychosocial support.

The parents support group is hosted by Thabang volunteers who teach handcrafts as a means to generate an income.
At these group meetings:

  • Discussions and counselling support is offered to parents and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Thabang’s social worker leads these discussions.
  • Support is also given on matters relating to substance abuse and behaviour.
  • Healthy lifestyle talks on nutrition, sexual behaviour, smoking habits and physical activities are also important topics the social worker will cover.
  • Parental skills are taught and counselling provided to guardians who require support with their children.
Child And Youth Care Centre

General Manager

  • Linda Grobler
  • gm@thabang.org
  • 014 0040 334 (weekdays) / 073 467 2185

Chairperson of the board of Directors

  • Yolanda Matthee
  • mattheelandie@gmail.com
  • 081 795 4497

Finance Officer

  • Christelle Barnard
  • finance@thabang.org
  • 014 0040 334 (weekdays)

DIC Project manager

  • Glory Vilakazi
  • xolilevilakazi05@gmail.com
  • 083 226 7757

Founder, Trustee-and Board Member

  • Tessa White
  • twhite@thabang.org
  • 083 296 6940

Social Worker

  • Dalene Delport
  • socialworker@thabang.org
  • 014 0040 334 (weekdays)

Administration

  • Shannon Sithole
  • admin@thabang.org
  • 014 0040 334 (weekdays)

Academic coordinator /skills development/site

  • Diederik Niehaus
  • thabanginspired@gmail.com
  • 014 0040 334 (weekdays)/ 082 940 6523

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