The TUI Care Foundation supports StreetSmart SA through its 100 Helping Hands initiative

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Sue and her brother were removed from their parents by the court due to their severely abusive home environment. Both parents were drug addicts, abusive and the kids were neglected. They were placed with a foster family, but after a short period the foster family rejected them. They felt that nobody cared or loved them. Feelings of not being good enough influenced the way they thought about their future. They felt that dreaming of a better one was pointless.

Sue and her brother were then placed in PEN’s care. Sue was 9 years old at the time. PEN committed to provide a stable and loving home for her and her brother and have journeyed with them both for 8 years now. Both children had been severely traumatized by their past experiences.

Read more: PEN provides Sue and her brother with a stable, loving home environment.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic this programme continued to impact positively on the lives of children and their families in Hillbrow. It is a fact that most of the children are very dependent on the meal they have at the drop-in centre and others still need the social support even though gatherings were prohibited. MES JHB managed to give daily meals or monthly food parcels to the families, allowing them to make use of the social work services and also communicating openly with parents to reduce panic during these trying times. 

The team also gave out worksheets for learners to do at home and with these we received positive feedback from parents. 

Last year our After-school programme learners showed much improvement academically. One of them is Lerato, in Grade 5, who was unable to do maths when she joined the After-school programme. Her group leader at the time, Banele, was able to help her with her maths and English. At the end of the year Lerato received a level 7 for Maths, which is the highest that one can achieve in this grade. 

We trust that in 2021 we will be able to continue at full capacity with the After-school programme which gives invaluable assistance to learners at the risk of dropping out of school. 

Read more: MES continues to positively impact Hillbrow community