Tucked away between the houses of Krugersdorp West is one where a different kind of family lives. This family has about 12 children and house mothers. They live at House Jade, a place where abandoned kids can just be kids.
Thea van Rooyen has been the manager at House Jade for a few months. She explained that they are a place of safety for abused and neglected children between newborn and five years old. The house used to be in West Village, but they moved to their new premises about three years ago.
They are a non-profit organisation that relies on the good hearts of sponsors to keep their doors open and their children fed.
The children in their care do not come from the Mogale area only, but are sent there from as far as Meyerton and Pretoria to live with them.
William Morton, the house’s project leader said their youngest resident is only a few months old while the oldest is three years. The subsidies they receive from government are just enough to cover staff salaries.
So what does it take to keep a house with 12 babies running smoothly? A lot of diapers and baby formula, as Thea explained that they use about eight diapers per child per day. Their house is run just like any other family home, and William said they try to keep it as normal as possible for the children.
There is a play area outside where they sometimes eat and make a picnic of it. The children are taught Bible stories and songs. Every morning the children go to crèche and in the evenings everyone is fed, bathed and put to bed.
They have a long wish list of needs and apart from financial support they need spaghetti, two-minute noodles (for the fussy eaters), cleaning supplies, number 3 and 4 diapers, toys (especially scooters and bigger toys for the bigger children), educational toys, Infacare formula, all different types of porridge, fresh milk, bread, meat such as mince, wors and chicken, as well as especially warm clothes and shoes.
They rent the premises they currently occupy, but if they could have their own property instead of renting that would be a blessing. They also need a minibus to transport the children to and from school every day.
People are welcome to come and have a look; we always need donors and volunteers,” Thea said.
If you would like to get involved or make a donation you can contact William on 076 305 5187, Thea on 076 938 2956, Ina de la Hunt on 071 602 9694, or visit their Facebook page to find out more.
