Pupils at the Johannesburg Children’s Home Early Childcare Development facility in class. Pictures: Michel Bega
It has been 132 years of caring – and still counting. That is the humbling and uplifting history of the Johannesburg Children’s Home.
Founded in 1892 by a leading doctor’s wife, Lucy Matthews, it was initially a tiny two-roomed creche in Fordsburg to enable working mothers to seek employment knowing their children would be safe and cared for.
Matthews soon realised that there was a much broader and deeper need and she became the main driving force in transforming the creche into a permanent, properly constituted children’s home.
It cared, on a strictly non-denominational basis, for any child who had been deprived of proper parental care. In the early years, the home occupied several addresses.
Fordsburg first, then Doornfontein and even relocated to Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal during the Boer War with 29 children.
When that conflict ended the children were returned to Joburg and the decision was made to build a permanent home and 10 acres were bought in what was then the country suburb of Observatory.
Today the home is a residential facility providing high quality care for 64 children from the ages of three up to, in occasional instances, 22.
These are not just children in need. Everyone of these children have been subjected to abuse, whether emotional or physical and invariably both, in their own homes and, consequently, removed by order of the Children’s Court and placed in the home.
The home is a place of refuge, a sanctuary of love, of healing, of security where children can find their true worth, which has often been blighted by violence and neglect.
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Consider the case of Bafana Mpapane, a young man of 22 who The Citizen met in the grounds of the home.
Although he has left it, he returns whenever possible. “It’s my home. I feel happy here,” he said.
Bafana was admitted to the home when he was 15. “I was in a very dark place when I arrived,” he said.
“I was insecure and felt worthless. I was sent to Malvern Boys’ School and did well and the home gave me all the help imaginable.
“Today I have a girlfriend, a job and a life outside but I will always regard this as my home.”
The Citizen also spoke to Ntandokazi Kubheka, 18. Now studying for her matric, she arrived at the home when she was nine.
“I hated it so much and fought with everybody,” she said.
“But gradually I felt the love. And over time and with the help of my house mother and my social worker, I settled in happily.”
Ntandokazi has excelled at school and hopes to study law at Free State University.
“But no matter where I go I will always return. The home has given me a sense of belonging.”
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The director, Sipho Mdluli, has a 30-year association with the home, 13 as chair of the board of governors.
“I have a staff complement of 60 to look after 64 children, including 21 childcare workers and two full time residential, designated social workers,” he said.
One of his four department heads is Fiona Duke who is responsible for of marketing and fundraising.
She has been with the home since 2002, has a psychology and PR background and previously worked for the SA National Blood Service.
“It’s stressful,” she said. “We are only guaranteed enough funds from the government to meet our expenses for 11 days each month.
“For the balance we have to rely on donors and our own fundraising.
“Remember, we are responsible not just for feeding and housing these growing children, but also for providing them with clothing, underwear, shoes, toiletries etc.”
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Radiating love and enthusiasm for the children and her work is residential social worker Kaeleigh Goss.
At 23 this is her first full-time job after getting an honours degree.
“There are just two residential social workers, Donna and myself, and our job is to attend to the needs of all the children who ask for it or we deem to require help.
“In the afternoon, we meet individual children. Listen to them, their problems and fears. Get involved.” They aim to meet every child at least once a month between them.
“We also run programmes to equip them to deal with school challenges and to help them cope once they leave the home.
“Conflict resolution is a major part of our support activities and we also advise in helping place them in schools suitable for their needs.
“We have one goal and one dream and that is that every child that leaves here leaves with basic life skills.”
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