This rainbow leads to a place of safety
Rainbow Children's Home brings more than luck to vulnerable children. It gives them a place of safety.
It is always a beautiful sight to behold when you spot a rainbow, even better when you spot a rainbow that serves as a refuge for vulnerable children.
Rainbow Children’s Village has been based in Westdene for several years and in September of last year, they had a relaunch. To find more on the progress and challenges faced since the paper spoke to a volunteer.
“Although the road up till September was a physical one, with lots of painting, scraping, sanding and sweat and tears, the journey since then has been an emotional one, ” said Teresa Richards, a volunteer and board member of Rainbow Children’s Village.
She based this sentiment primarily on the six beautiful children they have taken in that have been emotionally and physically scarred. Their youngest was only two years old at the time. “However, our journey with them has been one of seeing them grow into confident, bubbly children with so much to offer,” she said.
Their relaunch last year saw them move to being a place of safety, rather than being a foster home. A journey that has since been a tough one for them. From learning the ins and outs of running a safe house to finding the best assistance for these children through therapy and ensuring the safety of their children at all times.
“We have had six children placed with us since the relaunch. We are legally only allowed to host seven children. One of the children has subsequently been placed in permanent foster care. This is always good as our hopes are always to ensure they get returned to a family member that has the means and willingness to look after the child,” shared Richards.
According to Richards, these children come into the home emotionally and physically broken. She said it is a sad fact of life that our children are not protected as they should be so they do what they can to ensure they are happy, safe and can be provided with the love and care they so richly deserve. Many of the children come to them not comprehending their situation and why they have been placed with them. “Many think that the abuse they have suffered is part of a normal childhood and can’t seem to understand why they are no longer with their family but with complete strangers. They land up feeling inferior to the other kids. They then try to get noticed and land up getting into trouble instead as they lack complete self-esteem and are very fragile and emotional.”
Due to the many challenges the organisation faces, they make sure to use professional therapists to guide them on how to work through the many emotional traumas that these children come with. A mission of theirs is to ensure the children get the best help the organisation can afford. So therapy sessions are vital in developing well-rounded happy children.
The home is always in search of people to either provide services such as plumbing/building/security on a pro bono basis. “We are also always looking for people who can spend an hour or two doing arts and crafts, helping with homework, tutoring, or providing some form of entertainment. People can also contribute financially on a monthly basis or once off,” said Richards
Details: Rainbow Children’s Home, teresa@rainbowchildrensvillage.co.za
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