A safe place for neglected kids

After school and during the school holidays, bored children can easily get into trouble, but the Mphe Sereti Orphans and Vulnerable Children Drop-in Centre is making sure that they stay entertained.

The centre is situated in Pelzvale and caters for over 400 local children every day.

Gladys Lebepe, project manager, said that most of the children at Mphe Sereti are orphans or come from very poor families.

“A lot of children in the area don’t get the attention they need at home. We are here to make sure they are fed, educated, entertained and kept healthy,” she said.

Mphe Sereti was founded in 2008 and has grown over the years. At the moment, they have a team of 45 looking after the children.

Gladys’ right hand, Nomsa Lebepe, said that they go the extra mile to care for these young ones.

“We have children from a few months old to 18 years old. We make sure they get to school every day because they won’t get far in life without education. We don’t have transport, so we walk with them to school every day. When children are sick, we take them to the clinic and we pride ourselves on helping them with emotional issues as well,” she said.

When the children aren’t doing homework, they are encouraged to learn traditional dances and take part in sport. Mphe Sereti’s office is filled with the children’s trophies and medals. They also have their own vegetable garden.

Gladys and her team also make memory boxes for all the children.

“Some of these children don’t have any relationship with their parents, so we make a box for them that contains pictures, toys and important documentation,” she said.

Mphe Sereti has made a big difference in many children’s lives over the past decade, all thanks to their hardworking team and generous sponsors.

“We don’t have a lot to work with, but we get by. We do hope, however, that someone might be generous enough to sponsor us with a jungle gym or something similar for our playground, as it will put a smile on every child’s face,” Gladys added.