Famsa a phoenix rising from the ashes
“We refused defeat and continued rendering services to the community needing counselling,” she said.
Lacking funds and suffering the larger community’s ignorance of their existence, the previous executive committee of Families South Africa (Famsa) West Rand came to a decision on Friday 13 March to close its doors permanently.
All staff members were retrenched and the office had to finish business off by 31 March. It took a lot of convincing, bargaining and pleading to get the show back on the road, new acting director Tertia Carroll said.
They aim to take care of issues residents have resulting from violence, family violence, trauma, marital problems, family dilemmas and personal issues. They’ll talk a person through it, from start to finish, and offer support afterwards.
The new team, including Carroll, Machel Rundle as secretary of the board and Wilma Pretorius, a senior social worker and specialised play therapist have a lot up their sleeve to make the organisation successful.
A historic West Rand institution Famsa West Rand has been in operation for 36 years and not only services Roodepoort an Florida communities but also those of Krugersdorp and Randfontein. The branch has established satellite offices in Doornkop and Tshepisong, Simunye, Zuurbekom, Munsieville and the Kagiso Community Centre.
Famsa fell on hard times. “In the past, communities established their own organisations for issues they themselves had noted in the community and felt passionate about solving, they took the responsibility on of funding it; however, things changed when ‘mega funders’ like the National Lotteries Board of South Africa (NLDTF) started making large amounts of money available to such organisations and the community’s input and financial support dwindled and were not actively sought anymore,” Carroll said.
She noted that in recent years, funders’ priorities shifted from community and family health and social work to sport and culture.
“They are important developmental priorities but the shift leaves child protection organisations in financial dire straits,” Carroll said.
Her new team is working to shift their paradigm from victims of ignorance to agents of change.
Staff are agents for change – for themselves When the going got tough, the staff didn’t get paid. Although some dedicated individuals stuck around and helped salvage the organisation, others simply could not afford working another month without a paycheck, Carroll said.
“The new executive committee is already brainstorming a bunch of ideas on sustainable funding for our crucial work,” Rundle told the Record.
The organisation is already in the process of meeting with the Roodepoort Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Rocci) to form a partnership between willing and able entrepreneurs and the newly energised staff.
“We hope to pull local businesses into our rebirth by perhaps taking over some of their training and counselling responsibilities towards the staff members in turn for donations or a funding partnership,” she said.
“These partnerships with businesses, whether they’re partnered with Rocci or not, could create a sustainable line of funding for us, for which we in turn could render services and award certificates of appreciation.”
A relaunch of the organisation is being planned and the team is exploring various ways of fundraising in the future.
Everybody can benefit from a Famsa session
Their focus isn’t just on the problematic individuals in society, Carroll said. Trained professionals can help everyone, from an enraged person (anger management) to a panicked new mommy (parenting training) to a stress-ridden workaholic (stress management). These sessions are presented to the public at a nominal fee, compared to attending private counselling sessions. Their improved list of services includes:
• Individual therapy
• Couple counselling
• Family therapy
• Anger management
• Family preservation
• Parent training
• Grief counselling
• Trauma counselling
• Victim empowerment
• Support groups
• Stress management
• Play therapy
• Parenting training
• Divorce counselling
• Community awareness groups
• Life skills training
Become a member
Business owners and individuals in Roodepoort, Krugersdorp and Randfontein are invited to partner with Famsa by becoming a contributing member. If you’re passionate about children, families, family health and parenting, this is an opportune way in which to contribute to a society that absolutely promotes relationship health. Memberships last for at least one year (12 months) during which members receive monthly newsletters about the welfare of the organisation and up to three free counselling sessions for themselves or immediate family members. Members are also eligible to win the annual prize for recruiting the most members for the organisation and may also be approached to serve on the executive committee.
Their goal is to reach 3 000 members – are you the next one?
The organisation’s immediate needs to be able to make their reintroduction to society include:
• A new sign for families and individuals to know where their premises is
• A gardener or gardening company to help out with the garden from time to time
• A fresh coat of paint for the building, inside and out
• Palisades or a new wall for the current premises
• A dedicated and charitable security company to keep a watchful eye
• New curtains for the counselling offices
• Airtime for the staff members that work in satellite stations
For more information contact Famsa West Rand on 011 766 3283 or 011 763 3210 or via email at famsawestrand@telkomsa.net. Alternatively, visit their premises at 16 Dieperink Street, Roodepoort.
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Also read: Funding for FAMSA West Rand an urgency
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