Forster mother’s special day

The Sunlight Safe House was established in 1997 as an emergency night shelter for vulnerable children.

The safe house, which is a sister organisation to Childline, aims to give abused and abandoned children the best foster care. The organisation hosted its annual Christmas party sponsored by Investec Bank for the Sunlight Safe House volunteer foster mothers.

The organisation currently cares for 140 children who are divided among 51 foster mothers. It also offers support services and training for the families who care for the children.

The safe house manager of child services Sandy Mahapi, said this is an annual festive season event, which took place on 1 December and has been sponsored by Investec for the past 15 years.

Read Science excellence for Parktown Girls

“The Christmas party that we host annually is a thanksgiving to acknowledge the mothers’ efforts for the children and to have a lovely day. There [are] different activities that the mothers get to enjoy, such as [having] a massage, getting nails painted and a cooked lunch. The kids also get to enjoy activities such as a magician, balloon sculpture and a kiddies play area,” said Mahapi.

The day was filled with various fun activities that both the mothers and the children enjoyed. It was clear that the order of the day was fun and pampering for all who participated.

Volunteer foster mother Sylvia Phiri, said she has been a foster mother at childline for the past 14 years and that it’s an honour to be part of the Christmas party. She has been raising three children for the past 13 years and was happy to have been given the opportunity to raise them.

“My kids are happy, stable and also go to school. I’m also happy to make a difference in their lives through the support of sponsors and donors. It makes the initiative a success,” said Phiri.

Details: Sunlight Safe House 011 645 2000.