Help finance children’s welfare
PARKTOWN – A budget of above R14 million is set to cater for the provision of services by Childline and the organisation is open to donors and funders to assist and sustain welfare of children.
Childline Gauteng has outlined their business plan for the forthcoming financial year, and they are grateful to the public for their interest in improving the world for the children.
Managing director at Childline, Lynne Cawood said support from the people is valued given the enormous challenges of current times where there are high percentages of people living below the poverty line accompanied by high abuse and violence rates.
“The annual cost of violence against children, as estimated by the organisation Save the Children South Africa in their research report Violence Unwrapped in 2016, is estimated at R238 billion. This psycho-socio-economic fragmentation has a profoundly negative cost and long-term impact on children. It is essential that they have access to services that promote family strengthening, emotional health, safety and social cohesion. These are the key focuses of the Childline services,” said Cawood.
She added that it is both morally and economically imperative to promote programmes that ensure positive emotional health for the youth.
The Childline team has great experience and skill in healing the wounds that are inflicted by the current challenges, through services which include the 24 hour toll-free helpline, Childline Community-Based Counselling Centres (CCBCs), Community Awareness and Prevention Programmes (CAPP), training and the Sunlight Safe House assisting approximately 500 000 people. The total cost of all these services as per Childline’s expenditure budget for 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 stands at above R14 million.
“As funders shift their focus to strengthen the education, economic and environmental sectors at the cost of family services, children’s organisations are unable to meet the needs of the most important sector of our society,” Cawood said.
“We invite you to participate in the creation of a caring society that encourages our children to take every opportunity to grow and develop and take our country into a stable and dynamic future.”
She said that Childline Gauteng is governed by a board of directors which meets quarterly to review the service delivery and financial reports. The project managers are both people- and task-centred for each of the key programmes. All project managers form part of the internal management team which aids effective service delivery.
Cawood concluded, “We thank our partners, board of directors, staff and volunteers for your long-term dedication to Childline and our collective vision of implementing the SA Bill of Rights (1996) generally and specifically to ‘heal the divisions of our past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights’. Food and stationery are ongoing requirements and we would welcome donations of these items as a cost saving against the budget.”
To find out more on how to donate, visit Childline Gauteng at www.childlinegauteng.co.za; 011 645 2000.
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