As their last project for the year, Team_@, a social responsibility group of Rand Girls’ School, held a Christmas party for the children of the Bienvenu Shelter on Terrace Road, Bertrams.
In 2001, Bienvenu Shelter was founded in response to the lack of services that cater for the basic needs of migrant (refugees or asylum seekers) women and children. At any one time, the shelter can accommodate 45 women and children. In 2014, it accommodated 151 migrants from 11 different African countries, and over the past three years, the shelter has helped about 1 500 women, both within Bienvenu Shelter and through the centre’s outreach work.
The shelter is currently recognised in Johannesburg and beyond as the sole organisation that specifically provides safe and secure residential care for refugee women and children. The shelter aims to provide for the needs of migrants by offering them accommodation, guidance and support, food, clothing and assistance in accessing other needs such as basic health care, legal documentation, education and training through referrals to other organisations.
They also provide a creche, a baby room, and nursery and daycare services for the children. As a general rule, women and their dependents are allowed to stay for three months – extensions are considered on an individual needs basis – so that the women can look for gainful employment and rebuild their lives in South Africa.
In its quest to be part of the community and foster relationships between the shelter’s residents and members of the neighbourhood, assistance and support are extended to local residents in the shelter in the form of access to childcare, food parcels and skills such as sewing and computer literacy training.
Details: Rand Girls’ 011 642 4347/8.
