Giving young girls a second chance
JOBURG – Get to know the Uitkoms centre for girls....Read up on how you can help.
Founded in 1994, Uitkoms Home for Girls is a registered child- and youth-care centre in Observatory which helps a number of girls who are victims of rape, abuse, abandonment, neglect and also some who are pregnant.
The home offers shelter, protection, professional counselling and life guidance to teenage girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them reclaim their dignity and build bright futures.
Noma Moyo, who is a social worker at the home, said they receive requests from the court and other organisations around Gauteng to take in girls. “Our aim is to care for these girls and give them the best possible care out of their depressing situation. In whatever that we do, we try to make sure that when they leave, they become productive future citizens,”she said.
Moyo added that they have individual development plans for each girl that comes to Uitkoms. “Depending on what they are good at, we can then have an exit strategy. If the child is not gifted academically it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world for her.”
Uitkoms offers intensive, holistic and specialised care for physical, emotional, educational and spirituals needs. The care encompasses the provision of counselling and educational programmes.
“The centre has been hit hard by the economic struggles over the past year. Uitkoms is heavily reliant on the public at large for financial contributions to continue delivering their services and to maintain the level of equality of services provided,” she concluded.
Details: Uitkoms 011 487 0357.
