The Princess Alice Adoption Home (Paah) in Parktown is in its 86th year of existence and will host a series of events to celebrate their successes over the years.
The home was the brainchild of Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, the Countess of Athlone and Queen Victoria’s grandchild. The countess lived in South Africa for almost a decade and during her stay, she was president of the Children’s Aid Society, now known as Johannesburg Child Welfare.
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To get construction off the ground, the countess received a donation from estate funds of a man whom the building is named after.
The home’s manager, Jo-Anne Schermeier said the adoption haven, which is home to 28 to 30 children, employs 14 staff including caregivers and kitchen personnel and has 25 regular volunteers which are the backbone of the home.
“We are a charity that relies on the community for our survival and it’s only because of the community that we do survive through donations and our volunteers,” Schermeier said.
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She said the home was an unusual children’s home, considering their location in Westcliff. “It’s not that common to find children’s homes in affluent suburbs. That’s a historical issue,” she said.
According to Schermeier, plans are underway for celebrations with fundraisers for the next couple of months and and celebrations will also highlight all that has been achieved in the past few years.
One of the programmes launched late last year is the donor-funded Granny Programme, which focuses entirely on bonding with and the stimulation of children. Women between the ages of 40 and 60 from the community are contracted to go to the home every weekday to ensure that each child has one primary person who they get familiar with, as opposed to volunteers who come and go and staff members who work in shifts. These women are given a stipend which covers transport costs.
“Majority of the women are from the surrounding suburbs and we have the most glamorous dedicated grannies from 9am to 11am, daily,” said Schemeier.
The home, which relies heavily on donations, is currently in need of new curtains for a section of the home and welcomes all other donations which assist in the smooth running of the home.
“It’s the day-to-day necessities such as nappies, toiletries for the children, clothes and toys that we need the most,” said Schemeier. “We also appeal for cleaning materials as well as financial donations.”
Details: 011 646 5641.
