The lockdown announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa will put a lot of strain on the country, but especially on shelters as they depend on donations.
The Kids Haven Donation Centre in Bryanston have said that they will remain open for now. They will not be allowing any children with extended family to make any home visits or host home visits at this time and are essentially in a form of lockdown to protect the children.
Some of their mandate plans are to maximise social isolation of the children and staff.
Fundraising coordinator Susan Daly said, “The community team will be moving around to our community beneficiaries before the lockdown, distributing Shoprite gift cards for food buying while our preschool and soup kitchen is closed.”
The centre will ask childcare staff who don’t have dependents at home and are able to, to live in permanently for the immediate future to prevent the staff from using public transport. They will also support their staff by taking care of those who chose to work 48-hour shifts.
Kids Haven staff will be paying their staff before month-end. Non-essential staff in fundraising departments who commute using public transport will be staying at home while those using their transport will still work.
Staff and children with high health needs will be given extra nutritional support and the centre will remain open to receive children in crisis – those at risk or victims of child abuse of any kind.
Donation centres and all other non-child care activities will stop. The weekly soup kitchen will continue as a takeaway soup kitchen and not a sit-down, interactive one.
Kids Haven has employed a casual worker to clean and wipe down all high-contact areas such as the reception area, the security reception to the children, charity shop and food deliveries pathways.
The centre aims to heed the President’s call to keep working where they can and are appealing to the community for donations that will help sustain them during the lockdown.
Details: sued@kidshaven.co.za
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