Sanne Mirk and her team at Yenzani would welcome volunteer assistance with the following:
- computer skills for staff and children
- administration skills for the staff
- caring volunteers with a genuine interest in young teenagers
- helping the children with their homework
- lifeskills for vulnerable children
The children have identified the following volunteers they would like to meet!
- someone to play soccer and sports
- someone to do drama
- someone to help with computer skills
- someone who knows about Beyonce!
- someone to talk to about the world
- someone to help with homework
Introduction
people and places was conceived to ensure meaningful experiences for volunteers and communities working together.
There is much debate about the validity of volunteering by the traditional "Gapper" - post school or university, but we believe that you DO have real skills to share, and that with good management and planning, your skills can help to make a real difference in the communities we serve.
We've worked with our local partners and communities with whom we already work to design volunteer placements for "Gappers" that will be meaningful, responsible and sustainable. You can be sure that you’re not replacing local employment and that your work will be part of a larger programme that is helping vulnerable communities build the future they would want for themselves.
A placement in this project will be challenging, rewarding, meaningful, frustrating ... and fun! It will help you develop your personal skills too - but that is not the priority - the priority is to help local people create a better future.
The project
The stated mission of Yenzani children's home is "The safe housing of children in crisis,protecting them from secondary abuse and defending all their rights"
Yenzani means don't just talk do it!
The home was founded in 2002 by Sanne Mirk, a business woman, after volunteering at a child abuse centre. Her experiences there challenged her to do something proactive to prevent children ‘returning’ to their perpetrators.
Sanne says"Children who have been subjected to abuse often have blurred boundaries insofar as their self esteem and emotions are concerned. It is critical that we validate them through healthy and purposeful expression re-integrating them into society striving for healing rather than perpetuating the abuse cycle. Social interaction is an important part in children’s development and we are actively enlisting the services of volunteers.
This is where you come in. Depending on your skills you will spend some of your time helping the staff and some of your time working directly with the children. because all the children go to school your working day will not start until the afternoon and you will stay at Yenzani until after supper. this will enable you to interact with the children and enjoy supper with them each day. Your working week will probably include weekends when the children are not at school and you will take time off during the week.
Yenzani is open to children aged between 4 and 17 and are brought to Yenzani by SAPS and/or Social Services on Form 4 offences
The staff have all had domestic, police, child protection, CPR and emergency first aid training. Ongoing staff training is a priority and includes computer, time management, cultural, child care/protection and driving. Connie Motsetla & Ntsehiseng Leballo are the caring and compassionate house parents who bring normality to these abused children's lives. .
Yenzani is a registered Children’s Home and a founder member of The Greater Midrand Children’s Forum.
On 4 November 2004, Amos Masondo – The Mayor of Johannesburg – presented Yenzani with a Certificate of Recognition for services rendered to the Citizens of Johannesburg
Context
Child abuse comes in many forms and the children at Yenzani reflect this.
Some children have been abandoned, some are victims of child trafficking, others victims of sexual and physical abuse - all have been severely abused.
Poverty, HIV/AIDS, and civil and political strife affect many countries in Africa, creating profound economic and social instability. As families are forced to migrate without adequate support to maintain their livelihood or fall victim to illness or marginalisation, children become increasingly vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. The abduction of children by armed militias and the sale and trafficking of children are especially problematic within Southern, Central and West Africa. This occurs primarily within the Africa region, but transcontinental trafficking of children for sexual purposes is also known to occur between Africa and Europe. In some cases, entrenched socio-cultural values, attitudes and structures increase the vulnerability of African children to sexual exploitation.
"The extent of trafficking in children both within and across borders of South Africa is unknown due to the absence of a comprehensive and current national study on child trafficking.However,it is well-known that South Africa is a source, transit and destination country for trafficking in children for sexual exploitation and forced labour.A notorious route for child trafficking for sexual exploitation is along major haulage roads leading to South Africa from Malawi. Along these routes, long distance truck drivers deceive children by promising to marrythem or provide them educational opportunities if they agree to go to South Africa.Once in Johannesburg, the victim is held as the trafficker’s sex slave in a flat in the central business district, and he will bring in perpetrators who pay him to have sex with the child.Malawian businesswomen also traffic girls to brothels in Johannesburg. Girls are also trafficked internally,most of them from poor rural areas. Parents of victims are usually tricked by pimps, who offer to provide the children with education and good jobs, but force the children into prostitution after obtaining parental consent to travel with the child to another town. girls are also kidnapped, trafficked into gangs, held captive and forced into prostitution.."
ECPAT monitoring report South Africa 2007
