COMFORT KITS FOR ABUSED AND/OR ABANDONED CHILDREN
The Iba-Umngani Foundation, the Johannesburg Child Protection Unit and the Gauteng Dept of Social Services, designed a “comfort” kit for children who need to be removed from their homes/environment and placed in a “safe” house. Children need to be removed for several reasons, including danger to the child due to physical and/or sexual abuse by a household member. These kits are also for abandoned children. Often these children are removed with only the clothes they are wearing. Over and above the abuse they have experienced, being placed in a strange environment is also extremely traumatic for them. Although the children are innocent victims, they are “punished” by the system by being removed, which then causes secondary abuse. The kit includes amongst others, a soft cuddly toy, face cloth, towel, soap, shampoo, body lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb/hairbrush, sweets, biscuits, juice, etc. – for babies, nappies, babygrow, bottles, milk formula and basic toiletries as well. The items are packed in a nice shoulder bag. Each kit costs approximately R500. The kit helps to restore some human dignity to these traumatised children, by giving them something of their own to take with them. Giving them the basic necessities helps them feel more secure until they settle into their new home. These kits which you so kindly sponsor, are given to the Child Protection Services in your area, to give to the children at the time they are removed. This makes the placement of a child in a new environment less traumatic, which also helps to facilitate their recovery during therapy later on. This project started in Johannesburg (and Soweto) during November 2000, in Pretoria, East Rand, Vaal Triangle and the West Rand during the beginning of 2001 and Cape Town in June 2001. During 2002 it was expanded country wide with a total of more than 7000 kits donated to date.
SURVIVOR KITS FOR RAPE VICTIMS
We have been requested by the FCS (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit) of the SA Police Service, to put together a kit for women and young girls who have lived through the trauma of being raped. This kit will be used by the women after they have seen the district surgeon to wash and clean themselves. This will enable them to feel comforted and thought of after this terrible ordeal. The kits will include the following (packed in a bag) chocolates, juice, towel, face cloth, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb/brush, sanitary pads, deodorant, panty, etc. A pamphlet will be designed to include details of counselling, AVR’s etc. The estimated cost per kit is R500.
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