Cape Town - With the ever increasing levels of crime and young children being more vulnerable to danger, a group of 29 women from Cape Town have opened their homes to offer a safe space for school-aged children.
The community-led initiative is called ‘Afternoon Angels’ and offers after-care facilities and extracurricular programmes and has been effective in securing the safety of well being of children in townships.
The programme creates safe places to play, do homework, and to enjoy nutritious meals and is located within the children’s own communities. These home-based sanctuaries are run by selfless ‘Mamas’ who lessen the risk of them venturing further afield into harm’s way.
The programme is being supported by non-profit organisation (NPO) Ikamva Labantu.
According to Thembiso Panziso, who runs the after-school club in Khayelitsha, the community is plagued by rape, child abuse, drugs, alcohol and early pregnancy, and this is her reason for looking after the needs of the children in the area.
“This programme helps to teach them that crime doesn’t pay and that it ruins lives. We talk about everything from early pregnancy to drug abuse, committing crime and its implications for their future,” Panziso said.
Children attending these programmes are between the ages of six and 14, a time when they are most vulnerable to being recruited by gangs.
Attending these programmes, children have access to games, toys and books, hygiene packs, school stationery, uniforms and more.
“Focused supervision reinforces positive behaviour that builds strong and healthy social connections. When needed, each club is also able to provide referrals to other Ikamva Labantu services, such as health, psychosocial, or government departments.
“Ikamva Labantu supports these after-school carers with resources and money for food. More funds are needed to provide adequate nutrition for all the participants.
“Within these under-resourced neighbourhoods, the clubs have become immensely popular. So much so that many children want to come on weekends, and other local youngsters also seek them out.
“Fun aspects of the initiative include sports activities such as netball and soccer, where local youths are employed as safety marshals and soccer coaches. In addition to a coaching stipend they receive, their role enhances self-esteem and builds valuable skills development,” Ikamva Labantu said.
One of the children in the programme and the son of one of the ‘Afternoon Angels’, Simamkele Booi, said being part of the programme has inspired him to create change in his community by teaching children how to be themselves, how to behave and how to speak to people.
The angels involved in these programmes said it had led them in a call to ‘take back the streets’ - a movement to reclaim the safety of children and also their community.