Children sometimes don’t like me. A case in point being when I tried to borrow a two-year-old toddler from his SOS mother to play with him for a little while. He started crying at my approach. So it was with much trepidation that I agreed to spend a day at an SOS Children’s Village.

By the time we arrived in Pretoria’s township, Mamelodi, I was filled with excitement. I met up woth Sarah Moshidi, who had been living in the village for 23 years. Each family consists of up to 10 siblings and she had looked after two sets of siblings already – 17 children altogether. Though these children are all younger than 18 years on arriving at the house, an exception is made so that younger siblings are not separated from their older ones. Abandoned and orphaned children are placed at an SOS Children’s Village South Africa after a protective court order has been issued.

With that number of children under one roof, I had images of a boarding house. Bunk beds and a line of children waiting with empty plates while a stern housemother dished up unidentifiable gloop. The only thing that rang true with my mental picture were the bunk beds in one of the rooms. Otherwise Moshidi keeps a real home.

The kitchen was tidy with pots and vegetables packed in their places. The sitting room stood in wait for her children to come back from school where they would spend an hour studying. The television set where Generations is watched religiously is surrounded by the trophies and medals her children have collected over the years.

Frames with proud young faces looked on as we chatted on the couches bought by one of her sons after he left this nest to start his own. When a child completes their schooling SOS assists them to study further, find employment or establish an income conducive to their wellbeing.

The house mothers are the women hired to be live-in moms, to look after and raise the children. The SOS Children’s Village requires the house mothers to invest 15 years to establish stability in the lives of children who’ve never known it. “This is not work; it’s home. I’ve looked after 17 children and I’m rich because I have six grandchildren now. I wouldn’t mind rewinding 10 years and starting again,” says Moshidi, who has dedicated more than two decades to this home. That said, even raising a single child is no easy task.

Moshidi says that at any given time, she’s a counsellor, doctor, nurse, teacher, social worker and a mother.

Besides the diversity of the families, something else that makes living here so unique is the support structure the families have available to them. The Village Director, Child and Youth Development Coordinator, the Boys’ Youth Leader, an in-house soccer coach, handyman and the driver are role models representing father figures for the kids. Some, like the Village Director and Youth Development Coordinator are based in the village, available at all times.

The mothers are assisted by social workers and educators – more assistance than the average Mzansi family can lay claim to. Each mother attends a four-month training course where skills like budgeting and preparing nutritious food are taught. Before they look after children, they act as assistant mothers or aunts; only getting full responsibility for an SOS family after two or three years. The mothers get a monthly budget for food, basic essentials, school fees, entertainment, transport, furniture and medical fees for doctor’s consultation and medical fees.

The villages survive on financial assistance from individual donors and corporates who may sponsor a village or a house. The government also offers subsidies and, depending on whether the village’s application is successful, the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) can also provide funds.

As is the case with many other families, the children are not kicked out when they turn 18 (although some parents may want to do just that. Instead, when their mother thinks they’re mature enough, a panel meets to decide whether they can move into the Youth House. Here a youth leader helps them adjust from their family life until they are self-sufficient. And the skills their mother taught them come into play.

I helped Moshidi with some chores, like making beds. She does this hard work on a daily basis, making lunch for her children before they go to school, checking they bath, cleaning the house when they are at school, cooking supper and helping with their homework.

I was fortunate to meet the little ones aged three to six in the kindergarten. Villages offer kindergarten Edu-Care Programmes and community social centres, complete with Mother and Child clinics and family counselling services.

The villages try to integrate with the surrounding community from inception. Before a village is built the idea is run past the surrounding communities. In fact, some of the children at the kindergarten aren’t actually from the village but have homes in Mamelodi East, while children from the village attend local schools and churches. Village Directors and Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) co-ordinators are active local community forums and associations.

At the kindergarten it was overwhelming to have so many little arms running to hug me, though most only got as far as my knees. We went off to play some games and sing-a-longs and soon after it was time for lunch. We washed our hands and then together with two little waiters, I helped to distribute the macaroni and cheese while the children waited patiently.

Having become more at ease with the children I got another chance to meet up with my teary toddler from earlier. He had a melted piece of chocolate in his hand and all over himself. Next thing I knew a chocolaty kiss had been planted on my mouth while my spectacles and hair got a cocoa makeover. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the day.

Want to volunteer?

The Volunteer Centre, South Africa’s first volunteerism hub, was established in 1979. Based in the Western Cape, the hub has centres in Vredendal, Khayelitsha, Beaufort West and Mitchell’s Plain. The centre links suitable volunteers to Non-Government and Government Organisations.

You can register and be part of the volunteer database. At the centre you’re taught the basics; what to expect, benefits and responsibilities of volunteering. Though the Volunteer Centre’s main focus in the Western Cape they have done referrals across the country.

Call Natasha Simons on (021) 674 5338. Alternatively use 0860 826 873 or email info@volcent.co.za.

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