Child and Youth Development          Professional Parenting          Child Witness Services

The Bethany House Trust

SOME OF OUR PROJECTS:

This home—operational since October 1999—accommodates children whose ages range from 6 years up to 18 years.  The aim of Bethany House is to break the cycle of abuse in the child’s life and facilitate healing and re-integration into the community as a productive member of society.  Following a holistic approach, the physical, educational, emotional and spiritual needs of child victims are met.  To date more than 400 children were served through this project.

BETHANY HOUSE CHILDREN’S HOME

Our baby sanctuary was opened in March 2002 and has place for 20 babies whose ages range from newborn to 5 years.  Most of the babies were abandoned after birth.

BETHANY HOUSE BABY SANCTUARY

Operates throughout South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana as a telephonic child abuse advice and referral service.  It is widely used by parents and caregivers alike who are in need of advice on the child abuse management system.  The cell phone emergency service providers regularly patch crisis calls through to us—ranging from family violence to child abductions.

CRISIS LINE

Also known as “Khulisani Abantwana Bethu” - Raise our children!

This is an empowerment tool (training course) that we developed for parents willing to look after children in need of a safe home (foster care/adoption).  The program is accredited by UNISA.  To date almost 200 parents and 70 social workers (master trainers) were equipped with this program.  We believe this program provides a solution for the multitude of “aids orphans” in need of “homes” in Africa.

PROFESSIONAL PARENTING PROGRAMME

To minimize trauma to child victims of crime who have to testify in court, we provide trained intermediaries (social workers) to accompany and act as mediator between the child and the court.  We provide services to Magistrates Courts on the West Rand.  Our intermediaries have acted on behalf of more than 2000 child witnesses during the last 3 years.  Research findings from this project were published internationally.

INTERMEDIARY SERVICES FOR CHILD WITNESSES

PROJECT LIST

SOCIO-LEGAL CENTRE

A team of community workers facilitate diversion programs in disadvantaged schools in the Muldersdrift region.  Every month approximately 4500 learners are reached through life skills, sport development and homework centres.  Many of these learners come from very poor households, are orphaned or suffer some form of abuse.  The aim of the Ikusasa program is to give these youth hope for tomorrow.

IKUSASA

Various pieces of legislation (i.e. Child Care Act, SA Constitution) and international treaties (i.e. Hague Convention) governs and promise the protection of children in South Africa.  The demise in protective services for child victims of crime and the inadequate social services to serve those victims, has prompted Bethany House to establish this unique “socio-legal center”. The recent “decentralization” of the Child Protection Units of the South African Police Service has also compounded the crisis. Annually, thousands of children become victims of crime as reflected in police statistics.  The primary objective of the “socio-legal center” is to fill the current void in protective services for child victims of crime through accessible, affordable, timely interventions to children who were victims of crimes, using the skills and experience of a team of specialists in the field of managing crimes against children.