Bolokanang Child and Youth Care Centre

Twenty-five kilometres outside Bloemfontein on the banks of the Modder River near Mazelspoort and Phillip Sanders holiday resorts, you will find the Bolokanang Child and Youth Care Centre. The centre is surrounded by game reserves, wild olive and karee trees, indigenous plants and fresh air.

The provincial planning for the decentralising and transforming of children's homes make provision for the establishment of 13 decentralised centres in the Motheo-district. Therefore dirrerent possibilities are looked at for the establishment of centres. The need for centres for Sotho-speaking children is very big.

When the specific property in Bloemvallei came into the market, we saw it as a good possibility. The Church Social Services urgently needed a place to say for a large number of Sotho-speaking children.

Almost 80 years ago a farmer donated a piece of land - part of the farm Diepfontein - to the Dutch Reformed Church with the idea to develop a church for Sotho-speaking persons.

In due course the Department of Education asked the church to open a school. At first the Dutch Reformed Church Bloemvallei built only one classroom. Later it was extended into a school with 8 classes. Toilets was erected with funds received from overseas, especially the Netherlands. Later on the school was diminish to only 2 classes. A little hall was erected to serve as church. The community exists out of plots and no negative social patterns are present. The first meeting was held on 8 February 2007 with the community. It was decided to go ahead with the project. The church- and bigger community promised to support the project. NG Welsyn, the main company of Bloemvallei Dutch Reformed Church, bought the property and rebuilt it to a functional centre for 30 children. The capital cost of the project is R2 704 208.00.

The existing school, Uitkomst, is still in a different building on the premises. The primary school children in the centre also attend this school. Since 2009 there are 3 teachers and a Grade R-class. The children walk 20 steps from the door of the centre to the school.

Three pre-developed rooms were gained in order to be erected as additional classrooms. Outsurance built a beautiful classroom in 2009 with the help of several donors.

The former little church was transformed in a community hall. It is still used every Sunday by the Church of England. The residents and personnel of the centre aldo attend these church activities.

A competition was held in order to get a name for this centre. Mr Fritz Kröhn, a local attorney, donated the prize money of R100 for the most suitable name. Eventually there was decided on the name Bolokanang. It was sent in by 4 children and it means "to take care of one another".

The first children were admitted during April 2008. The centre makes provision for the care of 30 Sotho-speaking children. The youngest resident is 2 years old and the oldest a boy of 14 years.

The child care workers are Jacominah Tshitlo, Agnes Motlabane and Thabo Mathetsa. The social worker is Marita van Aswegen. She also is a well known writer of children's stories with therapeutic value.

The children who are residents at present, mostly have no parents or only one parent. The surrounding Sotho community has opened their harts for the children. They also helped with the cleaning of the site and buildings. They experience that the children who came form difficult circumstances are brave and make the best of their circumstances. The children love sport and receive karate classes twice a week thanks to a donor. They also have a soccer team. The girls enjoy learning to bake and to do needlework.

The children weekly visit the nearby holiday resort Mazelspoort and lots of thanks go to the owner. Not only does he regularly open the facilities for them, but also spoil them with gifts and refreshments. Children also get exposure to creative dancing like gumboot dancing and weekly receive karate classes which help with their social and cultural development.

Bolokanang Child and Youth Care Centres is an example of where different races join hands in the interest of needy children. Although the centre have only Sotho-speaking children, the Afrikaans speaking community give excellent support.

The management consists out of the following people:

Piet Marais (Chair person)

Mari Coetzee

Alta Doman

Johan Erasmus

Pontsho Lesetla

Fritz Kröhn

Elsie Kröhn

Needs of the centre:

Many children do not have parents or family and therefore they stay in the centre for holidays. They would like to visit holiday parents or go into foster care.
The children do not have shoes and boys clothes are in need.
Workshops.
Sport equipment is in need - especially soccer balls.
Toys.
Intercession.
Soccer field.
Painting of buildings.

Address:

Bolokanang Child and Youth Care Centre
Uitkomst no 2428
Diepfontein
Bloemfontein
9300

Bolokanang

Re a leboha ka ho dula Bolokanang
Sebaka sena se re thusise haholo fela
Re bolokehile sebakeng sa Bolokanang
Bolakanang ke sebaka se se re thusitseng
Bolokanang e re sireleditse haholo sechabeng
Re dula ha montate Bolokanang
Bolokanang a re tlhokometse
Re amohelehile mo Bolokanang.

Newsletter 3 2009:

Peter and Lynn Holman came all the way from America to South Africa to learn about the children of our country and to help them to do things for themselves.

They have offered themselves to help two days a week at Bolokanang Youth Care Centre. They pray together with the staff and help with fixing broken things. They plan to enlarge the vegetable garden. They already started with a compost heap where the peels of vegetables and fruits are dumped.

They take the children for walks and jogging and spend time talking and listening to the children. Lynn takes pictures of the children. She is going to help them to make thank you cards. She is also planning to help the children decorating walls.

They are taking Sotho classes two days a week so that they can improve their communication.

Written by Lempone Tsitlho - Child and Youth Care Worker, Bolokanang Youth Care Centre