Shelter gets a face lift

Potters Hands Ministries has been supported by I Care for many years. We at I Care try to assist where-ever and whenever we can. With that in mind I Care has arranged for much needed maintenance work to be undertaken on the property at the end of the month with the help of a national social responsibility organisation.

10 volunteer employees from Unilever are taking time out of their work schedules to help Potters Hands with an assigned maintenance project. They will be equipped with scrapers, sandpaper, rollers and a whole lot of paint, all of which has been paid for by the participating organisation.

David Keller, the owner of Potters Hands owner, said that he feels very blessed to have something like this done for them and is his thankful for the generosity.

For more details on other volunteer projects available at Potters Hands Ministries contact Sarah on 031 5726870.

I Care Christian School Prize Giving

The date and venue has been set! Prizes are being polished and nominations are being finalized.

This is all in preparation for the I Care Christian Schools first annual year-end prize giving.

If you would like to attend the prize giving please call Sarah on 031 5726870 for more information.

Absconding from rehab

Recently one of the boys we have been working very closely with left a rehabilitation centre in Newcastle and returned to Durban. He was unable to overcome his craving for an addictive substance and he battled to follow the rules and procedures at the centre.

His admission was voluntary therefore his discharge was upon his own accord. It has been a hard struggle for both the boy and our I Care outreach worker. We are continuing to monitor the boy and we are still encouraging him to seek relief from his addiction.

Next week, another street child that we have been working with will be admitted into the same rehab centre in Newcastle. We pray that he will have the strength to see the programme through.

Practical Project

Every year the 3rd year communication and media studies students at UKZN have to complete a practical project as part of their portfolio and this year, with the guidance of lecturer Marc Caldwell, students will be focusing on I Care. The class of 170 students will be divided up into groups dealing with 5 different topics ranging from awareness to brand recognition to reputation research.

At the end of the three week practical each group will present their project to a member of I Care and propose how they would be able to assist with reference to their specific topic. Costa Pnematicatos, I Care trustee, welcomes the practical assignment as it allows for evaluation of I Care’s name from an external point of view; he is very interested to see the results.

Through informal research staff members of I Care have discovered that the brand name has a good reputation and the public respect and applaud the work I Care is involved in. If you would like to become an I Care volunteer and help continue improving our community, pop an email to info@icare.co.za

SMS your request and help those in need

I Care has just discovered a brilliant SMS service that assists those who like to be in the know at all times. It's a service where you can SMS any question to 38138 and not only will you receive the correct answer within minutes but all profits from the service are being donated to Percy Bartley Children’s Shelter- an organisation that I Care supports.

You can send all sorts of questions such as: Who has the most Springbok rugby caps in history, or what is the current Rand / Baht exchange rate, or who was the last person to land on the moon. The service costs R10 per SMS, so by using it, you will be helping homeless street children.

The number is 38138 - Give it a bash or save it on your phone for those future "oh my gosh, what is the name of that song" moments!

Last week the Durban Daily News published a follow up article to ‘giving money to beggars and/or vendors is breaking the law ‘by stating that upon investigation they had discovered that some mothers were drug mules.

Although there is a new trend where fictitious children are being carried around with adults while they beg or distribute drugs we at I Care are still focused on the well being of the children on the street. We have full confidence that the municipality will execute its prosecution drive, which will help alleviate the amount of mothers with children on busy intersections.

Denise Cochrane, co-founder and trustee for I Care, followed up by saying that “by giving money to beggars the public is not only supporting their addiction to glue and other substances, but they are also increasing their vulnerability to abuse by older children, adults and drug dealers, and they are making our Outreach Team’s task that much harder”.

To view the article click here

Pre-Khuthaza

Kyla Calder, Facilitator and Project Coordinator for English Language Facilitating Projects, AKA ELF projects has been mandated to draw up a pre-Khuthaza programme which will be implemented at the Reception Safe Space in November.

This initiative will help ease the transition that children face as they try overcome substance abuse, through structured programmes aimed at introducing them to a life they have the right to live. During this programme they will be encouraged to seek full rehabilitation.

No child is forced into rehabilitation; they must want to overcome their addictions willingly and wholeheartedly.

I Care has seen the miraculous change in the children who have completed the Khuthaza programmes and we are very hopeful and excited for the future.