www.cunina.org/projects/south-africa
CUNINA ZULU TRUST - ESHOWE
The progress of the ambitious housing project in Eshowe is slow but certain. While developping an action plan, Cunina started looking for like-minded organisations that wanted to share their knowledge and experiences with Cunina. After project visits in August and October, Cunina proudly presents its progress.
The project consists of 10 small houses or 5 linked houses. In a first phase, 2 houses will be opened as a temporary shelter house where orphans can stay for three months to maximum one year. In each house, maximum six children can be accomodated. All children are assigned to the project by the local court. Initially, the remaining 8 houses will be opened for the project's staff: social worker, psychologist etc.
The children will be accomodated and counselled by care mothers who create a loving and safe environment within the temporary shelter house. They are responsible for the child's daily care and work in close cooperation with the psychologist and the social worker. In advance, they get a solid training in home economics, child care, hygiene, dietetics, cooking and a specific training on aids and palliative care.
In cooperation woth the local court, the social worker will look for a foster family for the children. She will continue to follow these children after their placement. The vacant spots in the temporary shelter house can be filled immediately. This way, a lot of underprivileged children can be given the opportunity to break their vicious circle.
In a second phase, more houses of the projects will be opened as temporary shelter houses. Moreover, following a demand of Social welfare, the project will be integrated in a community centre, which makes it a unique concept in South Africa. This community centre will offer various services and will be open to both children from the project and the community.
Extension school
Next to the project, there already was a primary school, where the children from the project will go to school in the future. This school will be expanded by Cunina with an extra building for three classes, enabling children between 13 and 15 years old to continue learning even after their primary education. The new building will be ready in January 2009 for the start of the new school year in February.
CUNINA ngo has borrowed her name from Latin mythology and means "Goddess of the cradle". Where your cradle is, often determines the chances you will receive in life. If you are born in a rich western country, your chance at daily schooling is high. If you cradle lies in a broken down hut in South Africa or under a corrugated iron roof in Haiti, then the chances at self development are as good as non-existent, and as a child you can only dream of a better future.
... Let's not call progress, where others perish. Let's not call growth, where someone else loses. Let's not call freedom, where someone else is prevented from being himself. Let's not call community, where the lesser doesn't get the most attention. Let us be the change we want to see in the world....
Mahatma Ghandi
CUNINA vzw
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