Our drop-in centre (Hope centre) continues to be a haven of hope and safety for the boys in our organisation. To date, we have seen over 1000 boys walking through our doors and constantly have new children coming in for help, thanks to the passionate work of our outreach worker, Donation.

Our centre is a safe place for the children to go to during the day, where they have their basic needs attended to by our loving staff. The boys receive warm meals, hot showers, clean clothes, medical attention, and general love and encouragement.

Daily activities and programs are planned, ensuring that they have interactions with our child care workers, volunteers and professionals.  This assists them to work through their problems and  have the opportunity to turn their lives around.

Our social worker continues to work diligently with the boys, ensuring that they are getting the individual attention that they need and putting them in contact with their families for hopeful reunification.

Our children never go hungry, thirsty, or cold at the centre, thanks to the wonderful support of many people and companies, whose generosity is valued beyond words.

As the drug problem is increasing and more harmful and addictive substances are being used, children that are highly addicted are finding it difficult to attend our daily programmes due to the horrific withdrawal symtoms and absolute dependency within a couple of hours.  I Care have developed an art programme where twice a week our outreach workers go to these children and do an art programme with them.  The boys are thoroughly enjoying this and are coming up with some lovely pieces of work.

 The children are regularly attending these programmes, and we find that they are coping much better with their dependency during the art therapy programmes.  We work with them and encourage them to come to our Drop in Centre where they are prepared for the rehabilitation programme.

Our rehabilitation centre in KwaMakhuta has seen many boys come through the intensive three month programme. Our non-medicated rehabilitation programme is full of educational activities, physical activities, recreational activities, and most importantly, life skills lessons, and lots of sugar!! (Sugar is a part of the non-medicated programme easing the symptoms of withdrawal).

Our boys enjoy the many activities that are planned for them and the interaction that they have with our staff and volunteers. We believe strongly in teaching the boys entrepreneurship and to be self sustaining, hence encourage them to tend to our vegetable garden and tend to the chicken project. We have started a new project where the boys plant vegetable seeds in egg boxes and once these take off, they are then given to families on our after care project.

The children are given counselling on various topics, and are taught important life skills to be used as they move forward into a brighter future.

At the end of every three month programme, the boys have a graduation ceremony to celebrate their achievement of transformation. The ceremony is always very moving and inspirational to the boys following them, and the children are then either reunified with their families or placed into one of our three I Care family homes.

We, again, are so grateful for the support of the community that ensures that our boys always have food on their plates and clothes on their backs.

Our three I Care family homes, located in Lower Illovo, remain as warm and safe environments for our boys who couldn’t go back to their families, for whatever reasons.

Our house parents are loving and supportive while guiding the boys on their struggle to stay on the right path. The children attend the local public schools and are monitored and evaluated closely by their respective ‘parents’. The boys are given daily chores to do, to help teach them respect and pride in their homes, and to give them a sense of ‘earning’ their stay. It is important for us to teach our children to be responsible and respectful, as well as the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Once again, our boys are encouraged to participate in cultural and physical activities, such as the I Care soccer team! The house boys love playing and watching soccer and our staff are encouraging of this. We started a chicken project at the houses, and the children are each given the responsibility of looking after the chickens and then selling them- teaching them entrepreneurship.

We are happy to be able to give these children a nurturing and safe environment to grow in, while they go through these very important years of their lives.

Our I Care ACE school, which is located at the rehab centre, continues to bridge the gap in the education of our children, who have missed school during their time on the streets. Our qualified teacher is able to evaluate each child individually and decide the way forward for them, based on their level of education and the requirements at the public schools. We work with the children during the three month intensive rehabilitation programme, and the next step is decided thereafter. Those who move into our family houses are placed in the local public schools to continue their education, while being monitored closely by their respective house parents. The house parents are able to guide and evaluate the children throughout their schooling, and ensure that they are on the right track. The children who go back to their families are placed into our Aftercare programme, and are checked up on regularly. We are so proud of the effort that our children put into their transformation and we are excited to see how each of their futures turn out.

Our skills development programme has been a way forward for many of the I Care boys who have passed through our cycle. The programme allows the older boys to learn a skill of their choice, such as carpentry, plumbing, upholstery, security etc. By doing this, we are giving our children important tools to continue on into a better future.

Once the boys have finished their courses, we try to find them internships, apprenticeships and jobs at companies who are willing to give them a chance. It is uplifting for us to see these boys, who were once vulnerable children living on the streets, becoming self-sustaining members of society. This is what makes our jobs and the community’s support worthwhile!
We are continuously looking for job opportunities for these boys - if you could assist us, please contact us.

I Care boys from our Rehab Program and Family Houses had great fun painting the new bins to be placed around City View Shopping Centre.  Thanks to City View, Dulux and Galitos for making this all possible and the fun that it was!

I Care held our 14 Annual Golf Day on the 30 March 2017, at Royal Durban.  Once again, a super day was had by all, with an abundance of prizes, perfect weather and lots of humour.  The almost full field looked great with most players wearing all or something red.

Jim Short and Preggie Williams won the day!  Pictured are Trustees, Michelle Black and Mark Addison, handing the Ken Bain Memorial Trophy to Jim Short. 

We would like to once again thank our loyal supporters:  players, sponsors and volunteers - without your help these day would not have been the success that it was!

Please save the date for 2018.

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