Ennerdale Village
Key 1: The family has access to essential services for the child
The programme ensures that children in vulnerable families have access to essential services for their survival. This includes material, educational, health and psychosocial support. The trauma of nursing and watching a parent die affects children deeply. The emotional and psychosocial effects need to be dealt with in order for these children to move on successfully. The Programmes offer or refer children for the counselling and support they need to deal with their bereavement.
Material support includes emergency food parcels, blankets, clothing and fuel for cooking and lighting, and assistance with improving poor living conditions.
Here a child from a child-headed household in Pietermaritzburg is delighted to receive a food parcel from Hulett-Aluminium for Christmas.
Educational support includes ensuring that children access their right to education - this may mean negotiating fee exemption on their behalf. Uniforms and stationery are also bought where necessary. Pre-school education is critical for children and often provides a welcome break for a tired caregiver, so support is provided for community pre-schools in the form of skills training and equipment, as well as offering scholarships to children from orphaned households.
