About Us
What we do
We offer a beacon of hope, love, and joy to children and families largely affected by poverty. In a community filled with undocumented, unemployed individuals with no access to services. The community has no schools, running water, police station, clinic, or formal creches.
The one exception is an inadequate sanitation system. Whereby 50 portable toilets are brought into the community. Besides those who are fortunate to find employment, the majority sell recycling material. They go to the resident dumping site to find whatever they can sell.
Ditshego's contribution
We provide a haven for the children in the community. We started as a simple place of safety and have transformed throughout the years.
We have introduced facilities such as a preschool and after-care program. A medical clinic and food gardening project. We also offer counseling, a drop-in center, and a community education site. With these projects, we can bring meaningful change to the community of Mooiplaas.
At Ditshego we stand against children idling in the streets because they do not have anything to do. We stand against the lack of education around pertinent issues. These issues include sanitation, nutrition, basic hygiene, and HIV/AIDS.
We stand against homelessness by investing in our children so that the nation will have a future.
Our Projects
Ditshego is a multi-faceted organization. Our projects provide support to a multitude of children and families through engagement in the areas of education, shelter, medical assistance, nutrition, and awareness. When lockdown was announced we had to shut down our Pre School, Open School and After care. This meant we had to institute a food parcel program to ensure that the children who would normally get their daily meals at Ditshego, were still taken care of. The project kicked off on the 25 March 2020 and we distributed 250 food parcels per week to ensure that all our children and their families had enough food to sustain them. We also distributed masks & sanitisers to every family in the community. The local municipality provided more water tanks and water points to ensure enough water for the community.
We work with 250 children and we also provide food to mothers and babies – this project is assisting 300 mothers and babies. The mother and baby project is done in close cooperation with the Spruit Forum, CPF and two other NGO’s.
DITSHEGO PRESCHOOL
Twelve staff members from the community work to provide high quality education, care, and meals in a safe environment to over 140 children. These children, ages 3-6, attend school daily. Teachers continue to develop and grow themselves and the children. The past 6 years seven of the staff members was trained and has a ECD Level 4 Certificate. Children are assessed at the end of Grade R and are school ready.
OPEN SCHOOL
Two Care Givers and a qualified teacher (Volunteer) provide basic numeracy and literacy training to 40 children. These children, ages 8-14, are unable to attend formal schooling due to lack of documentation. These children are extremely vulnerable and often the abused and neglected. Open School Worldwide assist with training, workbooks and life skill programmes. The project has no formal funding and desperately need funding to survive.
ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN
In 2014 the Department of Social Development joined hands with Ditshego to establish an OVC project in the community. The 14 Care Givers, one Social Auxiliary Worker, and several Social Work students engage in regular home visits. In this way, we seek to provide a holistic response to the needs of the entire family. Assistance is given to obtain legal documents, health services, and counselling. The home visits are further sources of education as they increase awareness on issues such as HIV, domestic violence, and conflict resolution.
PLACE OF SAFETY
A Resident-Mom and caregivers rotate to provide full-time care to six vulnerable/HIV children placed in Ditshego’s care with court orders. In this way, Ditshego has provided for the physical, educational, spiritual and emotional needs of these children since our inception in 2007.
YOLO SUPPORT GROUP PROGRAM
Since 2017 six facilitators visit Schools to provide a support group with 12 sessions to children between the ages of 14-18. Strict training and monitoring is provided by organisations like Mott Mc Donald, PACT. More than 1500 children were reached with good results. Children who dropped out returned to Schools, their parents houses etc.
LULU SPORT PROGRAM TO PREVENT CRIME
Ditshego was chosen to do a pilot project in crime prevention through sport and life skills. Schoolchildren and teachers as well as parents, Police officers and Social Workers is connected to reach this goal. If the pilot project is successful it will continue.
YOLO started the same way in 2017 and it has just expanded because the impact is good.
Additional services
SOCIAL WORK
SERVICES
The victims of violence and abuse and other social ills come here to be cared for by Social Workers and therapists from Khuluma Counseling Centre.
OCCUPATIONAL AND PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICES
Baby therapy centre render this service to our projects beneficiaries and the community.
COMMUNITY AWARENESS EVENTS
Staff members participate in Community awareness events to educate and support the Families in the community.
How to help with donations
Our day-care center creates an environment of love, security, education, stability for venerable children between the ages of 3 to 6 in and around the Mooiplaas area. With your help, we aim to expand the school to include orphans, children from child-headed households and children whose parents are unfit to work. Help us make a difference in the lives of these children by sponsoring a child.
CSI Documents
Meet the Team
Our Partners
