Rumbidzo Chikomo

St Monica’s Children Home is asking the public to show love by hosting a child in need.

St Monica’s is a Bluff based non-governmental institution that cares for orphaned and vulnerable children. It is registered to accommodate about 84 children ranging from three to 18 for girls and three to 12 for boys.

The Home provides a loving and safe environment for the children in its care through developmental programmes, education, health care and social interaction. However as much as these things are being offered a child’s need for a family remains.

This need that children have has resulted in the institution asking for hosts. A host is someone unrelated to the child who can voluntarily take time to get to know the child and visit them at the home and be a host in their lives.

“We have found that some children just don’t have anybody. No gogo, aunty, uncles, parents, nobody. They get so lonely at times hence why we have our St Monica’s Host Programme” said Althea Govender the Home’s director to Southlands Sun.

The director also added that this programme simply encourages people to open up their hearts and dedicate their time to children that are in need of love, care and compassion. This little attention can fill the void of emptiness in the children’s hearts as well as give them a better understanding of family, as well as make them feel special which boost their self-esteems.

Hosting involves a screening process, an interview, filling in a form and a home visit. This is to make sure that the host would be the right fit for the child and will be able to provide a conductive environment for the child.

For more information call St Monica’s Children’s Home on 031-468-8656.

Picture: stmonicas.org.za