Safe Haven gives Atlantis a Christmas to remember
It has since branched out to organise and support a number of different outreach programmes with the aim to improve the quality of the life of abused and abandoned children facing challenges. One of the main aims of Safe Haven is to bring joy, comfort and care to ill or underprivileged children in South Africa. This is where their volunteers make the most contribution.
One outreach programme is the Atlantis after school project. Atlantis is an underprivileged community in the Western Cape. Safe Haven runs a weekly after school project at the aftercare center in Atlantis. A variety of activities are planned for the children in order to support them academically as well as emotionally. Sports, crafts and games are some of the activities on the list. I was lucky enough to join Safe Haven and Good Hope Volunteers for a day in Atlantis. On the agenda, a Christmas celebration. The children were given the opportunity to make Christmas decorations.
Once the decorations were finished, they hung them up on the Christmas tree donated by Safe Haven to the after school care centre. For many of the children, this was the only Christmas tree they would get that year. As we all admired our beautifully decorated tree, I felt a tug at my arm. I looked down to see a wide eyed young boy, who exclaimed excitedly "this is my Christmas tree!". It was in this moment I realised the true importance of projects like this in the support, stability and sense of community volunteers and organisations offer in both their small and big acts of kindness. The change starts with you. To join this project, please follow this link or contact us.
