Artist provides vulnerable kids with creative outlet
Children from Ingubo Children’s Haven recently enjoyed a hands-on art lesson with artist and art teacher Helen Averbuch, who hosted them at the Artship studio.
The children had fun expressing themselves by painting their own rocks.
The children spent time at the Artship art exhibition held at Calico, they were taught a bit about paint as well.
Ingubo (blanket in isiXhosa) is an after-school centre that caters for vulnerable children.
At Ingubo, they take part in a life skills programme and receive academic, psychosocial and material support.
“We provide an enabling environment for the children to learn skills, social cohesion and self-reliance,” Ingubo Children’s
Haven administrator and project co-ordinator Ziyanda Mojake said.
“We provide access to educational and psychosocial support for orphans and vulnerable children.”
Ingubo had been operating since 2009 and been registered since 2013, Mojake said.
They met Averbuch through StendenSA students who were helping Ingubo organise with a soccer tournament, Mojake said. Events management is part of StendenSA’s hospitality management curriculum.
Averbuch said: “Some months ago, StendenSA students reached out to me for an outreach project they were taking part in. It was an art activity and they needed an artist, so we went there and helped the children with making posters.
“It was then I reached out to Mojake to have a workshop with the children at a later date,” Averbuch said.
Fast-forward a couple of months and Artship and Calico Academy hosted an art exhibition as part of the school’s Heritage Month programme.
That’s when Averbuch took that opportunity to invite children from Ingubo to an art workshop at the Artship exhibition. “The eight children came and painted rocks with so much enthusiasm, they enjoyed it and it was so nice having them there,” Averbuch said.
“The art workshop for the children was amazing and they had a great time,” she said.
If you would like to help the Ingubo Children’s Haven, you can donate through St Paul’s Anglican Church or the Sunshine Life Centre.