Giving some comfort to children in need
Items donated for rooms at police station and FCS
Two rooms for children awaiting court appearances have been made more childfriendly thanks to the efforts of Port Alfred Interact, Rotary e-club and a local business.
One of the rooms is at Family and Child Services (FCS) next to the detectives office and the other is a cabin at the Port Alfred police station.
Ren Mouton, of People Management Solutions, said a social worker who worked with the children awaiting court appearances had asked her for help in getting some toys for the room at FCS.
“It started with a few things for the room and grew from there. Interact and the e-club got on board. FCS was the first target, because it was just a room,” Mouton said.
The group provided a desk and chair, cushions, beanbags, a
bed blankets, and mattress, a bookshelf, toys, puzzles, colouring-in books and crayons, clothes and toiletries, as well as cup-of-soup packets, as children often wait an entire day for their court case.
The police station already had a Sunshine Coast Support Centre cabin, established in 2007, but it needed an upgrade, including a lock and window needing fixing.
The group also provided a bean bag, fold-up mattress, blankets, toys, clothes, toiletries, puzzles, colouring-in books and crayons and cup-ofsoups for it.
Rotary Mike e-club Millard said of he was drawn to the project because it reminded him of his early days in the SAPS, when he worked with the Child Protection Unit in Durban in 1978. “I didn’t like it. It was tough dealing with crimes against children. I wanted to give something back,” Millard said. The group thanked Rosehill SUPERSPAR for its donations. To donate items contact Mouton on 076-092-4001 or ren@peoplemanagementsolutions.co.za