Where have the little children gone?
Today we share with you a tough and heartfelt story from Yolanda Jones, who as Programme Director for Nourish Our Children, was in field visiting preschools in the impoverished community of Marikana in Philippi East.
“Yesterday we visited Community Kids Pots, a centre that has walked a long journey with us through the Nourish Our Children programme. We have watched the children and staff grow and we have watched hope grow in a place where hope is often in short supply.
Community Kids Pots began in the heart of Philippi East, a community where gunshots interrupt bedtime stories, where vandalism is normalised, and where “protection fees” are demanded from those who are simply trying to serve. A place where school fees meant for little uniforms and warm meals were being claimed by gangs as payment for safety. Let that sink in. Money meant to feed and educate children was being demanded to protect the very building meant to shelter them.
The danger became too real, the threats too close and so, in an act of both desperation and courage, the centre relocated, 60 kilometres away, to Chatsworth, just outside Cape Town. When we arrived yesterday, we found just over twenty children sitting in their school uniforms in what is now their “new home,” and yes, it is their home.
More than twenty children from Philippi East now live at the centre during the week. They eat, sleep and learn there and are cared for 24 hours a day. On weekends, they are transported back to their families and then collected again to return to safety. This is no longer just an ECD centre, it has become a rescue.
These are children who, had they remained, would likely have been swallowed by a cycle of violence that promises a dark and unforgiving future. Instead, they now sleep in comfortable beds in a large family home. They eat nutritious, warm meals lovingly prepared by a principal and practitioners who themselves uprooted their lives to move to Chatsworth so the children would not have to face danger alone.
What a noble, selfless act and yet – the hard truth. Many of the parents are not paying school fees and there are no additional contributions for after-hours care. Not even the transport costs to take their children home and bring them back safely each weekend are being covered. The question becomes painfully real – do you send the children back and let fate decide? Or do you keep going, at a personal, emotional and financial cost?
The exhaustion is written across the principal’s face. When she sat down with us, she didn’t just sit, she sank into the chair, as if her body had been holding everything together for too long. For a moment, she allowed herself to breathe. She is proud. Proud of the home they’ve created. Proud of the safety. Proud of the laughter that now echoes in hallways instead of sirens in the distance.
But she is tired because love is being given freely, but responsibility is not being shared. Tired because some parents have grown comfortable knowing their children are safe, fed, and loved while contributing little or nothing toward sustaining that care. These little ones are someone’s greatest treasures, yet the burden of protecting and nurturing them now rests heavily on the shoulders of those who chose to stand in the gap.
How do we secure the future of children when those entrusted with them cannot, or will not, fully step up? How do we support the ones who are doing the rescuing, so they too are sustained? Safety, stability, and love cannot run on sacrifice alone. Community Kids Pots is not just an ECD centre anymore, it is a sanctuary, a shield and a second chance. The question we must all wrestle with is this: If we believe every child deserves safety, dignity, nourishment and hope – are we prepared to stand behind the ones who are fighting to provide it? Because without support, even the most noble efforts can burn out, and these children deserve more than survival, they deserve a future.”
This story speaks volumes and is indicative of the tragic social injustices facing children daily. Our work in communities is imperative and life changing.
Sometimes I shudder when I think about what would happen to these little ones if it was not for the combination of your generosity, our nutrition and support, and the extraordinary women who provide shelter and education to those who need it most.
With humble gratitude,
Danny Diliberto
Founder & CEO, Ladles of Love
