Why 4Kids
Overview
Founded in 1989, Thandanani Children’s Foundation is a registered non-profit organisation that facilitates community based care and support for orphans and other vulnerable children in Kwa-Zulu Natal. We have a well-established system of community based care and support for orphans and their families that involves capacitating and supporting community based Fieldworker teams to respond to the basic material, physical, cognitive and emotional needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) through our Family Stregthening Project.
This page will introduce you to our Family Strengthening Project. The video on the right gives an overview of our work while the information and video’s below provide more detail of each component element of our model.
Material Well-Being
The majority of the caregivers of the children we work with are females with little or no formal education. Many are also pensioners. As a result, these caregivers are usually unemployed and have very limited opportunities for income generation. In many instances, they do not have the resources to meet the most basic needs of the children in their care or even to obtain the basic documentation required to apply for state grants for which they qualify. To address some of these challenges Thandanani undertakes a range of activities aimed at addressing the basic material needs of these households.
To see what Thandanani does to support the material well-being of the families we work with - please click here.
Physical Well-Being
Many of the children we work with have been orphaned as a result of HIV & Aids. Some may themselves have contracted the virus through mother to child transmission while others are living in households with adults who are HIV positive. In instances, the health of children is compromised by poor nutrition, inadequate health awareness on the part of their caregivers, or because caregivers cannot afford the transport costs involved in accessing health care services for the children in their care. To address some of these challenges Thandanani provides a range of health services to households on our database.
To see what Thandanani does to support the physical well-being of the families we work with - please click here.
Emotional
Well-Being
Many of the children we work with have experienced significant hardship and loss. Many have experienced the loss of their childhood in having to care for their dying parents and most have experienced the hardship of a lack of income, shelter, food, care and love following this loss. Similarly, many of the caregivers on Thandanani’s database have experienced significant hardship and loss while carrying significant burdens of care. Many are elderly “Gogo’s” who care for their orphaned grandchildren; others are members of the extended family or local community members who have taken on the responsibility of caring for orphans in addition to their own children.
To see what Thandanani does to support the emotional well-being of the families we work with - please click here.Cognitive
Well-Being
It is well known that to secure the future of an individual one of the best investments that can be made is in their education.
When families are unable to provide for the basic needs of their children, or when children are rendered vulnerable by the loss of one or more of their parents or a similar trauma the risk of children dropping out of school is significantly increased. To reduce this risk Thandanani undertakes a range of activities aimed at supporting the education of the children on our database.
To see what Thandanani does to support the cognitive well-being of the families we work with - please click here.
Evaluation
A recent evaluation had this to say about our work:
Thandanani’s Family Strengthening Project and its component elements do move families from a state of vulnerability to increased stability and self-reliance; the package of services offered does make a meaningful and sustainable difference; and children, their caregivers and the family as a whole do benefit significantly from participation in the programme. TCF’s model is an excellent example of OVC care at community level.
