Margaret’s House, one of FoodForward SA’s 2,750 beneficiary organisations, was established in 1987 and is a place of safety for 16 boys aged 5 to 18 years. Melany Harris, Margaret’s House Manager, and Frank Harris, Senior Child and Youth Care Worker, have been working with vulnerable children for over seven years and are themselves parents to a 7-year-old daughter.
The children who are placed under their care usually stay at Margaret’s House for up to 2 years. During this period Melany and her team, which includes an in-house social worker, try to bring stability to the lives of children who especially “have major problems with following rules and regulations.”
They also run programmes for the children and their family members which includes parental workshops as well as reunification – and other developmental and therapeutic programmes. “One of the most rewarding experiences I’ve experienced was when we, after having to do a lot of research, managed to unite two boys from Hanover Park with their grandfather. Their mother passed away while they stayed at Margaret’s House and none of their aunts wanted to take care of them. After eight years they went to stay with their grandfather who stays in Delft.”
“We do not keep the children away from their families unless the child is in danger,” says Melany. All children attend schools in the area or as far as possible they try and keep them at the schools they currently attend. At the moment, they drive the children to 5 different schools around d the Grassy Park area.
Maintaining and teaching the children discipline is an important part of their daily activities. When we visited them Melany and her team were busy writing the word ‘consequences’ on red sashes the boys have to wear if they need to be reminded to be aware of the decisions they make.
Margaret’s House has been part of FoodForward SA’s beneficiary network for three years. Melany says that during the Covid pandemic they experienced a financial slump and they are still trying to recover from it. “A lot of our international donors pulled their funding. FoodForward SA carried us through the pandemic.”
If you want to support a registered non-profit in your community with quality surplus food, visit https://foodshare.cloud/client-application and learn more about our application criteria. Alternatively, contact our team at info@foodforwardsa.org
