AGM

childlineadmin@xsinet.co.za

CHAIRMANS REPORT

As Roy Francis has resigned as Chairperson due to personal circumstances, I am standing in as chairperson for the last 2 months of the 2006/2007-year. I on behalf of the board would like to thank Roy for his leadership and guidance throughout the year. We have learned many things from Roy, most foremost that he emphasized was that the finances in our care are public funds and as such have to be managed with integrity and thoughtfulness. This core value of Childline must always supported and engendered. STRATEGIC PLANNING I attended a strategic planning and teambuilding exercise in the latter half of the last year, and this reinforced our long-term objectives, which are: 1. Crisisline for ALL children in Mpumalanga 2. Leobu Youth Development Program 3. Child abuse and neglect prevention program 4. Therapeutical service to children and families 5. ACCESS program 6. Childline Buddies program

IN MEMORIUM

Childline would like to offer our sincere condolences to: Ms Thumi Nkosi (board member) on the passing of her husband, Mr Nkosi. The family of Phumlani Ngcobo (crisis line manager) who passed away in the latter half of 2006. Thandekile Khumalo (Crisisline counsellor) on the passing of her husband. Senzani Matjekane (outreach coordinator) who lost her mother Themba Mashiya (Crisisline counsellor) lost his sister Zandile Lubishi (Crisisline counsellor) lost her father Linah Gwebu (cleaner) lost her daughter Pretty Manzini (a volunteer with Childline involved in the school awareness program), brother and grandson

OPERATIONS

We have engaged in a number of projects during the year such as: · Training – staff, schools and organisations. · Leobu – youth development program · Chweni – orphan and vulnerable children · School awareness program · Crisisline – receiving all the calls to the toll free number, counselling the children in this and referring serious calls to social workers close to the Child · Therapy, from October 2006 we started to see children for Therapeutical services at the office

My daughter and I attended the Chweni Youth Day and were encouraged by the level of participation by the community; all had much fun. A major event of the year for Childline is our birthday, and it was held at the Jerusalem Home Based Care Pre School. We took cake, cool drink, sweets and balloons and celebrated our 3rd birthday with the children and their caregivers. A challenge this year has been how our team has endeavoured to resource up with the required skilled people to carry out the objectives of the year. In order to address this problem we made a number of appointments during this year. Some were successful and some were not. As we enter 2007 we are still dealing with the implications of these developments, which are still to be addressed.

PEOPLE

Training remains a major focus of our organisation; I am encouraged to report that all of our staff are engaged in training programs to improve their performance and to meet future challenges.

WAY FORWARD

The forth-coming year is once again going to be a challenging year, but I am confident that the Childline team will meet these challenges with the persistence, stamina and enthusiasm that they have displayed in the past. I wish to thank the Childline team for their endeavours during 2006 and am looking forward to being part of this team to take the Mpumalanga branch into 2007.

Filo Mooney

Chairperson Childline Mpumalanga

Director’s report

My role in focusing on Childline Mpumalanga’s goals and objectives over the past year was both a challenge and learning experience. The children in our province are the focus of all the activities of this organization, but the necessity to improve the people living with and dealing with children on a daily basis cannot be ignored.  If we fail to address this need, the children we try to serve will be in no better situation.  The need to stay focused on the core function of this organization is in the end what guides our activities.

Childline Mpumalanga has grown in the past three years to becoming more independent and expanded in service delivery to include five departments focusing on service delivery:

• Prevention of Child abuse through school awareness and training programme,
• Crisisline, telephonic counselling and referral of children,
• Youth development and life skills programme,
• Individual and group therapy, and
• Training and advocacy on children’s issues

The past year will surely be remembered as the year in which the Department of Health and Social Services allocated remarkably higher financial awards (subsidies) to NPO’s. This empowered Childline Mpumalanga to employ a second social worker dealing with therapy and training issues. There is however still a shortage of social workers in this country and trying to retain social workers in the employ of NPO’s without benefits to compare with, is still a huge challenge.

I am however amazed and touched by the generosity of funders, as well as the generous gift of time from board members and volunteers that helps to keep the service running.  Without these generous donations, it would be difficult to maintain the service to children in Mpumalanga. Our staff member’s contribution to keep service delivery on a high standard, under sometimes trying circumstances, proves the commitment to what we do as a team.

We shared sad moments when we lost fellow colleagues, but also the joy of children phoning the call centre to thank us after a school visit, getting help when they thought there was no one that cared.  We embarked on a strategic thinking process that helped to clarify the common goals and objectives of the office, getting the current services well established and sustained, before we see the office developing satellite offices that may reach children in other parts of the province on a more personal level than the Crisisline.

We experienced the need of children infected and affected by HIV and Aids, and build relationships and networks with people around these children to help have a caring impact on their lives. This challenge is one that we will work with continuously to help make life a better place for the generations to come.

Our sincere gratitude was conveyed to the TELKOM Foundation that sponsors the calls to the toll free line.  We advocate strongly however, that the accesses to Telkom lines in rural areas be fast tracked, to enable children in Mpumalanga to have the opportunity of entering the social services in their area through the porthole provided by the toll free Crisisline of Childline Mpumalanga.

I would like to thank all the people involved in making service to children in Mpumalanga a reality this past year.

Benita Nel
Director Childline Mpumalanga