MTR Smit Children’s Haven

MTR Smit Children’s Haven provides residential care and support services to 91 traumatized children, between the ages of 3 – 18 years, who have been severely neglected, abused, and/or abandoned by their parents/caregivers. The exposure and impact of complex trauma over an extended period of time results in the disruption of critical development within children and affects their psychological and physical health in many complicated ways.

The holistic and multi-disciplinary care at MTR Smit includes the following:

Physical, spiritual, and emotional care

Therapeutic services in the child’s home language

Educational support – placement in the school based on each child’s individual need, homework support, and individual tutoring

Preventative programs to address social issues – drug abuse, truancy, teenage pregnancy, unemployment, poverty, gangsterism

Skills development & school leavers program

Training & support of personnel to prevent burnout

The physical, educational, social, spiritual, and psychological needs of the children are met to provide each child with the opportunity to reach their full potential and become self-reliant adults.

The initiation of an Early Childhood Education and Foundation Phase Centre.

Provision of numeracy and literacy skills through individual tutoring and homework support.

List of needs :

Groceries to care for 95 children (perishable & non-perishable)
Winter clothing – jerseys, jackets, socks and closed shoes
Monthly sponsorship of children at R 100 - R4000 per month
Cleaning material (bleach, sanitizer, washing powder)
Psychotherapy for children who require intense therapy in their home language – R 16 000.00 per month
Tutoring for children who are not coping in school because of severe neglect – R 21 000.00 per month
Assistance with funds to provide preventative, educational & recreational activities for children eg. Prevention of Drug abuse, gangsterism, sexual exploitation & going on outings
52 Food parcels for June/July school holidays for children to be placed in (screened) parents care for 2 weeks – R250 00 per child
Initiation of a Foundation Phase Class to provide individual teaching to children, who have not attended school due to severe neglect, until they can enter mainstream education. This requires the appointment of a qualified Foundation Phase Teacher and an assistant, together with the provision of a mobile classroom or the renovation of a three bedroomed house to accommodate the learners as well as basic furniture
The monthly sponsorship of a Charity Shop in the area – rental, electricity
The initiation of an enclosed Safe Play Park for children under the age of 8 years, to keep them safe from bullying or assault from the older children
Petrol to get 95 children to and forth from 21 schools on a daily basis (children placed according to their intellectual needs) - R 19 000.00 per month
Assistance to cover municipal account – R 64 000.00 per month