Project for youth at risk

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Khayalethu’s work with homeless children is focused on providing hope to children, youth and their families through prevention and early intervention (community work) and reunification (street work, residential and after care). Our intention is to reunite children with their families, and keep families together.
Khayalethu creates initiatives for children, youth and their families from at-risk communities who struggle with unhealthy lifestyles, to get young people off the streets. 
In the community drop in centres, our staff work with children and families to try and combat problems before they begin or become serious.
The Street Team develops relationships based on trust with the children and youth living on the streets, which enables them to facilitate their move back into the family home after all necessary issues have been worked through.
Khayalethu’s Residential Team, in providing accommodation, acts as an intermediary in the reunification process between children and their guardians.
The Aftercare Team continues to assist children and their families once reunification has taken place.

Working with the Internship program, Khayalethu also assists interns with personal and professional development, through learning about healthy and productive ways to work with children and their families. Khayalethu equips the interns with skills to go out and find a job, but also how to better relate to their own families, children, friends, neighbours and colleagues.

Community Family Preservation Program
Our community staff encourages family preservation in an effort to prevent children from high risk communities turning to life on the streets. Children, youth and their families attend our community centres for help in various areas, ranging from assistance with homework to parenting skills. Activities are organised by centre staff for children and youth to support their personal growth and self esteem. Our staff develop and maintain relationships with community leaders to ensure relevant needs are being met.
Our staff create a safe space within the community for children, youth and families to come and receive services. These services include help with homework, parenting workshops, health education (including HIV and AIDS awareness), grief counselling and basic training in home-based care. Due to their constant presence within the communities, families develop trusting relationships with our staff and are comfortable approaching staff when they need assistance with problems.
Our staff focus on keeping families together. Therefore, our staff visit homes to assist with any family problems that may arise. They also help families to apply for identity documents and government grants. Staff visit local schools for updates on how certain students are performing, to identify who is not attending, and to develop strategies with teachers to keep children in school. They assist children in registering for school, and access funds to provide uniforms, books and any other school-related needs. Programs are run after school to help with homework, deal with issues and also to provide children and youth with something to do after school so they are not tempted to go to the streets. This is done by providing a safe place for children and youth to spend their weekday afternoons, where they are assisted with homework and provided with food. There are also life skills lessons, bible study sessions, as well as craft and games afternoons.
Staff in the communities provide sandwiches and juice to the children and youth twice a week. They also identify the residents in immediate need of assistance, especially child-headed households,  and provide food parcels when needed.
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Street Work
Our Street Team provides street-based intervention to children and youth on the streets to encourage them to return home or into a short-term residential based program. Before any form of intervention can be put into place. our team must gain a high level of trust from the children and youth. This is done by providing basic needs, such as the opportunity to bath and wash their clothes at one of our shelters three times a week. The street children are provided with sandwiches and get the chance to chat with a staff member who can refer them to the clinic, hospital or Child Welfare/Department of Social Welfare when necessary.
Once this trust has been established, our team works with the children and youth to resolve problems at home so that they may return permanently or, if necessary, move into temporary residential care. Staff identify children on the streets who show signs of being ready to return home, and work together to mediate with their families. They explain the process to the child involved and locate the family to assess the situation. The staff come to an agreement with the child and their families on the terms of the placement at home and ensure all parties involved agree on their responsibilities. Staff then provide aftercare to ensure the agreement is being fulfilled.
Creative diversion programs are run by the staff to encourage development in children on the streets. These include running a soccer team, and creative arts and drama programs that allow children to express their thoughts and feelings creatively. Life skills programs are also run to  enable children to develop skills to assist them now and in the future, and reflect on their decision making.
The Street Team work in the CBD area, Scottsville, the off ramp at Chota Matola Road and Khan Road.
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Residential Care
Khayalethu residential program offers short-term accommodation for homeless young people and others living in unhealthy or unsafe environments. Khayalethu provides opportunities for education, personal development, and the framework for reunification with their families.
Children are placed at the shelters by our street team, who identify children that are willing to go home, but for whom immediate placement is not possible. It is then the role of the shelter staff to prepare the boys, girls and their families for reunification. The shelter staff meet the children’s basic needs with a healthy and culturally appropriate diet, basic medical care, bedding and clothing, as well a safe and secure environment that is child friendly. Staff also assess the children to capture accurate information about their homelife.
Staff at the shelters provide for the holistic development of the children in care. This involves developing the children mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually, through activities including homework support, immunization, running life skills programs, participation in a local church and providing counselling.
Staff also have the responsibility of family reunification. Once they have located the child’s family, each party has their needs assessed during home visits and plans for reunification begin. Quarterly parenting skills workshops are run and counselling and support is also offered to the families. They identify mentors within the community that can support and guide the family. An agreement is made around the reunification plan and aftercare support. When the staff and child feel prepared, the child returns home to be cared for by their family.
Other important aspects of the residential team’s responsibilities include helping children acquire documentation, like birth certificates and ID documentation, and facilitating foster care placements by recruiting, screening and training families for foster placements.
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After Care
Khayalethu’s responsibility to children continues after they return home. Our aftercare team provides emotional support to children and their families once reunification has taken place. Through home visits, careful monitoring of the children is undertaken to ensure the children are still safe, and both the children and their families are still happy. This process is a valuable and necessary step to ensure that once children leave the shelter, they continue to live at home and do not return to the streets.
An agreement is made between the family, child and our staff about what their support will involve. The idea is not to make families dependant on Khayalethu staff, but rather to inform them of the services and support available to them so they can become self sufficient. Our staff links families with support structures within communities, such as local clinics, churches, schools and relative government departments.
Our staff continue to support each family until they are well-equipped enough to handle any issues on their own. Teachers in the child’s school are kept well informed so as to support the child’s educational development. Khayalethu staff take a step back and allow the normal structures of family and community to take their place. If any help is ever needed the children and families are always welcome at  Khayalethu for advice and assistance. Development of peer support relationships with the community is encouraged.