One of my goals or challenges for 2012 is to find more ways to give back to my community. I consider myself and my family to be extremely privileged but along with this comes the tendency to become complacent and take what you have for granted!  I never want to lose sight of the needs of others that are less fortunate than I am and I think it is also very important to encourage our children to be part of some kind of outreach project, to help maintain a well-balanced perspective in their lives!

A project that I have come across that struck a chord is Newkidz on the block, which is a non-profit organization (062-837-NPO) whose major concern is that of the plight of orphans in South Africa.

They are based in Cape Town, South Africa and they are currently involved in projects in local communities throughout the Mother City. They aim to expand their services throughout South Africa in the future and to become a national name in outreach projects that improve the living conditions for vulnerable and underprivileged children in South Africa.

Mandela Day 2011 - Beach Cleanup

Newkidz was founded in 2007, after a successful home make-over, at the Masigcine Children’s Home, which was completed in just ONE weekend. A group of friends from Cape Town, South Africa, saw a need at a Children’s Home for abandoned and orphaned children in one of the local communities called Mullein, just north of Cape Town.  Originally the team volunteered their time on weekends but they soon realised that more focused time was needed, to meet the needs of the community concerned.

The main aim of Newkidz is to build sustainable child–support networks in communities and link them with foster families and children’s homes; the organisation promotes foster care to the general public and offers guidance to foster families.  Newkidz facilitates the renovation and maintenance of children’s homes / foster family accommodation and places of safety with the help of corporate sponsors.

Zanethemba Kidz Haven

[quote style=”1″]So that is who we are – a group of friends who love God and children, especially orphans and have decided to make a difference in this world. Children are not able to care for themselves so if they have been orphaned; the responsibility falls on those in their community to be their parents by fostering or adopting them. ~ Newkidz[/quote]

So how can you get involved? A project that they are currently running is the Heatherdale Children’s Home – Mural Touch Up Project and they are in need of volunteers to help with painting, this Saturday 25th February. Please sign up and help this worthy cause!

You can visit the Newkidz on the Block website to find out more or you can contact them directly to make a contribution:

[note color=”1BE0CC”]Michael and Hilda de Beer: Telephone:+27(0)219815425 Fax:+27(0)866725152 Mobile:+27(0)798755745 Email Address:[email protected][/note]