LIV Lanseria is a life giving village for orphaned and vulnerable children which produces healthy families, empowered communities and future leaders for South Africa. Founded in 1991, initially as a health care clinic, we have since developed a strong focus on child care, community development and skills upliftment through education and mentorship. Refilwe’s primary focus is child care. Our God Pa
rent Program uses a family-based foster care model we provide safe and stable home environments for up to 48 orphaned and vulnerable children. Here the children also receive a quality education, beginning at Refilwe’s on-site pre-school and continuing through reputable local primary and secondary schools. We have several bursaries available for learners who are accepted into tertiary education. El Roi baby house, situated at the north end of our property, opened in October 2012 in response to the overwhelming need for place of safety care for abandoned and orphaned babies. We currently have space for 6 babies who are then placed in local and international forever families in conjunction with ABBA adoptions. The Community Development Program offers support to individuals in the surrounding informal settlements through skills training, food production and limited home-based care. We work in partnership with the Refilwe Bophelo Clinic which provides basic health care services in an area far from government clinics and hospitals. Additionally, using the model of our on-site preschool, we have come alongside 19 community-based day care centres by giving them the training and support to offer proper pre-school education. By engaging with local counsellors and community members, we seek to identify and address needs in our area. The third focus of Refilwe is in Skills Upliftment. In addition to the practical “on-the-job” training received by our site workers in horticulture, maintenance and carpentry, we encourage their involvement in training programs from computer skills to vegetable gardens. We also give ECD workshops to our pre-school leaders and parents, giving them the skills to interact and stimulate their children at home. All individuals at Refilwe are encouraged to improve themselves, ensuring a better future for themselves and their families.
