Sedibeng Children’s Haven had humble beginnings in a small house situated in Market Avenue, Vereeniging. The house was originally facilitated by the Vereeniging Rotary Club who signed the lease for the house in July 2000. In 2001, Child Welfare Vereeniging took over the project. The house was extended and an office and forensic interview room was built, this was opened on 2 June 2002. The facility
was used by various institutions/welfare organisations. The main purpose of the house was to act as a place of safety for children who had been removed from abusive situations. It was only after the house was all but abandoned that the late Rev. Barry Boyd came to hear that the house had fallen on bad times. He visited the house to see if St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church and its congregation could be of any assistance. At the initial meeting it became apparent that the needs of the house far outweighed the means that could be provided from the limited state funds received in lieu of court grants. The house had also reached a state of disrepair and the situation as a whole was not conducive to rehabilitating or housing children. It was as a result of this meeting that Rev. Boyd approached several business people in our community to see if they could collectively provide for the needs of the house. A committee of seven was elected and a Section 21 company was formed and the Sedibeng Children’s Haven was born. The official opening of Sedibeng Children's Haven as it is known today, was on 12 October 2008.
