To date Open Box has contributed to the Valley Development Project: Family and Community Motivation programme in the poverty stricken community of Masiphumelele. This programme ensures all young children have access to early childhood development and food security. This is achieved through Family and Community Motivators (field workers) who, through bimonthly home visits, empower 165 primary caregivers to teach their children in their homes using household opportunities. The field workers visit the homes to check on the child’s progress and to offer support to the family as well as providing caregivers experiencing social challenges access to local support services (social workers and other community resources). Through the support from Open Box they were able to start a toy library giving children the opportunity to learn through play with the age appropriate educational toys.
In addition, Open Box continues to support Woman for Peace. This is a community upliftment organisation based in Mfuleni whose mission is to empower women, youth and children to take charge of their lives and destinies. Women for Peace provides a variety of after school programs for Mfuleni’s youth such as ballroom dancing, soccer, choir, drama, life skills, homework supervision, arts and crafts, vegetable gardening, and many more to ensure that children stay off the streets and out of gangs.
The project has improved and expanded tremendously again this year; they now have 38 couples (76 children) ranging in age from 7 to 18 years who are participating in the program and who practice at the centre everyday after school. To date, the team has received 350 gold and silver medals, 200 trophies, and 390 diplomas. Many of the dancers have improved dramatically over the past 6 months; they now have two couples dancing in the novice section, and one couple dancing at pre-championship level. They also attended 7 local competitions so far and are preparing to attend the national championships. Despite varied levels of skill and achievenments, 76 children are delighted on a daily basis to participate in an enriching program made possible by the support from Open Box.
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Open Box also spread some Christmas cheer this year in the form of donations of groceries, clothes, food and toiletries to two orphanages in the surrounding area. Nazareth House opens its doors to orphans and families in desperate poverty-stricken circumstances, giving them a quality of life they would not otherwise have experienced and Herberg Children's Home provides shelter, protection and education to children who have been neglected or abused.
