Projects ~ Masizame Children's Center History ~ Restore Humanity

Masizame Children's Center

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3 MCC Centers

Masizame Children's Shelter
Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

Their History

Masizame is a Xhosa word meaning "Let Us Try!" It is exactly the attitude a group of local business women motivated to do something about the phenomenon of the street children in the greater Plettenberg Bay area in 1991. A year later the Masizame Street Children's Project was registered with the Dept. of Social Services in South Africa. The project offers the child a constant alternative to the destructive environment of an unbearable home-life. Sadly, their home-life typically includes; alcoholic parents, poverty, physical and mental abuse and the child’s inability to cope with step-parents, single or divorced parents. The project adopts an eternal open door policy and aims to restore self-dignity through equipping the child with life skills, self reliance and coping mechanisms. Through constant communication and meaningful intervention, they seek to restore meaningful contact with the family and community. As well as establish support within their community of origin.

Masizame Today

Over the past sixteen years, they have evolved according to the needs of the children and reality of the challenges that they face on a daily basis. Masizame continues to be recognized as one of Plettenberg Bay’s success stories in terms of NGO’s. A wonderful positive team spirit still exists at Masizame, and this would not be possible without the vision, devotion, and ongoing commitment of their skilled staff, headed up by Rosalie Classens and the support of our committee, which is made up of volunteers from a varied cross section of the local population. The sight of 90 plus little ones, bright eyed and smiling, as they gleefully leap from the Masizame truck every morning and running into the Masizame Prevention Educare Preschool is truly a sight to behold. The children expect absolutely nothing and they are joyfully thankful for everything. In a simple way they have touched the lived of hundreds of children in the Greater Plettenberg Bay. These vulnerable little souls did not choose their circumstances and are facing some of life’s most diabolical adversities on a daily basis.