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The main activities of The Potter’s House are outreach services to vulnerable women in the community, a drop-in centre, a transitional residential facility, job preparation and job skills training, and advocacy work regarding women’s issues. A baby-care centre opened on 01 November 2005, which caters for the babies of the women who live in the transitional facility.

 

The Outreach programme is aimed at meeting the needs of women who live in badly managed or overcrowded buildings, those living on the streets, in hospitals and the prison, and women in prostitution in low cost facilities such as Budget Hotels. These women receive support, information, mediation on their behalves, and referral to appropriate services.

 

The Drop-in centre meets the immediate needs of women and men who need support. These services include counselling, advice, information, referrals, food and clothing relief, overnight accommodation, and medical support.

 

Transitional residential facility (The Potter’s House) - 24 women with their children can be accommodated at a time. Their basic needs are covered and they go through our holistic empowerment programme, which enables them to find jobs and support themselves. A supportive atmosphere is created in the house which works towards emotional healing and growth.

 

In our Baby Care Service six children can be taken care of during the day while their mothers are attending the empowerment and job preparation programme.

Advocacy on women’s issues: The Potter’s House was one of the initial members of the Shelter Network of South Africa, and is still an active member in this forum. We engage in awareness raising programmes and events regarding domestic violence, HIV and its effect on women, and women’s rights. It is not viable only to care for women in crisis, without addressing those issues in society that affect them negatively.

Text Box: The teacher’s words about babies

It is one year and a half now since the starting of the baby care centre, one more thing to celebrate. How amazing it has been watching those babies growing right in front of us. The bad news is that they come and go as they come with their mothers and go with them. Presently we have nine children in the Baby Care Centre. It is also encouraging to see how the mothers are cooperating with us to the raising of their children. Just sitting and watching these children brings a hope for tomorrow and that has to be shaped by us now. The children are also reacting positively, e.g. talking, playing, running around and opening up both to teachers and to each other. It was amazing in December when we had our closing party. Mothers were invited and we did some play presentations to them. We also sang some songs together. The babies were so happy to host the whole event.
I really want to thank The Potter’s House for starting this Baby Care Centre. Where else were we going to discover the beauty of these little ones?

Lillian Matsilele

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