PROJECTS >> Home-based Care  | ACTS/Lay Counselling  | ECD Health  | Children's Circle of Support  | Parenting Worx  | Grade R  | Monitoring & Evaluation 

Parenting Worx

The Hermanus Rainbow Trust’s newest initiative, Parenting Worx, has been created to address the often-dire circumstances that children under five years of age must grow up and develop in. There are unacceptably high numbers of children dying from preventable illnesses in South Africa. Children grow up amid drugs, teen pregnancies, abuse, and neglect, and they are not taught important values and behaviours that are vital for a well-functioning society. The Parenting Worx programme has been created with the aim of improving parenting skills and knowledge amongst parents with small children, so that children may grow up in healthy loving environments in which they are protected and cared for.

The approach to the project is multi-disciplinary, and draws on health, educational and psycho-social theory and practice. Participants are recruited for the programme from the earliest stages of pregnancy so that they can be ready and confident for the births of their children. Participating parents (mostly mothers) commit to staying with the programme until their children reach five years of age. Participants meet fortnightly to discuss issues relating to family planning, pregnancy, nutrition, pre- and post-natal care, becoming parents, breast- and bottle-feeding, caring for newborns, general hygiene, obtaining official documents, vaccinations and injections, raising families out of poverty, home safety, baby activities, learning to play, and child development.

There are many ways that you can get involved in assisting to make our Parenting Worx programme even more of a success:

Providing these Bumbo Baby Chairs (pictured on right) helps relieve the stress of mothers having children tied to their backs the whole day, whilst at the same time it strengthens the child’s back and prepares the child for sitting. The Parenting Worx Program lends these chairs to the mothers who attend the program on a weekly basis. If you have any educational resources suitable for babies and toddlers, we would be pleased if you would kindly consider donating these to their Hermanus Rainbow Trust.

For children aged 3 months to 4 years

• Paint, paint brushes, paper for drawing and painting, thick crayons, children’s scissors, puzzles, small floor mats, rattles, mobiles, prams, baby bum-seats, baby chairs
• Toys suitable for development
• Small tables and chairs for the children
• Tissues, toilet paper, airspray, disinfectant. Milton, babies bottles, soap, face cloths
• Childrens’ multi vitamins
• Baby powder
• Vaseline
• Aqua Baby cream
• Baby shampoo
• Childrens tooth brushes & tooth paste
• Towels
• Towelling Nappies
• Disposable nappies all sizes
• Baby cereal
• Porridge, Mieliepap

Parents Support Group

• Beads, material, sewing cotton, sewing needles, wool, knitting needles
• Volunteer crafters to teach women to make saleable items
• Small wooden framed canvas squares (30cmx30cm) for women to work on

General

• Sponsorship of a 2011 Calendar ( 500 copies)
• Photograper Volunteer to take photos of the babies & children on the program for the calendar
• Plain T-shirts to be printed with Parenting Worx on the front, & Rainbow Trust Logo on 1 sleeve and donors logo on the other sleeve printing of pamphlets
• Servicing of our vehicle
• Sponsorship of a driver
• Sponsorship of 4 Parenting Home Carers
• Fuel for Transport
• Printing cartridges
• Printing paper
• Funding towards, food, training & workshops

Public participation

• Outings and get-togethers to encourage family bonding
• Planning of events for families
• Volunteers

If you have a business that manufactures or sells any of these items, they can be tax-deductable if donated to the Hermanus Rainbow Trust, and we will issue you with an 18A receipt. Contact us to find out more about how you can help!