67 years of impact: together for Madiba and our youth

This Mandela Day, as South Africans come together to honour Nelson Mandela’s legacy through acts of service and compassion, Girls and Boys Town SA (GBTSA) proudly reflects on 67 years of dedicated care for the nation’s most vulnerable children.

As we celebrate the joy and resilience of South Africa’s youth on 18 July, we are reminded that too many children still face hardship, neglect and abuse. Now more than ever, they need the protection and support of communities, media, public and private organisations and other sectors of South African society. Madiba believed that "there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children", and GBTSA continues to embody that truth every day.

Since 1958, Girls and Boys Town South Africa has been a sanctuary of healing heartbroken children. Having started off as Boys’ Town that long ago, our identity, the principle of inclusion and capacity to heal heartbroken children with compassion and care strengthened and we became Girls and Boys Town South Africa in 2004 when the first cohort of girls were welcomed at Alpha Family Home in Claremont, Cape Town. That home later moved to The Dingle Family Home in Kenilworth, one of our four national residential centres. 

For 67 years, our mission has been steadfast: to recognise and mend the visible and invisible wounds of youngsters who have faced unthinkable challenges, guiding them toward a future filled with promise and possibility.

Imagine a girl or a boy whose laughter has been stifled by hardship and loss. At GBTSA we embrace these children with open arms, offering them more than just a place to stay. With a hearty hug, we give them a chance to reclaim their joy, rediscover their inner strength, and build a future they can be proud of. 

GBTSA is the living proof that it takes a village to raise a child. With care, safety and support, children can overcome deep trauma and not just survive, but thrive. During our existence, this is the transformation we have witnessed: the moment a nurturing environment replaces violence or neglect, healing begins and hope takes root.

Many times, we label children as difficult, truant, careless, even criminally minded if they do not fit or conform to what we – the adults in their lives – expect them to be. Having spent almost seven decades listening to what children have to say and how they feel, at GBTSA we have the evidence to show that all those attributes are more applicable to the significant adults in their lives. Like sponges, children pick up our attitudes, beliefs and practices.

The fact is that, for their own wellbeing and future, such vulnerable children are placed into GBTSA or other alternative care by the Children’s Court. Nearly all of our young residents have reached early teens having seen and experienced how really tough life can be. The disadvantaged communities and battered families they come from have shaped their lived realities, exposing them to abuse, pain and crime in their foundational years.

This makes their positive and successful response to GBTSA’s holistic approach that much more meaningful and impactful. It also offers invaluable lessons and best practices about care for vulnerable youth and their social and academic evolution that can be adapted and amplified to lift many other disadvantaged children and families from their unfortunate and limiting present contexts. 

We work with both the children and their families to strengthen their life skills and provide necessary resources as effectively, efficiently and comprehensively as possible. The majority of the GBTSA youth – approximately 200 each year – only reside with us temporarily while attending the most appropriate nearby schools. During that time, the GBTSA teams evaluate, create and implement programmes with focus on health, socialisation and education tailored to each individual child’s innate ability and needs. 

Our staff and social workers engage with the child’s family and caregivers to provide broader, sustainable assistance that can fortify the child’s home environment and facilitate a positive, quick reintegration into the family and community. Not all children go back into a family setting. Some go on to live independently, but with on-going support from GBTSA. Our aim is to help each child establish a network of support where they can feel safe and secure – fostering their sense of self, confidence, strength and independence.

We are grateful to be able to say that GBTSA has stood the test of time. The organisation's reliance on South Africans – in their individual and organisational capacities – must be acknowledged and celebrated. As loyal sponsors and donors, you have been crucial since our inception and given the socio-economic climate, we recognise you as our supporters and partners in being instrumental to keep GBTSA there for the vulnerable youth all these years.

Despite the challenges, our donors have shown remarkable generosity, allowing us to continue our mission. Our honest and strong relationships with donors, built and maintained through regular communication, transparency about our financial situation and sharing the impact and success stories of the children we jointly support enable us to keep going even during the most trying times – like the COVID-19 pandemic.