The Kare for Kids Story

The Outreach Committee of Benoni Central Methodist Church (Bula Monyako) in Benoni, South Africa is involved in many Outreach projects in their community. One of the projects has been the Wattville Day Care Centre for children affected by or infected by Aids.

One Hundred and fifty children are being cared for from 8 am till 4pm in a room about 20 x 30 feet. When they lie down for a nap the floor is completely covered with little people crunched together like sardines. When they have activity time, the teacher lets about 20 children at a time take part whilst the rest huddle together to make space for them to do so. In a tiny tin shack, Paula the cook creates a daily stew and a pot of corn porridge, which is carefully served so that everyone gets something to eat.

There is only one faucet and dishes are done outside in a big plastic basin. They have no toilet facilities except five outdoor potties, No hand basins except 3 plastic basins (also outdoors), No place to put their school bags (when it rains they have to be brought inside, making the space even more cramped). The Day Care is in an area where most of the people live in tin shacks and shanties.

The Vanneck and Melville United Churches, who have been supporting the Day Care for the past five years by providing money to help feed the children, received a letter from the Mission Committee of Benoni Methodist Church (Bula Monyako), dated June 11, 2010, asking that we become partners in the building of a facility which can house the Day Care on a permanent basis and have suitable amenities for the children and staff. After a meeting of the Vanneck / Melville Outreach Committee, because such a project is way outside the means of two small rural churches, it was decided to ask the Middlesex Presbytery of the United Church to engage in a project to raise funds to help build the Day Care for the Children of Wattville.

At a meeting of Middlesex Presbytery Division of World Outreach, it was moved, seconded and approved by all our members present that we propose to Middlesex Presbytery as our 2010/2011 Advent/Lenten Project to raise the approximately $120,000 needed to build the facility to house the Day Care on a permanent basis. It was agreed that if all funds are not raised in this time frame, the project be continued into the rest of 2011.

This proposal received the unanimous support of the Middlesex Presbytery of the United Church at its meeting held on June 22nd 2010.

Funds are being handled by Melville United Church for tax receipting and transmission to Benoni Central Methodist Church in South Africa.

Donations may be made by mailing a cheque payable to (do not mail cash)

Melville United Church Kare for Kids
c/o Treasurer, Mr. R Hockin
PO Box 13
Komoka, ON
N0L 1R0