About Us
When did Solomons Haven start and How, what are Maria and Alec’s background?
1989-1990 – Maria son Nadeem(Nigel)(passed away, 2005) was in Grade 5 when he brought a friend home from school and Maria questioned when she saw the child coming everyday and asked him why he wasn’t going home. He mentioned that his dad was very abusive towards him, his siblings and their mother. Maria took it upon herself to contact the child’s mother and invite her to find out if she could help. This is how it started. Maria housed them while the woman took steps against her husband. Maria took care of them and her passion for helping others started as she herself was an abused child. Maria was illiterate for the most part of her life as she had to work for her siblings and never had the opportunity to attend school. She has however achieved her aim of reading and writing when she attended classes at Maryland Literacy program. Alec has always supported Maria in what ever she does and with this their love for their community and the kids in their care has grown. Maria and Alec has been married for 25 years and still going strong.
What different organizations do they work with?
JDI Foundation (Just do it) Herzlia High School – Cape Town Marco van Embden (Tourist Company), etc
What sort of donations do they find the most helpful?
Groceries Meat hampers Clothing/shoes for the kids
How many children do they have currently, what ages and what are the circumstances that they come from? How much does it cost to feed, clothe and house each child? How many bedrooms does the home have, how many kids in a room- what do they children do for recreation- TV, games church etc.
+- 17, number may vary as place is needed for others.
How do Maria and Alec motivate themselves to do this good work even when times are tough?
When things get tough Maria and Alec knows that praying which they do every single day helps them through. The love for the children makes them look past the fact their might not be for tomorrow. They won’t allow a child to go back to what they were saved from. They will take each day as it comes and God (Their savior) makes things just fall into place.
Achievements of some of the kids
Lorna Cooney – Achieved 9th position (Grade 9 – All grade nines) at school – Princeton High School
Lorna Cooney – Won the Sanlam Art award at school (Picture of Painting available)
Aneesa Warries – Was the haven for about 9 years and is currently working for Social Services
Anthony – Has become a City police officer
Vanessa – Was at the haven for a few years and never attended school but with Maria’s help she has matriculated and has attended college and studied Accounting.
http://www.solomonshaven.co.za/

What we do
Learn to Earn is a skills development and job creation organisation seeking to develop people, especially unemployed people, socially, economically, emotionally and spiritually.
Our skills development and training centres are based in vibrant Khayelitsha and the seaside town of Hermanus. Here, we endeavour to eradicate unemployment and other legacies of injustice in South Africa. Since 1989 we have trained more than 9500 unemployed people with market-related skills.
We have seen over 80% of our graduates become economically active, with up to 11% starting their own businesses. Our students have the option of receiving tuition in Sewing, Graphic Design, Carpentry, CaterCare, Bake for Profit, Home Management and Office Management . All of our courses have a basic business and life skills aspect.
Coffee Shops
We have two well-appointed coffee shops called ‘The Odd Cup’ at our training centres. These are run by graduates of our Bake for Profit course and for part of the E³ Programme. Come and visit and experience the tastes of The Odd Cup. Available are cappuccinos, muffins, a delicious selection of light lunches and traditional meals. ‘The Odd Cup’ is open Monday – Thursday 9am – 4pm and Friday’s 9am – 3pm.
Business Resource Centre
In our coffee shops you will also find the stunning collection from Khanya Creations . The Learn to Earn brand of our Business Resource Centre . This desirable, bright, fun, fresh and funky range of handmade high quality products are unique and reflect the positive atmosphere of the heart of Khayelitsha. The range consists of beautifully beaded and embroidered handbags, cushions, placemats and shwe-shwe wrap skirts. We also sell stunning mosaics from the creative people of Mandela Park Mosaics.
The feel good Project
LtE is also in partnership with JSE listed company and South African retail giant, TFG (The Foschini Group). Established in 2008, the feel good project (tfgP) is an innovative civil society project which aims to fight poverty by training unemployed people in skills relevant to the retail supply chain. TfgP trainees are chosen from students who have completed one or more of LtE’s market related skills training courses for further training in the retail, supply and warehousing sectors.
LtE Association
Because of LtE’s reputation as an organisation that makes life changing interventions in unemployed people through skills training, job creation and enterprise development we receive many requests to start branches in various areas of South Africa. These requests have resulted in us establishing the Learn to Earn Association.
http://www.learntoearn.org.za/

The Athlone School for the Blind is a public school situated in Bellville-South, Cape Town, South Africa. Having been established by the Athlone School for the Blind Association in 1927 to provide education and residential care for blind and visually impaired children from disadvantaged communities, we have a proud history spanning more than 84 years.
Our primary goal is to meet the educational, vocational and therapeutic needs of our learners so as to ensure that they have the appropriate skills, education and competencies to effectively participate in the broader social and economic world.
The school is both a day and boarding school for children from pre-school to grade 12 and accommodates blind, visually impaired and multiply disabled learners. The academic programme followed at the school is the same as in mainstream schools, complying with the curricular standards assessment processes, procedures and promotion requirements. We also offer a vocational training programme for learners who have difficulty coping with the normal scholastic programme. At the end of their vocational training we assist the learner in securing suitable employment in the open market. Failing this, we seek placement in sheltered employment workshops.
Currently the school has 405 learners, 45 educators, 13 non-CS educator support staff and 60 non-CS non-educator staff members. Our multi disciplinary medical support team is involved with the learner from admission date onwards to ensure that he receives the best educational support and interventions suited to his needs.
Programmes offered

• Early Childhood Development Programme
• Grade 1-12
• Multi-handicapped Class
• Special Education Needs Class

Vocational Training

• Switchboard Training
• Upholstery
• Cane Work and Basketry
• Metal Work
• Hand Work
• Wood Work
• Arts and Crafts
• Marimba Production
• Home Economics
• Maintenance of properties and grounds

On site Support Services

• Psychological and Therapeutic Support
• Occupational Therapy
• Clinical and Medical Support
• Parental Guidance and Counseling
• Orientation and Mobility Training
• Specialized Residential Care
• Daily Transport
• Hostels for Boys and Girls

Outreach Programmes

• Public Awareness workshops & presentations
• School Visits
• Counseling and support for newly blinded adults and the Aged

www.athloneschoolfortheblind.org.za

The Nonceba Trust Centre provides a holistic programme of care to women and children which includes Primary Intervention (Prevention), Secondary Intervention (Early Interventions) and Tertiary Intervention (Treatment). The following services are provided:
Prevention
Education as part of health promotion and preventing harm to children. The Centre provides an out-reach schools health and prevention programme. Social Workers conduct information sessions at schools in the area to highlight risk and educate children on abuse and how to prevent abuse.
After-school Care Programme. The Centre accommodates approximately 100 children on a daily basis. The programme is a collaborative project between schools in the area and the Centre. Children identified as being at risk are enrolled in the Nonceba Programme. The programme aims to keep children safe and provide an environment for learning, recreation and safe play.
Community Awareness – Outreach. The organization belongs to a network, actively involved in campaigning against the abuse of women and children. Community awareness is a joint responsibility and jointly planned for. Efforts are combined to ensure uniformed messages are brought across.
Early Intervention Services
Counseling Service
Professional Staff (social workers and auxiliary social workers) provide counselling services (individual, family and marriage counselling). Approximately 350 – 400 people access the counselling service on a monthly basis.
Treatment/ Statutory Services
Therapeutic Counseling Clinic
Professional Staff provide therapeutic counseling services for women and children who have survived incidents of crime and trauma (rape, domestic violence, human trafficking, etc). The Centre provides support with accessing medical, psychological and legal counsel/ advice. Survivors are prepared and supported for the court process. Families of survivors are counseled and supported. Average length of stay is 3 – 6 months.
Safe-house for Children
Temporary, secure and safe accommodation is provided for children who have been removed via statutory process (Department of Social Development, Department of Health, and Department of Justice). Housemothers are employed to supervise the social, living space of the children while the Clinical team provides therapeutic intervention. Average length of stay is 3 – 6 months
Shelter for Women, women and children
Temporary, secure and safe accommodation is provided to women, and women and their children who have survived incidents of domestic violence and human trafficking. Therapeutic counseling is provided by the clinical team. Average length of stay is 3 months.
Reintegration Services
Planning for reintegration into the community forms part of clinical interventions and ‘care pathway’ for clients. Preparing for reintegration is managed by our clinical staff. Family counselling is essential to reintegration.
Low literacy and work skills levels presents challenges for promoting independence in women, especially women who have no external support (family/ otherwise). The organization provides a skills programme in beadwork, however funding is extremely limited. The organization needs to develop a strategy that addresses the need for capacitating women in work skills in order to promote independence.
http://nonceba.org/

MISSION STATEMENT
While everybody was keeping a lookout for little Sheldean Human, a special group of South Africans joined forces to provide not only emotional support to the family, but to assist in the physical search for Sheldean. The group consisted mostly of women, full time workers and housewives alike, but most importantly all of them united by empathy and compassion. If only little Sheldean could have had an opportunity to experience the massive outpouring of love and concern that swept across South Africa like a wave in the wake of her disappearance! Sheldean was wearing a pink shirt when she was abducted and, as a sign of respect and solidarity in their cause to find her, they chose to call themselves “The Pink Ladies”.
The Pink Ladies are an independent group of volunteers, across the Republic of South Africa, affiliated and associated with The Pink Ladies (as set out hereinbelow). The Pink Ladies will, upon request, work with any individual or organisation that has the same objectives – reuniting missing and endangered children and loved ones with their families and/or caregivers.
The valuable service provided by The Pink Ladies is strictly voluntary and performed for the love of children everywhere in South Africa, regardless of colour, creed or circumstance. Much of the Pink Ladies’ work is done at ground level and for this reason they request that the public and media respect their anonymity. They too have loved ones and families and wish to afford them the privacy they deserve.
COMPANY PROFILE
The Pink Ladies is an NGO (Section 21), duly registered in accordance with the Company Laws of the Republic of South Africa.
I M P O R T A N T
24 Hour SMS : 072 214 7439 E-mail: missing@pinkladies.org.za / admin@pinkladies.org.za
Please note that our 24 hour number is to be used only for the following:
Reporting a missing child / adult; Relaying information regarding a missing child/adult; Press interviews; and Sponsorship
For reasons of expediency and efficiency, no other enquiries will be entertained.
Should you wish to report a missing adult / child, you may also use missing@pinkladies.org.za
Please direct all other non-urgent enquiries regarding membership, volunteering etc to admin@pinkladies.org.za
www.pinkladies.org.za