INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

Bryanston Bible Church offers relatively limited financial support, but instead offers a lot
in terms of volunteer presence and including children in various activities and events.
Pastor Mike’s son, Ajith, is also a minister by profession, and on one Sunday, I was
invited to attend his church in a nearby suburb. One of the most surprising observations
was the small size of the congregation. The majority of its pews were empty and there
were no more than twenty people in attendance. Xolani worked as a musician for the
church, a side job in addition to working security at 5Cees. I also saw Marc operating the
church’s sound system and I learned that this is how he became connected with 5Cees in
the first place. A disagreement with the relatives he had stayed with in Johannesburg led
to him no longer having a place to live. He worked for Ajith’s church and talked to him
about options. Ajith mentioned living at the center as a possibility, but that would also
require working there for pay. Xolani, although already familiar to the center, became an
employee in a similar way. Even a church as small in size as Ajith’s becomes a beneficial
connection, when it allowed the center to hire security guards and drivers with whom
familiarity had already been established.
To date, one of the center’s biggest assets remains the connections held by Pastor
Mike, through his years as a minister. This provides him with a strong relationship with
townships and communities from which many of the children come. This also gives him
an opportunity to seek out funding from churches and other religious affiliations. Many
of his professional connections also benefit the center by providing it with workers that
are already familiar to its administration. Having a director with numerous connections in
different fields allows the center an even further degree of flexibility. Concerns have
risen lately regarding Pastor Mike’s health, however. Although he and his wife held plans
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