INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

evolve as it best fits their abilities rather than clinging on rigidly to job titles. The center
must also adapt to caring for a generation of South Africans, for whom social change and
political upheavals are commonplace and regular.
Much of the literature suggests an advantage being held among childcare
institutions that more closely resemble family structures. This typically means a small
number of children being housed, in contrast to the fifty living at 5Cees. This preference
has been recognized by many donors and supporters, but for care centers themselves,
making that switch is not an easy task. Amm recognizes this trend. “Nowadays,
businesses shy away from contributing to centers like this one. They’d rather see a place
that houses ten or twenty. Not fifty. But what can you do? South Africa has millions of
OVC, and in comparison, only a handful of care centers to take care of them.” Marc told
me of other housing scenarios in the area for OVC. One was a house that had a
particularly strong reputation for working among girls. It was operated by a single
woman who was disturbed by the dangers of sex trafficking. She began rescuing and
housing girls from the street. Since then, she has gained a high profile and many
accolades for the care she’s given the girls. Despite this, she can only manage to run a
three bedroom flat in Hillbrow, which houses sixty girls. There is a mismatch between
ideals and real-world demands that often is overlooked by donors. 5Cees works to
duplicate some of the benefit of a smaller size, by instead focusing on equipping care
mothers with stronger skills, and ensuring that a healthy adult-to-child ratio is present at
the center.
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