INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

a large staff to meet the variety of needs present at the center, the staff looks for other
ways to economize and to care for its employees. Almost all of the center’s employees
live on site, saving them the burden of recurring housing expenses. Furthermore, R6300
of the budget was set aside as ‘Employee Welfare’ or a contingency fund to financially
support employees in the event of an emergency. “We provide all of the care mothers
with their own counseling,” mentioned Pastor Mike as one of the benefits that the center
offered. “Some of them were once our own children.”
This is not only the case with care mothers, but other employees. He referred me to
the case of Amelia, a custodian at 5Cees who grew up at the center herself. “She lived
here with her brother. Her brother did fine on his own and is able to make a living.
Amelia never quite had the aptitude for school or to do well on the job market herself.
But we invested so many years into her life that we couldn’t leave her with no help.”
Pastor Mike hired her to handle many custodial needs around the center and I had gotten
accustomed to seeing her mop up during the day time. A large portion of the center's
employees would likely have difficulty finding opportunities elsewhere if not for the
center.
I was interested about what other parties might have to say about the employee
wages. In a conversation with Amm, he and I were able to exchange ideas on what areas
of the center’s budget were perhaps the most worthy of prioritization and I discovered the
connections among seemingly separate needs. “Definitely building maintenance,” he
mentioned. “If donors see images of a poorly maintained facility, them not wanting to
donate might end up being the least of your concerns. And with a place like this being so
old, I've definitely seen it improve a lot.” He continued to tell me that although he hoped
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