INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

would help to paint a picture of the challenges that the center faces.
This was one of the earliest questions I brought up with Pastor Mike. He
immediately was able to answer my question anecdotally, with the cases of a few of the
children currently at the center.
“A pair of sisters lived in an informal squatter camp in a shack with their single
mother. When the shack was destroyed in a fire, their mother was faced with the
challenge of rebuilding in spite of unemployment. Virtually homeless, the girls were
referred to the center because it was clear their mother would be unable to provide the
medication and stability they needed.”
“Another set of siblings came from a nearby township. Their single mother was
extremely sick and their father had disappeared. The family faced homelessness and
further threats after her mother-in-law accused her of killing her husband. The youngest
boy faced challenges due to malnutrition.”
“From that same township came another trio of siblings with an ill mother. They
were looked after by their grandmother who was challenged with a series of mental
illnesses, and the center’s social worker [Nancy Mudau] suspected they were being
abused by their mother’s boyfriend.”
It became clear that Pastor Mike had a tragically large volume of cases like these in
his memory.
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