Anne Slater
General Manager I Care
Sakhimpilo Skills Development Project
I Care found that more and more young men, who we had already worked with and reunified with family members and returned to school, were returning to the streets. We discovered that these young men were now over 18’s and had been sent out by their custodians to ‘make a living’ as their childcare grants had come to an end. We needed to assist this vulnerable group and catch them before they fall – fall back into street life, drugs, petty crime and hopelessness.
I Care have developed a restoration program, Sakhimpilo (Build A Life), where young men are housed, trained in life skills and job preparation, receive psycho-social interventions, rehabilitated if needed, and finally given the opportunity to undergo accredited training in a practical skill with an external service provider.
This is all vitally important if we want to produce self-sufficient and effective members of society.
During 2018 I Care developed a relationship with Jump Youth Mission, an NGO who put Hope in reach of people and change the lives of those who are lost.
We placed a number young men, from the streets, with JYM when we needed emergency housing and we were impressed with their deep concern, fair discipline and unconditional love shown to the young men.
In 2019 after much discussion, relationship building and prayer, we decided to collaborate with Jump Youth Mission to run the Sakhimpilo program, in its entirety, from their facility. I Care have assigned a course facilitator, Social worker and a vehicle to JYM and the Life Skills & Job Preparation course will become part of their daily timetable.
We will continue to use our external practical training providers at: Corobrik for building and
Hibiscus Training Centre for welding, panel beating and bakery chef training.
The future plans are to develop an in-house training facility for competency certificates in welding, upholstery, brick-paving and painting.
The accommodation and training rooms have been upgraded at the Mission and finishing touches are still in progress.
As sport and exercise is so important in maintaining physical wellbeing, we are hoping to build a soccer court in the near future as well as purchase gym equipment for the young men to use.
Being Christ Centered and with Hope given to each young man we know that this collaboration will bear much fruit.
