Women in Need [WIN]

In sheltered spots under the motorway bridges, doorways and alleys, homeless women bring up their children. Their playground is the gutter ... their bed, a tattered blanket on the hard pavement.

These are the people we help through WIN.

Comprising a Drop-In Centre with professional social work services, the WIN Playhouse [a creche for homeless boys and girls aged 2-7 years] and Zelda House [a shelter for young homeless children], the main focus of WIN is to get children off the streets.

Currently 35 children attend the WIN Playhouse where they benefit from early childhood development programmes under the watchful eye of principal, Sharmiela [pictured above]. Seven of these children live permanently at Zelda House. If you can contribute to the cost of caring for the children, please click here.

Another 50 men and women come to the Drop In Centre every day for a nutritious meal, while our counselling and outreach programmes reach many more.

Sunette's story

Sunette’s life on the street began to change when she met Sharmiela, our WIN Playhouse Principal. Sharmiela enrolled Sunette’s daughter, Charlene, at the Playhouse when she was three. She was a sickly child, anaemic and full of allergies, and deeply unhappy.

Sharmiela invited Sunette to attend the Parents’ meetings, during which mothers are taught parenting skills, as well as how to stimulate their children academically. Sunette welcomed these meetings and grew stronger and more confident within herself as a parent, and as a woman – so much so that she asked Sharmiela to enroll her on the CWD Jobstart training programme to really move towards a more self- reliant lifestyle.

Today Sunette has a sales job and has recently been promoted to Supervisor. She pays R40 school fees to WIN every month, as well as R20 registration fee to Wesley Primary to ensure that Charlene has a place for Grade 1 for 2008.

She also saves R30 per month for Charlene through the WIN Savings Project. Charlene is healthy, confident and happy.

Another positive spin-off has been the impact on the broader family. Through Sunette feeling empowered and capable, her husband is now also playing a more positive role in Charlene’s life. The family bond has been strengthened.

Your support makes these successes possible. Please click here if you would like to make an online contribution now.