Timbers Kleinbegin Aftercare Centre
Our aim for the Timbers Kleinbegin Aftercare Homework Hub is to provide a safe haven for children from Grade R to Grade 12 where they can come and do their homework. Besides being a safe haven for doing homework, we are also creating an environment where children feel loved, have the necessary emotional support and where they can express themselves. We do this by teaching them to be confident, believe in themselves and to be good citizens who can make a difference from a young age.
Our program includes three days (Mondays to Wednesdays) of focusing on schoolwork, with more attention given to subjects that many struggle with such as languages and mathematics. One day of the week, normally on a Thursday, we have story time and art classes. This is also a time where we pay attention to the social and personal development of the children. On Fridays we have martial arts classes where the children are taught discipline and commitment.
95% of our children comes from very disadvantaged backgrounds. Most of them are raised by a single parent, normally the mother. Some of the parents are unemployed or employed six months of the year due to seasonal work. As a result of their circumstances, most of the children are exposed to bullying at school, at home and in the community. They are also victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse by parents and family members.
As a part of our program, we also try to prepare a nice meal for the children every day after class. This is needed by a lot of the children, as they may have had nothing to eat that day. The number of children we take care of is drastically increasing, and we are hoping in the near future that we can accommodate more children.
