We do the following to help and support victims:

• Pack and provide “Comfort Packs”
• Provide “Food Parcels”
• Supply resources to Specialised Organisations within the Child Protection System
• Provide funds to Grass Roots Organisations

1. Comfort Packs:

Our group provides as many as 500 Comfort Packs per month, which are given directly to abused children by Investigating Officers. The Packs are age and gender appropriate and include basic necessities such as underwear and toiletries. They also contain items to soothe and comfort the children such as bubbles and soft toys.

For many, these Comfort Packs are the first new items they have ever received, and often the first items that belong entirely to them. We have come to realize that the emotional effects of these Packs far exceeds their physical contents, and they have a large impact on the children who receive them.

2. Food Parcels:

We provide parcels of staple foods to victims and their families. Many families struggle to feed themselves due to their everyday economic circumstances, and families are often left destitute if the child-abuse perpetrator is also the breadwinner.

3. Supply resources to Specialised Organisations within the Child Protection System:

The Child Protection System in South Africa is made up of various components:

FCS Units (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit); Social Welfare Organisations, Hospitals, and the Legal Courts. Most of these organizations are struggling to function properly due to a drastic lack of resources.

We support the FCS Units and other organisations by providing them with resources such as Educational Toys, Therapy Aids, and Professional Debriefing. We furnish Trauma Rooms and we finance the training of Forensic Social Workers.

4. Provide Funds to Grass Roots Organisations:

Many Grass Roots Organisations have expert knowledge, an established infrastructure and direct access to victimized children, but they lack adequate funding to be fully effective. FCP provides funds to sound, well-managed organizations and to projects that address children’s physical needs or provide emotional support and counseling. We also support efforts to coordinate family- and community-outreach programs.

Some of the Grass Roots Organisations we have supported to date are: Safeline, Childline, and Thutezela Care Centre.

We, at FCP have chosen to focus our efforts on supporting children who have already been abused, as opposed to campaigning to prevent abuse. As we are all volunteers (in FCP), we provide resources and funding to people and organisations that are in direct contact with the children. At the moment most of our work is concentrated in the Western Cape, but we hope to provide support on a National level as we increase our funding.