It was a colourful day for young children and the SOS Children’s Village in Gqeberha on Wednesday when the Radisson Blu Hotel treated them to a cookie-decorating and lunch date.
This comes as the hotel revived its four-year relationship with the nonprofit organisation globally.
The children were treated to lunch packs prepared by Radisson Blu executive chef Tyran Vaghi and spent time decorating cookies with the hotel’s team and the village’s caregivers.
The hotel also treated two of the home’s older university students to back and neck massages.
Radisson Blu Gqeberha marketing manager Sigourney Bruintjies said this was the home’s first physically supportive initiative since the Covid-19 outbreak.
The global partnership between the hotel group and SOS Children’s Villages was established in 2018, and sees each hotel in the Radisson Hotel group commit to supporting children around the world.
Bruintjies said the hotel supported the NPO in various other ways including participating in their career days, making monthly donations and providing sponsorships for events.
“With tomorrow being Youth Day, we thought to visit and spend some time with the kids instead of just dropping off donations and leaving.
“Spending time with the kids is important to us because it does not only make their day, but their cute little faces tug at our hearts and we get to know them better,” Bruintjies said.
The children each received a lunch pack containing a sandwich, juice, water, freshly baked muffin and a chocolate.
Vaghi said he intentionally prepared a meal containing foods that kids generally enjoyed.
The father-of-two said preparing the lunch packs pulled at his heart string as he had a soft spot for children.
“Even the atmosphere this morning while we were getting the packs ready was different, because knowing that this project is for kids is something that warms my heart,” he said.
The SOS Children’s Village accommodates 73 children in its 11 family houses.
The houses each have a maximum of eight children who live with caregivers, known as the SOS Mothers.
Programme director Jackie Scheuble said the home also has caregivers available to relieve SOS Mothers when they take leave.
In total, the village has 16 caregivers and additional admin and support staff.
The village cares for children of all ages who have either lost parental care or are at risk of losing parental care.
Programme development manager Mandy Daniels said the village takes each child for two years and either applies via the courts to keep them for longer if their home situations have not improved, or returns them to their families if conditions allow.
“We don’t have an age limit for kids who can stay with us,” Daniels said.
“We will make sure that the child has an employable skill acquired through university or a skills institute.
“They must also have somewhere safe to go, so if they have no family to care for them they need to be able to have their own place to stay where the are able to care for themselves.
“Only at that point will they then leave SOS.”
The children are subsidised by the department of social development.
The NPO’s national funding development team also seeks funding to further support the villages.
Scheuble said the NPO valued support from corporates like Radisson Hotels.
“Radisson Blu in Gqeberha has been very involved by inviting us to their beach cleanup initiatives and supporting our Go Teach programme by inviting the young kids to expose them to what the hotel industry provides,” she said.
The Gqeberha branch will this year celebrate 33 years of providing care to children while SOS Children’s Village SA will celebrate 40 years of operation.
HeraldLIVE
Special lunch date for kids at SOS Children’s Village with Radisson Blu staff
Image: WERNER HILLS
It was a colourful day for young children and the SOS Children’s Village in Gqeberha on Wednesday when the Radisson Blu Hotel treated them to a cookie-decorating and lunch date.
This comes as the hotel revived its four-year relationship with the nonprofit organisation globally.
The children were treated to lunch packs prepared by Radisson Blu executive chef Tyran Vaghi and spent time decorating cookies with the hotel’s team and the village’s caregivers.
The hotel also treated two of the home’s older university students to back and neck massages.
Radisson Blu Gqeberha marketing manager Sigourney Bruintjies said this was the home’s first physically supportive initiative since the Covid-19 outbreak.
The global partnership between the hotel group and SOS Children’s Villages was established in 2018, and sees each hotel in the Radisson Hotel group commit to supporting children around the world.
Bruintjies said the hotel supported the NPO in various other ways including participating in their career days, making monthly donations and providing sponsorships for events.
“With tomorrow being Youth Day, we thought to visit and spend some time with the kids instead of just dropping off donations and leaving.
“Spending time with the kids is important to us because it does not only make their day, but their cute little faces tug at our hearts and we get to know them better,” Bruintjies said.
The children each received a lunch pack containing a sandwich, juice, water, freshly baked muffin and a chocolate.
Vaghi said he intentionally prepared a meal containing foods that kids generally enjoyed.
The father-of-two said preparing the lunch packs pulled at his heart string as he had a soft spot for children.
“Even the atmosphere this morning while we were getting the packs ready was different, because knowing that this project is for kids is something that warms my heart,” he said.
The SOS Children’s Village accommodates 73 children in its 11 family houses.
The houses each have a maximum of eight children who live with caregivers, known as the SOS Mothers.
Programme director Jackie Scheuble said the home also has caregivers available to relieve SOS Mothers when they take leave.
In total, the village has 16 caregivers and additional admin and support staff.
The village cares for children of all ages who have either lost parental care or are at risk of losing parental care.
Programme development manager Mandy Daniels said the village takes each child for two years and either applies via the courts to keep them for longer if their home situations have not improved, or returns them to their families if conditions allow.
“We don’t have an age limit for kids who can stay with us,” Daniels said.
“We will make sure that the child has an employable skill acquired through university or a skills institute.
“They must also have somewhere safe to go, so if they have no family to care for them they need to be able to have their own place to stay where the are able to care for themselves.
“Only at that point will they then leave SOS.”
The children are subsidised by the department of social development.
The NPO’s national funding development team also seeks funding to further support the villages.
Scheuble said the NPO valued support from corporates like Radisson Hotels.
“Radisson Blu in Gqeberha has been very involved by inviting us to their beach cleanup initiatives and supporting our Go Teach programme by inviting the young kids to expose them to what the hotel industry provides,” she said.
The Gqeberha branch will this year celebrate 33 years of providing care to children while SOS Children’s Village SA will celebrate 40 years of operation.
HeraldLIVE
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