Our Plan of Action
With child protection and survival being of utmost importance, our first priority is to set up a safe and caring environment for children. Our aim is to establish an orphanage to house children up to five years of age. This will be done by either renting, purchasing & renovating a suitable property or building a centre. The orphanage will provide children in the following:
• Shelter
• Health and medical care (e.g. AIDS/HIV, Malaria treatments)
• Food – a nutritious well balanced diet and clean, safe drinking water
• A hygienic environment
• Clothes and footwear
• Caring and loving staff who also provide life mentoring
• Early childhood development (e.g. Pre-schooling)
In association with the orphanage, a medical clinic will be set up that will care for children within the orphanage. It is our intention to also provide health and education programs and clinics for the wider community, through the medical clinic as resources permit.
To assist in the cost of running the orphanage, it is our intention to adapt cost saving methods with the end result being self sufficiency. Some areas we are looking into for the provision of eventual self sufficiency include:
• Solar Power
• Solar Ovens
• Bio-Digesters
• Agricultural Projects
• Eco-Farms
• Micro-Enterprises
Whilst it is intended to have children up to the age of five in the orphanage, there may be a need to accept older children. It will be our aim to integrate children back into society between the ages of four and six. Our first preference is for children to be placed into local foster families, with continued support and monitoring by social workers, to ensure the child’s safety and development. Where placement into a foster family is not possible, a family situation will be created for them, utilising ideas from other family based orphanages.
With all children that we house or assist, we desire to provide education and other developmental and self esteem building programs. We will organize sponsorship for children to attend local schools if there is adequate schooling in the local community. Where the local schooling system is not adequate, we will attempt to assist in raising the level of the available schooling, or provide schooling for children. This will consist of primary and secondary schooling and in the future, trade/vocational training.
There are many more possibilities and future desires that we have, but it is our main objective to ensure that children are given the best chance in life through providing the above mentioned basic requirements. Possible future endeavours include, sports fields, swimming pool, music schools and more. We believe that these extra things should be birthed in the future, by local communities and children from within our care. We see investing in just one child’s future as investing in the future of the nation. We will support them in any way we can, in all their possible future endeavours. Seeing what an orphaned child has become after being cared for through Destinations, is the motivation for the creation of Destinations.
How we will help
Our initial desire is to care and provide for orphaned children. To see children, with no hope or future in their current situation, developed into what God would desire for them to be. We aim to give them the possibility and option of becoming the people that we would want our own children to become. We endeavour to ensure that each individual child feels love, acceptance and a sense of belonging. In raising any child, one is responsible for installing thought, behavioural and emotional patterns as well as their spiritual concepts. We will cater for these needs by providing the following:
Housing
• Orphanage
• Integration of children back into the community through foster programs
• Family housing (creating a family situation where fostering is not possible)
Health
• Nutritious Diet
• Exercise
• Fresh Water
• Medical & Health Care (Treatment & Education)
Emotional Needs
• Provision of a loving & caring environment
Personal Development
• Early childhood development
• Discipline
• Schooling (Primary & Secondary)
• College & University sponsorships
Spiritual Development
• Mentoring programs
• Biblical teachings & lifestyle examples