Christmas comes early for children and senior citizens in Kuils River

The festive spirit arrived early in Kuils River as community organisations hosted a series of Christmas events aimed at bringing joy to children and senior citizens.

On Friday, December 12, the LoveThyNeighbour Foundation held a Christmas party for children and senior citizens at the Sarepta Sports and Recreation Centre. The event was funded by the National Department of Social Development and drew community members together in a celebration of care and giving.

Children attending the event were encouraged to embrace positive values and received life lessons from government officials, police representatives, and local entertainers.

Deputy Minister of Social Development Ganief Hendrick delivered the keynote address.

“Our communities and their children need to be given the necessary attention. They should be honoured, and they indeed deserve to be served well. We have gathered here to show our children that we truly care for them, that we are deeply concerned about their social welfare, and we love each of them dearly."

He also acknowledged the challenges faced by many children, including those from broken homes, as well as homeless backgrounds, emphasising that they should not be overlooked.

Neliswa Cekiso, director of child protection in the department, encouraged parents to remain vigilant regarding children’s exposure to harmful online content.

“The cell phones that children are using, they get exposed to pornography. And what do they do? A seed is planted, and they would want to experiment and practice what they saw. Now they start sexually abusing other children. So parents need to really be vigilant and ensure that they are in the life space of their children,” she said.

The department is currently running Social and Behaviour Change programmes, including YOLO and ChommY, to promote positive practices.

LoveThyNeighbour Foundation director Elvaresia Cloete said funding from the department enabled the organisation to expand its annual celebration.

She also called on the public to support one another during the festive season.

“This is a time for giving. If you have anything in the fridge, even if it's something small like a bowl of food, we can give it to someone who doesn't have it. We can help with a present if maybe our neighbour can't afford to buy a child a present.“ 

She further appealed to creatives and sponsors to play a role in the upcoming holiday programme starting on Tuesday, January 5. Planned activities include jumping castles and indoor sports games for children at the same venue.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, December 9, the Logos Assemblies of God in Kuils River, in partnership with the Patriotic Alliance, hosted a “Christmas Brunch” for senior citizens at the church in Sarepta.

Johannes Klein, an elder of the church, said the doors of the church were open to the community for partnerships.

“We would be glad to come together as a community, sit down and talk about programmes, not for the church but for the community. We will always be available for the community of Sarepta,” he said.