THE Easter weekend is a little more than a month away and with it comes Family Day which will fall on Monday, April 21 this year.

Many spend this day with their biological families and friends that have become family, but how about fostering a child for the day who has no family to go to for the weekend?

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Every child needs their own village, people who they can call ‘home’, but more than anything children need to feel loved, says Ethelbert Child and Youth Centre manager, Vanessa Theophilus.

The centre is reaching out to loving people in the community to host a child for an hour, a day, a weekend or the holidays.

“There are currently 59 children at the home who come from neglect, abandonment or abuse. We noticed over the last year or so that foster families have been scarce and it seems to be a sign of the times where people just can’t take on any more than they already have,” she said.

“Some people also feel that fostering a child means taking them out, buying them things and spoiling them materialistically. While that is a kind gesture, it’s not necessary at all. More than anything else, these children need love and attention. If you foster a child on a Sunday, a day which you usually spend gardening or baking, the child can join you. Children need role models, someone to take an interest in them and shows up for them on their best days and their worst days,” she said.

She added that support and counselling is provided throughout the process. Single people are also welcome to enquire.

Social worker Marcelle Tantij says it’s not an overnight transition and pairing children with loving people takes time.

“Each child and case is different. There is no one size fits all. Those who wish to be host families are interviewed, screened and then introduced to a child we feel will be a fit for the family,” she said.

She explained that the process for a host family to bond with a child can either be instant or could take a bit of time.

“In some cases, it’s only after a few months that a child feels comfortable with spending a night or weekend with a family. Some prefer to only spend a few hours with their families and that’s okay too. The important thing is that these children have a support structure other than the home, someone they can look up to, a place where they feel loved and so they can learn what a healthy family environment looks like,” she added.

To find out more about fostering contact the home on 031 464 6555 or email socialwork@ethelbert.co.za.

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