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Ingane Yami Children’s Village – Giving Hope & Changing Lives
Nestled deep in the Shongweni Valley, near Dassenhoek, is the Ingane Yami Children’s Village. Ingane Yami means “my child” or “child of mine” in isiZulu. The Non-Profit Organisation is the passion project of Roger Greig and his wife Yvonne. Roger and Yvonne are the Senior Pastors at Kloof Harvest Church in KZN. The mission statement of Ingane Yami is simple but powerful: Rescue a child. Restore a life. Rebuild a family. Release a leader.
How It All Began…
C2KIT CEO Craig Sneeden has had a long association with Kloof Harvest Church, “I went to Bible College with Roger Greig – he is an old friend of mine.” As an active member of the Kloof Harvest Church community, Craig has watched the Ingane Yami project grow from the very beginning and from the minute he walked into the facility he felt a need to assist them. “ When I visited the village one day and I was immediately taken with the concept. I wanted to help them however I could.”
“I fell ‘in love’ with what they were doing for the children,” Craig remembers. “They aim to restore hope. Innocent lives are rescued from rejection, abuse, abandonment and poverty. They provide a family environment where the children can feel safe. They allow the children to thrive and realise their true potential.”
What Is Ingane Yami All About?
Ingane Yami Children’s Village has a slightly different approach to raising these children. They want to give them the strongest chance in life by giving them a permanent, stable and loving environment. Currently there are 19 children grouped into 5 family units. Each family unit has their own home and “mother” to create a structured family environment for these children. They have access to top-quality education at on-site Ingane Yami School. At the moment they have classrooms for all the children from Grade R to Grade 6. The plan is to grow this school as our children grow. We also have a play school facility for our younger children, where they learn through play for a few hours every morning.
The Facilities
The facilities also include an AstroTurf sports arena as well as a normal turf sports field – the children are able to learn how to play soccer, hockey, netball, cricket and tennis. But the Children’s Village does not just serve the children who live there. The local Dassenhoek community is fraught with poverty. Ingane Yami also has a Community Center, “which is really our open door into the greater Dassenhoek Community. The Center is used by Open Skies Giba Church on Sunday as well as a Youth group on Friday nights. It is used as a venue for outreach classes such as entrepreneurship training, cooking classes, dance classes, among other things, throughout the year.” The Village is enriching the lives of the community around it.
The Resource Centre
There is also a resource centre at Ingane Yami. This is where the children engage in educational play, homework is done, and the family unit mother’s are trained. “I became aware that they needed three computers for the resource center,” says Craig, “and I decided that that was how I was going to become involved in Ingane Yami. C2KIT was going to supply them with the IT equipment that they needed.”
Recently Ingane Yami took delivery of 3 computers from C2KIT. When asked what his vision was with regards to helping the with computer equipment, Craig responded: “The learners need access to technology if they are going to compete in a modern and changing world. By supplying these computers we are giving them access to the World Wide Web, thus opening up doors and resources to them, which they would otherwise not have access to.”
“We have undertaken to supply all of their IT needs for the next 5 years. We will more than likely extend this commitment when the initial period expires in 2 years time. These kids are looked after as if they were the children of the house Moms and it melts your heart. The people that are involved, like Roger Greig, have the biggest hearts and the church, Kloof Harvest where Roger is a pastor, keeps on giving to this ‘home’. There is no corruption. There are no ulterior motives. The interest is simply for the well-being of the children and improving their future.”
“C2KIT has chosen this initiative because of these reasons as it speaks to the very heart of what C2KIT stands for.”
How Can You Help Ingane Yami Children’s Village?
If you would like to get involved as an individual or corporate entity at Ingane Yami Children’s Village, please take the time to see all the options available on their website. They are looking for sponsors, donations, fundraisers and in some cases volunteers.