The Women's Shelter

Usindiso Ministries extended the shelter for women to now include both the 1^st and 2^nd floors. Each floor is registered to accommodate 60 women, plus their children, which gives the shelter a capacity for 120 women (plus their children). Usindiso Ministries provides the basic needs of each woman and child, which includes accommodation, food, toiletries, nappies and clothing. These women are referred to us by the police, nearby hospitals, other institutions or they hear about us by word of mouth and arrive on their own.

Our social worker department offers counseling, individual and group therapy and discussions. They also assist the women to apply for ID books and grants, where necessary. It is the social workers who interview the ladies when they first come in to the shelter and determine which floor they will be accommodated on:

• First floor - abused women and their children or 
• Second floor - homeless women and their children.

It is important to separate the two groups as the women are affected differently and have different therapy needs.

Workshops are held to create awareness of HIV and Aids, Human Rights and their rights as women. Our programmes include Life Skills, Skills for Life, Handcrafts, and we assist the women to find employment and to become whole - spirit, soul and body.

All of our children attend school, either nursery or formal school.

Our babies under two years attend the Baby Project during the day (Monday to Friday) when their moms are attending counselling, workshops or going to skills training. This programme is supervised by the project co-ordinator, social workers and nursery school principal.

The children with their mothers are from new-born upwards and the number can be anything up to around 45. Boys are accommodated up to the age of eight years and are then transferred to a nearby boys' shelter - during this time the mother is encouraged to be involved in her boy's life.

The length of stay is officially 3 to 6 months, but in reality, it is usually between 9 months to a year. The women come to us really broken and with minimum self-esteem and even with the counseling and support that is offered, 6 months is generally not long enough. Therefore they are allowed to stay until they are ready to stand on their own.

Our Facility 

We are situated in the old "pass office" at 80 Albert Street, in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. In the days of apartheid, before 1994, our African brothers and sisters had to have a "pass" to be able to enter a city or town. Now the building is used by Usindiso Ministries to uplift people who have been abused and emotionally bruised and to help them to regain their self-worth, confidence and to be able to stand on their own and be a contributing member of society. 

For more information on the history of the building - click here.

Baby Project

The Baby Project has moved from the 1^st floor up to the 2^nd floor and is functioning very well. A team from Discovery Health assisted to decorate the project and it is now very colourful and bright for the children.

In this project, the little ones under 2 years are accepted, when their moms are going to training, counseling or to attend workshops, etc. The babies are cared for by qualified staff and volunteers, to ensure that they are very well looked after and they thrive and develop as expected.
 

Usindiso's brightly decorated baby-care area.