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MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND GALLERY - Non-profit organisations, government departments, police stations and police units and the Mossel Bay Municipality have teamed up to reach as many children as they can, to teach them about their rights, during national Child Protection Week from 29 May to 4 June.
Some role players started their projects earlier.
The Toy Library and Thusong Library of the Mossel Bay Municipality, in collaboration with the Department of Social Development, organised activities for 23 to 26 May.
PHOTO GALLERY: Role players involved in Child Protection Week
The theme of the activities was: Safety and My Body.
The municipality implemented a puppet show with this theme.
As part of this programme the Department of Social Development focused on educators making children aware of where they could go if they did not feel safe. The focus group was children aged two to five years old.
ACVV Social Services in Mossel Bay focused on the "Effect of negative childhood experiences".
'Huge impact'
Head of ACVV Social Services Amanda Beukes said: "Crime, family violence, parents divorcing, sickness and sexual abuse have a huge impact on children."
She said teen pregnancies and alcohol and drug abuse also took their toll on children. The public is invited to support the ACVV in helping the needy in Mossel Bay by donating "ubuntu bottles".
Take a large glass jar and place in it a stock cube, packet of soup and equal amounts of lentils, pasta, rice, barley and "soup mix".
Drop it off at the ACVV at 116 High Street. The ACVV will be focusing on Ridgeview, EK Primary and Brandwag primary schools.
Its social workers will address the children and also hold parenting skills workshops with parents in Sonkwynvallei, Brandwag and D'Almeida.
The Child Welfare SA Mossel Bay branch is focusing on anti-bullying for Child Protection Week this year.
Kaylee Julies, the branch community development assistant, says: "We are working together with other organisations to make the greatest possible impact.
'Collaborating'
"We are all collaborating, so we do not overlap.
"Our activities begin in Ruiterbos and end in Mossel Bay. We will be visiting three schools a day. The primary schools will include Great Brak, Friemersheim, Denneprag, Ruiterbos, St Luke's and then the next week we are doing the high schools, so our programme takes place over two weeks."
Heilette Schutte, social worker and office manager at the Great Brak branch of Child Welfare SA, said: "We're doing a roadshow with other role players and handing out green ribbons and pamphlets.
Fire and Disaster Management Services and the Traffic Department are involved, among others.
"This Tuesday, we have a puppet show at preschools. On Wednesday we are doing a talk at schools with other parties including the police, the police Family, Child and Sexual Offences Unit, the Youth Café, Department of Social Development and the Great Brak Clinic.
"We are also doing a parenting skills workshop."
The Heart to Heart Care Centre NPO spokesperson noted that the organisation, "in conjunction with the following stakeholders - Mossel Bay Municipality, SAPS, Child Welfare, Western Cape Education Department, Community Development Workers and the Department of Social Development - that is known as the Child Care Forum, will be holding an anti-bullying campaign for Child Protection Week at various schools within the greater Mossel Bay area".
She said: "The focus will be on grades 7 and 8. Each stakeholder will focus on a type of bullying, such as emotional, physical, cyber bullying and so forth.
"The aim is to have an impact on both the victim and perpetrator, and you inform them there is help available for both individuals involved."
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