Last week SAS Institute's head office in Houghton was transformed into every child's dream as SAS hosted the annual Leratong Christmas party. An array of jumping castles, fairground rides, ponies and face painting rendered 200 little underprivileged children in fits of giggles and screams of excitement.
SAS Institute has been supporting Leratong children's home and cr`eche for more than eight years, sponsoring groceries each month as well as providing various outings for the kids throughout the year. This Christmas party was the cherry on top of a year of smiles and gratitude.
“It has been a very rewarding year watching these very special children grow, and it was very exciting to provide them with a Christmas party and some much needed toys,” says Elizabeth Croeser, HR manager at SAS.
On top of the rides and festivities, the Christmas party also provided a Christmas present for each child and a lucky-packet to take home. As one of SAS Institute's largest clients, Eskom came to the party with a R5 000 donation towards buying something special for each child.
“It was an honour to be able to donate this money, from generous hearts in Eskom and respective business intelligence project teams, to such a worthy cause and be able put a smile on these children's faces this festive season,” Yashmita Bhana, Business Intelligence Programme Manager at Eskom, said.
Leratong operates in the Alexandra area and provides one meal a day, clothes and education to more than 200 children, many of whom are HIV positive, as well as providing a home to many of the orphaned children in the area.
The cr`eche and home is a lifeline to all its underprivileged children and is the brainchild of a very special lady, Peggy Chauke, and her team of 12 dedicated teachers and child minders.
As a social worker herself, Peggy has responded to a desperate need for childcare in SA. With the Aids pandemic affecting children and parents alike, SA is facing a staggering crisis. In 2007, 1 400 000 children were orphaned due to Aids, with the number steadily climbing over the years*.
The Stats SA 2008 mid-year census estimates that currently 5.35 million adults are living with an HIV positive status, indicating the staggering seriousness of South Africa's need for orphan care.
* http://www.avert.org/aidsorphans.htm
** The Stats SA population census estimate for 2008 is available for download at http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/statsdownload.asp?PPN=P0302&SCH=4203
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