KNYSNA NEWS - Youth For Christ (YFC) in Knysna has assisted 100 local families over the past year, meeting its annual goal in this regard.

The organisation also provides counselling and lessons-in-life advice at local high schools and primary schools.

Seek safe house, central office

Based in Knysna Industrial, YFC hopes to expand its services and make an even greater impact.

To be able to do this, they want to acquire a safe house for young pregnant women - to whom they also provide assistance - as well as a centrally located office in the town.

"Apart from continuing our daily ministry, which is already so much for a small team of eight staff, two interns and six volunteers, we would love to have a safe house for our moms going through a crisis pregnancy who don't have a place to stay," said Ghila Soldaat, who has been the centre director of the Knysna branch of YFC for the past five years.

A central office will be more conducive to counselling and administrative tasks, she said, and they hope to continue reaching out to other communities outside Knysna, such as the often-overlooked farming communities, teaching them about the love of Jesus and offering food and supplies.

Parenting programmes

On the interdenominational organisation's support for families, she said: "The 100 families were reached through family preservation services like counselling via home visits.

"Other support was through providing clothing and shoes, food parcels/hampers; assisting families in obtaining registration documents; [and] assisting students in registering for tertiary education and applying for bursaries.

"Also reached were 138 parents through positive-parenting programmes/workshops."

'I'll always remember the lessons'

YFC's undertakings at schools include giving advice to learners in how to avoid teenage pregnancies, offering Bible studies and discipleship courses, and organising after-school programmes, holiday programmes and leadership camps.

"When learners build relationships with our facilitators they are able to share how meaningful the life-skills lessons were for them," Soldaat said.

In a letter to a member of the YFC team, a Grade 6 learner said she had wanted to take revenge against someone who had wronged her and hurt her, "but you [team member] let me see that I could be a leader, so I'm not going to do something that I will regret. So thank you, I will always remember the lessons that you gave me".

Other rewarding outcomes for YFC were raising money to enable a Grade 12 to attend a matric farewell function, and "seeing young people wanting to know more about Christ".

Baby packs

Each week, YFC visits mothers and their newborn babies at hospital, and are rewarded by seeing how the mothers "appreciate our visits, prayer and basic baby packs which include knitted blankets and knitted teddies gifted to us by all the kind ladies from our town who sacrifice their time and money to support us in this way". Soldaat said assistance for the mothers was also provided by Protea Hotel. 

In addition, YFC gives vital support to schoolgirls. "To all the girls who complete a life-skills programme with us, we are able to gift them reusable pads, to encourage dignity and consistency in going to school.

"No girl should feel embarrassed, ashamed or unable to go to school because of natural/biological reasons."

Choir festival

"We are partnering with Rotary Knysna, and are hosting a choir festival on 10 May at Knysna Primary School hall," Soldaat said.

"We are inviting school choirs and adult choirs to sign up, and family, friends and the community at large to buy tickets, to come and celebrate the beautiful art of music and song."

Find information on participation by choirs, as well as tickets, via knysnarotarychoir@gmail.com or via WhatsApp on 072 946 2438.

Sponsors 'keep doors open'

Soldaat said sponsors enable YFC to operate. "They keep our doors open! We see them as part of the YFC family. Without their partnership, whether financial or any other support, like encouragement, prayer and advice, we would not have been able to reach so far."

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