Toys for Africa, a non-profit organisation that fights for the rights of children, has planned a number of school visits for Child Protection Week, which takes place from 28 May to 4 June.
Collaborating with Honeydew Police Station’s Social Crime Unit, the team from the organisation will travel to a number of schools within the Honeydew Police precinct to educate learners and staff about child safety and social ills.
Speaking at the launch of the project at Featherbrooke Village on 15 April, the founder of Toys for Africa, Danie van Loggerenberg, highlighted their plans for the annual awareness campaign.
“We have plans for Child Protection Week in this area. With the project, we will be visiting schools where the police will encourage the children to refrain from bullying and talking to strangers, and encourage safety,” he said, adding that the aim is also to display the police in a positive light as they are custodians of justice in the country.
Sergeant Mamasedi May, who heads the social crime unit at Honeydew Police Station, added that the intervention will include providing safety tips and building relationships with the learners.
Danie said after the police talks at the various schools such as Zandspruit Primary School, they will then hand out stationery to the learners and also encourage them and their teachers to contact the police if any child is being victimised at the school.
According to Danie, the organisation has reached out and benefited over 380 100 children since its inception in September 2010, and is planning to add 10 000 children to the total during their Child Protection Week campaign.
For more information, visit www.toysforafrica.org.za.
