Impilo [Zulu] – to give life
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Nelson Mandela (8 May 1995)
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Our vision is to provide a stable environment in which our children can shine.
Impilo, a designated child protection organisation with adoption accreditation for national and intercountry adoptions, places children in temporary safe care while carrying out intensive social work and child protection services so that children can be placed in a permanent family environment as early as possible after removal. At any given time, we provide services in the Gauteng region to about 150 children who are orphaned, vulnerable or abandoned. Typically, 13% to 19% of children cared for in a year will be refugees or asylum-seekers. We provide services to children up to 18 years old; however, 90% of the children we serve are under 6 years of age.
Impilo is registered as a Non-Profit Organisation (055-213-NPO), Non Profit Company (NPC- 2003/012123/08) and Public Benefit Organisation
(PBO – 930005449).
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About Us
Services are provided from our head office in Fairvale, Johannesburg, which houses the administrative staff and our Mpepu project, which facilitates our temporary safe care work that caters for 6 children. It has a beautiful garden and safe play area. We have satellite offices in Johannesburg and Sedibeng. In addition to Mpepu, we partner with temporary safe care facilities around Gauteng.
We believe children should be raised in a family environment in which they can thrive. We strive to avoid removal where appropriate, and return children to their family as quickly as possible after removal or find an alternative family, ie adoption. The family of origin is always the first option for a child’s placement, and alternative placement is considered and pursued only if this is not viable. 95% of our children are placed in a family environment within 2 years, and because of careful screening and monitoring, 98% of these placements are successful.
Vision & Mission
To provide pre-statutory and statutory child protection and adoption services, and to build capacity in order to ensure that at-risk children in South Africa live in a safe, permanent home within a family they call their own.
To care for and protect orphaned, vulnerable and abandoned children by providing professional services, guided by the underlying principle that the child’s best interests be served. We aim to strengthen, protect, preserve and build families in order to achieve our objective of providing children in our care with families. We aim to provide early-intervention services to both parents and vulnerable children, and strive to empower mothers to care for their children within their families and communities.
The History of Impilo
The concept of Impilo was born in 2000 when two adoption social workers, one of whom was Sue Krawitz, the current Director, with many years of experience in the field of adoption, began to see an increase in the number of abandoned children and children affected by HIV/Aids in South Africa.
Children were placed in care for extended periods, with many becoming lost in the system. The social workers wanted to establish a home-based environment for a small number of children, and to offer intensive social work services so that children could be placed in a permanent family environment as early as possible.
In 2003, Impilo Place of Safety opened its doors to the first child.
Organisational Objectives
- To act as early and as quickly as possible to deliver child protection interventions to parents and children who are orphaned, vulnerable and/or abandoned
2. To empower parents to care for their children within their families and communities
3. To find suitable alternative families for children who cannot be cared for in their families of origin
4. To engage with communities to build capacity regarding child protection and adoption.
The Impilo Board
Alex Maditse
Chairperson
Alex Maditse has been chairperson of the Impilo Board since 2019. He also serves as a non-executive director on the boards of a number of JSE-listed companies.
Vice-chair
Fiona McLachlan
Treasurer
Itayi Daringo
Secretary
Arlene Kaftel
Member
Jacqui Michael
Partners
Contributors
The Children We Help
These stories are true. To protect the children and their families, names have been changed and no real photos are used.
Thabiso’s story
At five months old, Thabiso was left on the side of a river by a mother who was only 16. Someone heard the baby crying and called the police, who found the mother and arrested her for attempted murder. Thabiso’s grandmother, aged 38, has many children who do not live with her because of a drinking problem, so going back to live with her is not possible. When the police found Thabiso, the baby was very thin and sick. Today, at 15 months old, Thabiso loves dancing and hugs, and we hope to find a family soon.
Portia’s story
Portia’s mother was 20 when she fell pregnant. She was too scared to tell anyone, and at seven months she tried to have an abortion, which caused Portia to be born early. Portia spent a month in an incubator in the hospital ICU and could not crawl. Through occupational therapy and physiotherapy, she has worked very hard to learn to walk and talk. Today Portia is two and a half years old. She can run and jump, is still learning to speak, and is waiting for a family to adopt her.
Tebogo’s story
On a freezing winter’s night, Tebogo was born and left in a bathroom stall, completely naked. Luckily someone heard the baby’s cries and called an ambulance. Tebogo’s umbilical cord was still attached, and the baby was blue from the cold. The doctors said Tebogo was very lucky, only 30 minutes away from dying. Later, Tebogo’s mother came forward and received the counselling and help she needed through Impilo, and the two were reunited. Today Tebogo is three years old and growing up surrounded by family.
A Word
From our Director
“South Africa is afflicted by a scourge of abandonment, with figures estimated conservatively at around 3 500 children per annum. It’s a privilege to be part of a community – which consists of a dedicated board and staff complement, and committed volunteers, donors and partners – that makes a positive contribution to the lives of orphaned, vulnerable and abandoned children. It’s enriching to work with both birth mothers who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, and prospective adopters and adoptees, ensuring they are supported through every stage of the process. Ensuring that children are placed in permanent loving families, which provides them with the opportunity to shine, and advocating for the rights of the child to have a permanent family, are responsibilities we embrace.”
IMPILO BY NUMBERS
Years Established
Adoptions to date
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