English: [Bitte sehen Sie sich die deutsche Übersetzung unten]
Viva Foundation acknowledges that it is no longer best practice to post photos and names of individual children on the internet, as it is very easy for child traffickers to locate such a child, in the light of the fact that the locations of our centres are public knowledge. Therefore, we ask sponsors to carry the cost of an anonymous boy or girl.
You are sponsoring a child at one of the campuses of the Viva Independent Schools, living in an informal settlement.
An 'informal settlement', or what is often referred to as 'squatter camp', is a community that forms outside major cities, settling mostly illegally, with shack-homes built from tin, wood, or any available materials, such as signboards and canvass. The settlements are mostly not serviced, refuse not collected and only a few water points are available. Residents make their own 'pit toilets' and the area is usually riddled with illegal electrical connection and low-hanging live wires.
The Viva Village was established in 2009 in the midst of such a settlement. It is our aim to bring quality and equality in education and care to the children who live here, because education is the key to break this cycle of poverty. Children from the age of 3 years old, come to the centre daily, where they receive two cooked meals and the best education available. The South African school curriculum is augmented with Art, Music, Computer and Cultural programmes, that are mostly not available to underprivileged learners.
The child you are sponsoring is part of the Viva Sponsorship Programme, to assist us in covering the cost of his education and nutritional needs.
Due to the informal nature of our community, we can never know how long we will have children with us. As adults come to the cities to find jobs, their children are often only in the informal settlement, as long as those jobs are available. We have made peace with the fact that we are putting in as much positive influence and valuable education as possible, for the time that our Viva children are in our care.
Thank you for your willingness in making the life of one child better and their future brighter. We know it is a big commitment and we appreciated it very much.
Deutsch:
Die Viva Foundation erkennt die aktualisierten Best-Practice-Standards in Bezug auf Patenschaften an, bei denen es nicht mehr akzeptiert wird, dass ein bestimmtes Kind mit Bild, Ort und Name als Patenkind angepriesen wird. Angesichts der weltweiten Problematik des Kinderhandels verzichtet die Viva Foundation auf die Darstellung einzelner Kinder, die Begünstigte des Patenschaftsprogramms sind.
Die Viva Foundation betreut Hunderte von Kindern und aufgrund der Lage unserer Zentren, die sich in informellen Siedlungen außerhalb von Großstädten befinden, können wir auch nicht garantieren, dass ein Kind über viele Jahre hinweg in engem Kontakt zu Viva bleibt. Oft bleiben Kinder nur ein paar Jahre in unserer Obhut und kehren dann in ländliche Gebiete zurück, wo ihre Großeltern sie großziehen.
Wir ermutigen Sponsoren ein Kind zu sponsern, um Bildung, Betreuung und Ernährung zu gewährleisten, unabhängig davon, wer das Kind ist. Das Kind bleibt künftig anonym und es werden nur allgemeine Fotos der gesamten Gruppe bzw. Klasse geteilt.
Wir danken Ihnen als Sponsor für Ihr Verständnis diesbezüglich und wissen, dass Sie uns dabei unterstützen möchten, die Sicherheit unserer Kinder zu gewährleisten.
Leon and Meleney Kriel and the Viva Team
