BACKGROUND:
Nelly Senong founded the Haven several years ago and when a house at 7 Koraal Street became available where she and the foster children could stay together the 7th Heaven Children's Haven was born. It was not without difficulties however, and there were some very unfortunate periods after which Nelly found herself running the home with no administrative or financial partnerships.
Some year or two after finding a home church in the Jeffreys Bay Baptist Church, where she and the children felt loved and cared for, Nelly was approached by some of the church members who had been forming a plan to assist her in the management of the haven and place it on a better and firmer footing.
THE COMPANY:
The Baptist church formed a committee and registered 7th Heaven Children's Haven as a Section 21 Company, 2009/018911/08. Registration with the NPO is completed and our reference is 080-530-NPO. Registration was completed as a Public Benefit Company with SARS number 930032303. Under section 18a this gives donors tax exemption on donations to the Haven. This Company is the administrative and management arm of the Haven to ensure Nelly is supported in the long term by a well founded and accountable structure. Our auditors are Moore & Stephens of Jeffreys Bay and attorney C W Malan gives us legal advice.
The Board comprises our Chairman, Mr C Dreyer, a retired head Maths Teacher, Pastor Roy Newton of the Baptist Church, Ms N S Senong the founder and house mother, Mr G Veitch a financial director, and Mrs I Bradley a retired business executive. Other Company members form the much needed committees for fund raising, education and development, health and mentoring.
THE HAVEN:
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FOSTER MOTHER |
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Nelly Senong pictured above is the house mother. She had long felt God’s calling in her life to work with children, and when she heard God’s call to join a Ministry in Jeffreys Bay, she bought her bus ticket without even knowing where J Bay was! Initially she was counselling, but with her strong calling, the Lord soon led her into a ministry of caring for street children. This then led to a fostering and safe house ministry for children taken into care and following prayer for a house both children and carer could live in, God answered with 7 Koraal Street. The children’s haven, 7th Heaven Children’s Haven, was born.
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MAIN OBJECT:
The main object of the company is: to provide care and counseling of abandoned, abused, neglected, orphaned or homeless children. To provide a safe, disciplined and homely environment for the children taken into care and placed with the 7th Heaven Children's Haven, run on Christian principles and ethics and with the object of giving these children back their dignity and enabling them to see themselves as God sees them, as valuable members of society. “
WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
The Haven works closely with the Department of Social Development who take the children into alternative care. This cooperation also ensures compliance with the Children’s Act and assists the Department in its need to find often temporary caring, disciplined homes not institutions for the children. The Department is able to offer us training and advice and assistance, and we are able to offer them a place of caring safety for the children, where their physical and spiritual needs can be met. Often these needs are special as malnourished babies and children need special feeding plans and neglected children have many problems to work through. Being a safe house some children are only with us for a short time whilst the department makes every effort to either rehabilitate parents or find caring and responsible relatives with whom the child can be placed on a permanent basis. It is important that contact be maintained if at all possible with the child’s remaining family members and that the child’s cultural heritage is respected and upheld. In this we also are in complete agreement with the aims of the social services, as we are with the need for a holistic development plan for each child. Many of these children have not been in school for some time, and have remedial teaching requirement as well as a need for life skills development and activities which develop their interests and talents.
OUR NEEDS: These are small and big, but every little assists us, whether it is groceries, nappies or funding for a vehicle or a foster mother. The churches of our community are assisting where they can, but we really need support for baby formula, for school supplies, nappies and for the bigger ongoing items too. If you can help our bank details are as follows, or contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
BANK DETAILS: BANKING DETAILS:
First National Bank Jeffreys Bay
Branch code: 210515
Account name: 7th Heaven Trust
Account number: 62227513969
Business cheque account.
FNB Swift Code : FIRNZAJJ
Or go to www.7thheavenhaven.givengain.org and click on the selection “make a secure donation” under the heading ‘TAKE ACTION”.
