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Two staff members per drop-in centre were interviewed.
All ethical
considerations were taken care of. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Department of Social development and the management of drop-in centres. In addition, informed consent was given by all participants and they were assured of confidentiality and anonymity. The study was given ethical clearance by the university awarding the degree.
Primarily, the study wanted to answer the following critical question:
Ÿ How does the drop-in centre address barriers to learning and development faced by vulnerable children?
FINDINGS
The findings showed that drop-in centres play a critical role in minimising barriers to learning and development in the lives of children made vulnerable by poverty and/or orphan-hood. Data generated showed that three of the roles these centres play in addressing barriers to learning and development include the following:
Ÿ reducing the impact of poverty on affected children Ÿ promoting community participation in the care of these children, and Ÿ teaching life skills to prepare them to deal with the challenges of life.
a. Reduction of the impact of poverty It is estimated that more than 61% of South Africa's children live in abject
poverty and that about 50% of orphans live in under-resourced areas (Halkett 1999). The trauma of seeing one's parents and subsequent care-takers die of AIDS could place orphaned children at risk of malnutrition which, in turn, could expose them to risky behaviour. Therefore, the development of drop-in centres could provide these children with more stability and ample opportunities to grow and develop into productive adults. The major role of a drop-in centre, as indicated by Soni, the project manager at Bakithi, is to offer support to the orphaned and the vulnerable children:
We are still looking for the vulnerable children because their parents are still dying. Dying parents leave their children with their grandmothers who cannot support them.
Supporting Vulnerable Children Through Drop-in Centres: A Case Study of Two Rural Communities in KwaZulu-Natal 392