After overcoming a challenging childhood and finding solace in foster care with a compassionate couple, Doreen Pieters from Patensie is now paying it forward.
She is dedicated to supporting foster parents in Kouga by assembling a vital care package to ease their transition, as they welcome and care for abandoned children during their critical early days.
At just five years old, Pieters’ life took a turn for the better when she was welcomed into a loving foster home, providing a sense of security and belonging, after spending several years in a children’s home.
With her voice filled with emotion, she paid tribute to her foster parents and said that they were instrumental in helping her grow into the person she is today.
Despite encountering many challenges, Pieters, who is a qualified trauma counsellor, was determined to “make her mess, her ministry” and focused on lifting others who have been through similar experiences.
Admiring the love and support her foster parents showed her for more than 13 years while she was in their care, she said that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of other foster families.
With a desire to make an immediate impact, Pieters began assembling care packages five years ago, carefully curating essential items to equip foster parents with the necessary resources as they embark on their nurturing journey with children who require care and support.
“My heart yearns to help foster parents. The first year of foster care is very difficult, as many children have experienced trauma and must adjust to their new environment,” said Pieters.
She added that numerous foster parents selflessly open their homes to provide a loving environment for foster children, often doing so with limited financial resources while waiting for financial assistance through the foster child grant, which can take months to be finalised.
The care packages therefore come in handy, as each is carefully assembled to meet the unique needs of each child, tailored to their specific age group, and designed to provide comfort and essentials during the critical initial stages of their transition to a new foster home.
Since she has been working in the community for many years, Pieters has built a good relationship with local social workers, and with Selinda James who is the co-ordinator of the domestic violence, gender-based violence victim support, and Community Policing Forum (CPF) departments at the Hankey Police Station.
Fortunately, to continue assisting people, Pieters has received overwhelming support from the Kouga community, particularly in Patensie, where her personal story has resonated with locals who trust her to distribute their donations to the intended recipients.
“I don’t accept any money but appreciate new and second-hand goods which are used for the care packages. People trust me because I always give them feedback once I have handed over the care packages,” said Pieters.
“I have never struggled to put together a care package and I have never had to beg, instead people have always given freely.”
In addition to the care package, Pieters, who is a mother of two young boys and foster mother to a 15-year-old boy, also offers a camp cot and pram for foster parents to use as long as required, providing practical and essential support during the foster child’s stay.
“I don’t want foster parents to decide to no longer assist children in need because they do not have the necessary material to take care of them,” said Pieters.
“The care package is a heart-warming experience when both the foster child and foster parent need it the most.”
Further elaborating on the amazing work she is able to do with the assistance of generous individuals, Pieters said she recently received an urgent request to assist a seven-month-old baby who had been placed in foster care.
She said that when she ended the call at about 20:00, she quickly began requesting help in her community and surrounding areas.
The response was overwhelming, with people promptly donating essential items like formula, disposable nappies, and clothing, while a compassionate couple from Jeffreys Bay even contributed a care package filled with new items for a baby they had never met.
Within days the baby’s needs were met, greatly alleviating the burden on the foster parents.
Pieters emphasised that people do not necessarily have to be foster parents to make a difference; instead, they can assist in other ways, like supporting a foster family.
Despite initiating the care package project, she said she could not do it alone and thanked all the donors who assisted over the years, her supportive husband, André, and God who made it all possible.
Looking to the near future, Pieters said she plans to formally register her project as a non-profit organisation which will allow her to assist more foster parents.
James highlighted a pressing concern in Hankey and surrounding areas, where numerous children suffer neglect due to parental alcohol abuse.
Since meeting Pieters a few years ago and discovering her remarkable community work, she said that she has come to regard her as a trusted and dependable contact for support when dealing with cases of abandoned children.
“It is very important to have people like Doreen in the community because she wants to help people regardless of who they are,” said James.
“She has an open personality, and she is passionate about helping people. I can speak about her with an open heart because of the charity work she does.”
James, who covers the entire Gamtoos Valley area, noted the scarcity of counsellors in the region. As a result, she often refers victims to Pieters for counselling support, trusting in her ability to connect with people.
“Doreen has a gift for making individuals feel at ease, earning their trust and confidence,” said James.
“She does charity work not to be seen, but purely because she wants to uplift people.”
For more information, or to assist by donating a care package, contact Doreen Pieters at 082 942 7079.
