Communities in the greater areas between Milnerton and Melkbosstrand are benefitting from the help of the community focused group Table View Angels (TVA) for between one and three months.
“We aid families in need in the community after TVA identified the growing need to act as a support element to families who have fallen on hardship and find themselves going through a ‘bad spell’. All our projects are dealt with in an extremely confidential and discreet manner,” says Ankarien Oelofse, founder and CEO of TVA.
“Only families in this area are eligible for support from TVA. This boundary exists to allow us to focus and make a tangible impact on the community. Our approach to assisting families is a holistic approach where we focus on helping families out of their immediate situations by addressing the issues on hand and by giving attention to all three core aspects of a healthy life, that being body, mind, and soul. We not only provide these families with food and basic needs. We go further to work with the family to identify their needs and problem areas and work with them to alleviate and up-skill. The aim is to assist holistically so they can become self-sufficient again,” she says.
According to Oelofse TVA is currently busy with three projects, a school feeding scheme, a youth entrepreneurial programme and an adult small business mentorship programme.
The organisation consists of a group of volunteers who aim to help the broader community by making a dignified difference to the lives of people who need a temporary hand-up.
“When we receive a request from the community for assistance we investigate the requests made to us thoroughly, after which a compulsory home visit is conducted and only after our stringent criteria are met, do we offer assistance for a period of one to three months. Our support package includes a weekly grocery delivery of fruit, vegetables, meat, tinned food and cleaning supplies.
“If students or graduates are looking for work, we help with the job-hunting process. TVA has a WhatsApp group with local opportunities and we help the aspiring employee with CVs. We look at a holistic approach with the motto of ‘A Hand Up, Not A Hand Out’,” she says.
Oelofse also mentions that if need be TVA will also refer families to other agencies, such as counselling and financial advisory services.
“We visit the families at least once a week and befriend them to offer emotional support through the tough time. June being youth month we have a youth division run by our counsellors and is a support group from the youth aged 12 to 18 years. We are rebranding the youth division and will launch our entrepreneurial programme on Thursday 16 June, Youth Day,” she says.
The divisions of TVA are family support, Angel House for emergency child safety placements, a team of counsellors or Angels to support until professional help is available and can take over care and Guardian Angels for youth from age 12 to 18.
“We currently have six qualified counsellors and two addictions support Angels. They service all the other divisions of TVA. We’ve also identified senior members in the community and are assessing their needs on an on-going basis. We arrange outings, help them with day-to-day activities where the need arises and create an ‘Adopt a Goldie’ project.
“There are other projects that we are working on to support our community and we have strong ties with fellow accredited community organisations. So many local people and businesses donate food and cleaning supplies or clothing for our families,” Oelofse says.
“To achieve our aim and goals of supporting families to become self-sufficient, we have a screening process to assess whether TVA is the appropriate organisation to assist. It is a difficult decision, but we have criteria in place that enable us to access whether the TVA interventions and support will enable a family along the road to self-sufficiency,” Oelofse says.
On International Women’s Day on 8 March she was nominated as one of 836 nominations from six continents for the Hera (Women) Olympus International Awards and in 2021 she received a Mayoral Service Award.
- For more information or assistance you can contact Ankarien Oelofse on 071 407 5445 or email Ankarien@tableviewangels.co.za.
