Christelike Maatskappy Raad Noord (CMRN), an NGO in Gauteng which focuses on children’s welfare through the use of social workers, has been defunded by the government. This amounts to just over half of its funding, according to marketing manager Anya le Cornu. Other NGOs have also had their funding cut, she said, as heard via the Auditor General’s office.
This comes in the wake of the COVID pandemic as CMNR had to cope with continuing to deliver services amidst lockdowns. If other NGOs are similarly impacted, . Founded in 1936, CMRN aims to eradicate child abuse and neglect, providing a wide range of child protection service from its 16 centres.
The NGO assists a large number of families of children: 6000 beneficiaries received material or skill support in 2020–2021, its Child Protection Awareness campaign reached 14 500 people, 622 children were protected through the legal system, and 900 children received speech or play therapy.
However, these services are obviously under threat from the significant loss of provincial government funding, which at R7 million, accounted for 53% of its income.
In order to cope, CMNR has been forced to restructure, reducing costs wherever possible. Unfortunately, it has having to slash its social workers from 28 to 17 as of 1 July.
Due to the lack of subsidy and other challenges, areas such as statutory work may be impacted.
According to le Cornu, CMRN will try and secure funding through every means possible. “We will maintain and strengthen our relationship with the NG church, our other funding partner,” she says. “We will also continue with our marketing and fundraising initiatives. Professional fees will also be applied where possible. We will also reach out to schools and other institutions where part time social work services are needed and contract these services out to generate an income stream.”
The organisation remains hopeful despite these challenges. “We do wish to have a good relationship with the Department of Social Development and would apply for government funding in specific programs where the objectives of these programs are aligned to our own and the communities we serve,” says le Cornu.
“The CMR North believes that we will survive this crisis and hope to be a beacon of light for other NGOs who might suffer the same fate. It is our passion to continue bringing hope to the vulnerable and we see these events as an opportunity to re-invent our services so that they can have a broader and positive impact in the communities we serve.”
Hopefully, additional funding can be found so that CMRN can continue to provide its services, but if this is part of a wider pattern, people in South Africa who are most in need and depend on these services will suffer the most.
