Child-centred organisation to host adoption conference

The Arise non-profit, whose mission it is to see children thriving through fostering strong family relationships, will be having an adoption conference in September.

The organisation which has it’s head office in Kenilworth will have their Arise Adoption Conference in Kirstenhof which will feature special guest speaker Sara-Jayne Makwala King, who is a radio personality and author who will share her experience of adoption which she documented in her book, Killing Karoline published in 2017. She also wrote Mad Bad Love which came out in 2022 and also touches on adoption.

Arise has been around for 17 years and is led by Director, Daniella Moosajie, Senior social worker Alexa Russell Matthews and Clinical Psychologist, Robyn Jacobs. Their mission is to strengthen the relationships and resilience of children living in all communities through their family preservation and strengthening programmes, acknowledging that many children are not living with biological parents but extended family and other caregivers. They also offer psychosocial workshops for anybody that is considering adoption and provide valuable information for people that have done the adoption process and need help.

Ms Moosajie and Ms Matthews will be the MC’s for the adoption conference. Ms Matthews says the goals of the conference are to equip prospective parents or legal guardians who are considering adoption as well as for anyone who wants to know more about adoption in the South African context.

“It can be people who have adopted and for their extended families, as well as people who are thinking about adoption,” she says.

Ms Matthews says the conference will give voice to South African adult adoptees. They will cover topics about the complexities in adoption, looking at attachment, grief and loss and identity including racial identity in transracial adoption.

“We believe that every child should be part of a thriving family, for that to happen we believe that adoptive parents need to be prepared to do the work that comes with parenting a child where their starting point is trauma,” she says.

Ms Makwala King, 44, from Plumstead has previously worked with Arise alongside American transracial adoptee and author Angela Tucker.

“I'm looking forward to sharing my lived experience with attendees to the conference and offering my perspective on areas of learning and consideration for those contemplating adoption,” she says.

Ms Makwala King herself was seven weeks old when she was placed into adoption by her biological mother and this has had an impact on her life.

“Adoption is complex, with many moving parts. It is a lifelong experience for many adoptees and does not start and end with the signing of forms by biological and adoptive parents,” she says.

Arise works in various areas such as Manenberg, Heideveld, Athlone, Claremont, Langa, Sea Point, Lavender Hill and Philippi where their intern team would work directly with vulnerable children through a range of psychosocial groups, ranging from emotional literacy to leadership and self-esteem.

“The groups through support from their partner organisations will work on how to build coping strategies and resilience for children in the midst of high risk and vulnerable spaces,” says Ms Matthews.

At the schools, they also run family workshops with the parents or caregivers and at the end of the workshops will give them feedback.

Bridgeville Primary School principal, Stanley Allies says that they have worked with Arise since 2022.

“We have a phenomenal working relationship with them, we know our pupils in various grades get support, guidance and skills with Arise where they can help themselves around matters of self-esteem and emotions to handle it much better,” he says.

Mr Allies says Arise is part of the school community where they help families, parents, pupils and staff.

The Children of Light Educare (COLT) in Rondebosch East, a pre-school for children from informal settlements like Pook se Bos in Rylands, Flamingo Heights in Lansdowne and Hadji Ebrahim in Belgravia, have also benefited from support from Arise. COLT educarer Nushfeekah Levendal says Arise has supported their créche by running parenting workshops. The workshops would cover a topics like emotional intelligence.

“The parent could express how they feel and how to work and understand their child better,” she says.

The Arise Adoption Conference will take place at the Church of the Holy Spirit (CHS) Life Centre, 38 Raapkraal Road, Kirstenhof, on Saturday September 14 from 8.30am. Tickets are from R80 each and can be purchased through Quicket. You can call Arise at 021 633 4058, email info@arisefamily.org or visit https://arisefamily.org/ for more information.