Some of the residents of Helen Bishop Home. Picture: Soraya Crowie
WHILE many organisations and community members answered the clarion call to assist Helen Bishop Home, which provides care and support to about 60 orthopaedic disabled children and young adults, some have asked how the centre ended up in this predicament.
Care workers at the centre downed tools and embarked on a go-slow to highlight their frustration with the Northern Cape Department of Health in delaying the payment of their salaries for the months of May, June and July.
Members of the public and other organisations rushed to the aid of the centre by donating food supplies and toiletries and even providing feeding and bathing services.
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Some community members provided laundry services at the centre following an advert from the centre requesting donations ranging from groceries such as canned food and pasta to washing powder, toiletries and nappies.
The founder of a non-profit organisation (NPO) said organisations should not be dependent on the funding they receive from the government as the carpet can be pulled from under them on any day.
“As an NPO there is various assistance an organisation is supposed to receive from government institutions. However, we have over the years realised that being reliant on funding from the government solely, can be disastrous for an NPO.
“Though many NPOs and non-governmental organisations extend the services provided by the government, these organisations are at times viewed as wanting to suck the government dry. If you run an organisation, you are more likely to get sufficient funding and donations from private funders and donors than from the government.
“An NPO of the magnitude of Helen Bishop Home should have noticed the loopholes and placed measures in place to prevent a disastrous situation in the event the government decided to halt its funding.
“If you are solely reliant on the government for the operation of your organisation, that basically means that you are placing the government at the helm of the running of the organisation. That is the reason why so many NPOs and NGOs had to close their doors.
“Helen Bishop Home was faced with a pressing need to pay its staff. However, the impression the community got was that the centre was in dire need of the basics. Having a storeroom filled with food products, though appreciated, does not address the true problem of staff not being paid,” he said.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament, Lisa Schickerling, in a statement, said the failure by the Northern Cape Department of Health to address the contract stipulations can have dire results for NPOs and those in need of the services provided.
“Over the past few weeks, the level of care at the facility declined due to many staff members not being able to come to work because of the non-payment of salaries. This was caused by the overdue review and renewal of the contract by the department.
“The DA accepts and appreciates that there are stringent regulations in respect of government funding that require strict compliance by organisations. However, poor planning and the delayed scheduling of engagements with the Home, after the expiry of the contract, cannot justify the interruption of quality health care to the patients, nor the non-payment of salaries to critical caregivers,” said Schickerling.
The line manager of Helen Bishop Home, Chrissie Damn, said they had to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the department for the next three months in order for care workers to receive their salaries.