Combined Christian Ministries to the Poor (CCMP) is a faith based organisation working in cooperation with credible community based projects to build capacity and develop opportunities through which those who contribute can meaningfully and sustainably impact the lives of the poorest of the poor through their giving of finance, skills, resources and time, in a coordinated fashion.
This is achieved through three areas of work:
1. ‘Building Bridges’ – Identifying opportunities for involvement, contribution and upliftment of the poor through community based projects, and creating awareness among wealthier communities of these opportunities.
2. Community Project Support – Collection and distribution of donated goods (food, clothing, etc) to assist community based projects in meeting the basic needs of their beneficiaries enabling them to focus more on developmental programs.
3. Community Development – Partnering closely with selected community based projects, in poor communities, and helping them to build their capacity to effectively meet the needs and aspirations of the poorest of the poor within the communities they serve, particularly orphaned or vulnerable children (OVCs).
The Ubomi Obutsha Centre is the primary community development project of CCMP and has been developed over the past few years from a project run by ‘outsiders’ into a project effectively managed by the community itself.
Serving a poor community in excess of 25 000 people, the Centre addresses mainly the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) negatively affected by a poor living environment, poor education levels, debilitating and life-threatening diseases such as HIV / AIDS and TB, neglect of healthy childhood development, abandonment and abuse in many forms.
Activities to address these issues are organised into three main program groupings:
1. ‘Open’ Community OVC Enrichment Programs focus on meeting basic needs and developing the personal characters and life skills of the children in the surrounding community through various programs in which all children from the surrounding community may participate. These include a Sunday School, 2 Youth Clubs, Soup Kitchen, Holiday Clubs, etc.
2. High-Risk OVC Interventions work towards identifying children whose lives are at great risk and coordinating a range of appropriate interventions to avert possible shortcomings in their development. These include Home Based Care, Basic Needs Support, School Assistance, Educare, etc.
3. OVC Carer Enrichment Programs are aimed at assisting the parents / guardians of OVCs to provide more stable homes and communities in which these children can develop and grow. These include participation in our Food Garden and various life skills workshops.
Other activities include Crisis Needs Interventions where practical disaster relief is given during flooding, shack fires, etc and Centre Support activities which includes Administration, Centre Maintenance, Volunteer Enrichment and Training, Transport, etc.
Through these activities the Ubomi Obutsha Centre directly impacts the lives of between seven and nine hundred OVCs each month and reaching about two thousand a year.
Operates in: Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Established in: June 1995
Non-Profit Organisation Number: 046-047
Public Benefit Organisation Number:
Section 21 Company Number:
Trust Number:
Contact person: Mark Lawler
Phone: 082 473 4389
Fax: 086 518 5458
Email:
Website: www.ccmp.org.za
Physical address: 165 Salamntu Street, Kwazakhele, Port Elizabeth
Postal address: P O Box 7348, Newton Park, 6056
