KBAC Flooring’s donation of 360m2 of luxury vinyl planks for the floors of the New Jerusalem Children’s Home in Midrand has enabled this acclaimed haven for abandoned, abused, and orphaned children to improve the living quarters of the youngsters and secure continued governmental funding for its operations.

KBAC Flooring supplied and installed the flooring in the New Jerusalem Home’s “Green House”, an environmentally-friendly building constructed in 2012 by innovatively consolidating 28 old shipping containers. Thirty-eight young boys and girls – some only five-years-old – now live in the spacious, attractive structure equipped with windows for natural light, temperature insulation, solar panels, grey water systems, and even a roof garden.

But their precious Green House was under threat – until KBAC stepped in.

Raymond Madibogo, the Communications and PR Manager for the New Jerusalem Children’s Home in President Park, says the carpeting was looking very shabby and no longer hygienic. “Some of the younger children still wet their beds and the build-up of urine spilt on the floor was causing an unpleasant smell and living environment. The old carpets also trapped an unhealthy amount of dust so without new flooring, the Home would not have passed the Department of Social Development’s audit scheduled for August this year – and we would have lost vital governmental funding. Mercifully, KBAC Flooring came to our rescue,” Raymond added.

The Home’s flooring dilemma was conveyed to Ian Duncan, Senior Contracts Manager at KBAC, and the company not only decided to donate new flooring for the bedrooms, large dining room and passages in the Green House but even allowed the Home’s management to select the type of flooring they would like to have installed in these areas.

Raymond adds: “We were overwhelmed by this incredible gesture. The children now love the new look the KBAC flooring has given to their home – the installation alone was greeted with much excitement. Furthermore, this wonderful donation has ensured that the New Jerusalem Home is certain to pass the audit by the Department of Social Development which, in its previous audit two years ago, warned us that the flooring would have to be upgraded to qualify for more government assistance in future.”

Ian Duncan says KBAC is now looking at providing some recycled flooring for the ground floor of the Green House and six staff bedrooms next year which also are badly in need of flooring refurbishment. “KBAC has for many years been committed to recycling old carpets for worthy causes and the New Jerusalem Children’s Home is the type of institution we try to assist. KBAC believes the Home’s mission statement, and the efforts of those who established it, deserve as much corporate assistance as possible,” Ian added. “Our installation of the new flooring was an uplifting experience not only for me but also for the KBAC installers who were so pleased to handle a project that added value of the community, and joy to the children they met there.”

Two sisters, Anna and Phina Mojapelo, established the New Jerusalem Children’s home with help from volunteers, government, corporates and private donations in 2000. The centre has since provided shelter for more than 1 000 children. The Home’s vision says it all: “To be one of the best children’s homes in the provision of holistic and integrated quality care to orphaned, abandoned, abused, traumatised, HIV-positive, and traumatised children in Africa.”

• If you or your company would like to make donations of any kind to the New Jerusalem Children’s Home, visit the website www.newjerusalemchildrenshome.org.

by JAN DE BEER

Gallery Images of the Installation