An award winning humanitarian returned to Plymouth in May to mark 15 years of charity work in South Africa with Maranatha Care Children.
Plymothian Harrison Dax Nash visited the city for the first time in two years after returning in time for the Coronation weekend. Harrison, aged 34, said that he was thrilled to be part of the celebrations having been invited to Buckingham Palace last year to receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to children and young people in South Africa through Maranatha Care Children.
His visit to Plymouth coincided with Harrison having started his journey in founding the UK Charity Maranatha Care Children 15 years ago. It was after a visit to Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 2007 as a volunteer, that he identified the potential to make a substantial difference to young lives on a longer-term basis.
He launched the charity whilst studying social work at the University of Plymouth, where he now also gives lectures from his own international perspective as an Honorary Lecturer for the faculty.
For the past 11 years, Harrison has been based full-time in South Africa, in a role locally as programme manager of the Maranatha Siyakatala Child & Youth Care Centre. This is the primary project that the charity supports, having been established over 20 years ago by Dr Trudi Basson and Albie Basson, themselves being an inspiration for Harrison, providing essential residential support to children and young people in need of care and protection from three years through to young adulthood.
Here Harrison jokes that the kids all call him ‘Mr Nash’ – a name he hears from the children tens of time every day.
Harrison explained how the vision of the project was one that he was drawn to.
“We believe in helping our young people to achieve their full potential,” he said. “This starts with early childhood development and goes right through to support in adolescence and transitioning into adulthood.”
Harrison speaks proudly of young people that they have supported for over 10 years who now, having overcome horrendous and abusive circumstances leading to them coming into care, have seen doors open for higher-education, university level studies and vocational training.
“We are supporting two young people in their early 20s this year, one completing a diploma in hospitality and catering and the other a learnership in sustainable building and maintenance. Not only will this provide them with work opportunities for the future, but it also gives the younger children positive role models that have been through the care system to aspire to.”
It has been positive that the charity has seen numerous success stories. However, Harrison explains that service delivery is crucially important. The youth centre has to see that each child receives therapeutic, developmental, recreational and caring services aligned with an individual development plan.
“Of course we have severe cases of abuse and neglect, but with the right support, residential environment, social work intervention and love, we can see young lives turned around.”
The work of the charity in the UK is essential to help with the on-going fundraising needs of the projects. It has also been positive that Maranatha has started to reach out to the rural areas in South Africa, with a further initiative focusing on family preservation in the small village of Nieu-Bethesda and the Pienaarsig Township.
Social economic challenges remain a big concern in the country, which is where Harrison speaks of the importance of ‘sustainable solutions, investing in youth development so that such children become adults who can become independent, give back and contribute positively in society at large.’
Meanwhile, Harrison has expressed his excitement at returning back to visit Plymouth. He described his parents as his biggest supporters, who have also visited numerous times to support the work in South Africa. His father’s company, Edge Global Marketing Services, is also a big supporter of the charity, and Harrison says he is always hopeful more companies or even schools will reach out to help with fundraising activities, as ‘a little goes a long way when it comes to the work we do.’
Harrison added:
“I love Plymouth and it will always be home. It is a beautiful city with incredible people. The motivation I continue to receive from the people here, it has all contributed to help transform many young lives in South Africa. I would love these young people to visit here one day.”
To find out more and support the work of the charity visit www.maranathacarechildren.com
