Giving Back in a Time of Need

Thárros, the Greek word meaning courage, is the name given to the Child and Youth Care Centre situated in Hankey, Eastern Cape.

It is a temporary haven for babies and children under the age of 12. These children have experienced some form of abuse, trauma, abandonment, and neglect. In this home, where they have been placed as a ward of State, they will assuredly find warmth and care during their 3 to 6 month stay. 

The primary goal of this care centre is to reunite these children with their biological family. In situations where this is not possible, permanent foster care is sought. During this period of waiting, partnerships are made with external social workers to ensure the best outcome for these children.

Like most non-profit organisations, Thárros relies predominantly on donations and support from the community and business, to keep the care centre running. Usually, regular fundraising is done in the form of jumble sales and quiz nights, but unfortunately none of this has been possible due to Covid-19. This ‘spanner in the works’ adds an extra weight of concern to the selfless team of carers at the centre, who already have enough on their shoulders.

It was in July 2020 that Therese Sampson, the Project Director at Thárros, contacted Sika with a request for assistance. The roof of the Thárros building was leaking in various places, resulting in damage to the ceilings. Urgent assistance was required to nip this leak in the bud before further damage ensued.

To repair the damaged roof area, 100 litres of waterproofing paint was required.

With this being one of Sika’s specialities, it was without question that Sika was readily willing to donate towards such a worthy cause. Twenty Sika® RainTite® Kits were happily donated, with Ros Bosch, one of Sika’s sales representatives in the Eastern Cape, facilitating the handover.

The Sika® RainTite® Kit provides a waterproofing system that can be used to seal joints on various kinds of roofs, as well as parapet and external walls. The kit consists of the Sika® RainTite® Kit Waterproofing Compound which comes in a 5-litre bucket, as well as the Sika® RainTite® Kit Membrane, which is 200mm x 10m roll of membrane.

This kit is an easy to use single component acrylic and is vapour permeable. It is UV resistant, has excellent adhesion, and is flexible and durable. These are the exact components needed to keep the roof of this building in good condition for years to come.

The Thárros team were extremely grateful for this donation. Their initial request had been for a discount on the required products; however, Sika went above and beyond by donating all the product at no charge. Donating in a time such as this is something that Sika is proud of!  

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 100 countries around the world and manufactures in over 300 factories. Sika employs more than 25,000 people and generated sales of CHF 8.1 billion in fiscal 2019. At the end of 2019 Sika won the Swiss Technology Award for a ground-breaking new adhesive technology.