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BADISA IS 20 JAAR OUD, MAAR MET DIE VERANTWOORDELIKE BEWARING VAN DOKUMENTE, KAN DIE ORGANISASIE SAAM MET DIE TWEE STIGTERSKERKE TERUGKYK OP ‘N GESKIEDENIS VAN MEER AS 150 JAAR

Nasionale wetgewing vereis dat inligting vir sekere tydperke of onbepaald bewaar word. Badisa, wat ook ‘n werksaamheid is van die NG Kerk en VG Kerk in onderskeidelik die Wes-Kaap en Kaapland Sinodes, is ook verbind tot die Kerk se beleid om inligting te bewaar. Badisa bestuursprogram is verantwoordelik vir die wetlike bewaring van inligting, asook om die geskiedenis van die organisasie te bewaar. Ons berg die organisasie se dokumente by die Kerkargief te Stellenbosch.

Badisa het met Thys de Coning en Magdalena Koch, twee afgetrede maatskaplike werkers van die organisasie gekontrakteer om die dokumente in die Kerkargief na te gaan saam met die argivarisse.

In die woorde van Thys en Magdalena:

ULTRA-MODERNE EN GESOFISTIKEERDE BERGINGSFASILITEITE BY DIE KERKARGIEF

Dit was ‘n voorreg vir ons twee afgetrede maatskaplike werkers van Badisa om behulpsaam te wees met die verwerking van Badisa se dokumente in die Argief van die NG Kerk. Verskeie programme se dokumente en ook gevalle-lêers, was nog onverwerk en in houers soos afgelewer.

 Ons mandaat van die Badisa Bestuursprogram was om die dokumente van die Badisa Programme deur te werk en te bepaal of die dokumente in die Kerkargief geberg moet word, soos bepaal deur die beleid van Badisa.

Ons was aangenaam verras met die ultra-moderne en gesofistikeerde bergingsfasiliteite by die Kerkargief wat nie net nasionaal nie, maar internasionale bekendheid verwerf het. Die opgeleide argivarisse kan egter net die dokumente van Badisa verwerk as hulle duidelike instruksies van kundige maatskaplike werkers ontvang.

Bergingspasie is ‘n kritiese probleem en daarom is dit belangrik dat Badisa se dokumente vernietigingsdatums moet hê wat deur die beheerrade van Badisa bestuur moet word.

‘N WONDERLIKE ONTDEKKINGSREIS

Badisa het ‘n fenominale versameling dokumente in die Kerkargief. Soos ons deur die groot versameling dokumente en gevalle-lêers gewerk het, het ‘n wonderlike ontdekkingsreis al ons verwagtinge oortref. Ons deel graag ‘n paar interessante ontdekkings.

  • Dokumente op gevalle-lêers dateer terug na die dae toe ons land as die Unie van Suid-Afrika bekend gestaan het.

  • Aansoekvorms vir opname in onder meer in Magdalenahuis (toe bekend as ‘n tehuis vir ongehude moeders) is in Hollands gedoen met ‘n losiesfooi van 7 Pond en is meestal deur die plaaslike predikant voltooi.

  • Verslae is of in vulpen gedoen of getik op ‘n tikmasjien met koolpapier vir afskrifte aan die Hof.

  • Dit is ook opvallend dat ‘n groot aantal kinders vanaf die destydse Transvaal, Vrystaat en Natal summier gekommiteer (deur hof aangewys) is na onder andere die Herberg Kinderhuis in die Wes-Kaap, wat toe nog “Die Jongenmannen Weeshuis” geheet het.

  • Die pas van dienslewering is ingrypend versnel met die ontwikkeling van tegnologie soos rekenaars en digitale kommunikasie wat intense druk op personeel geplaas het.

  • Die verandering van wetgewing wat dienslewering op alle vlakke, van kindersorg tot bejaardesorg, al meer gespesialiseerd gemaak het.

  • Die oorskakeling van die destydse SKDB (NG Kerk) na Badisa en die fenominale ontwikkeling van Badisa as organisasie van bestuurvlak tot en met dienslewering op programvlak.

DIT MAG NIE VIR DIE NAGESLAG VERLORE GAAN NIE

Die pad van die geskiedenis met die deurwerk van Badisa se dokumente in die Argief, het ons net weer bewus gemaak van die groot verskil wat werknemers en beheerrade van Badisa oor honderde jare aan gemeenskappe en mense se lewens gemaak het. Dit was ook opmerklik hoe Badisa pesoneel toegewyd bly tot effektiewe dienslewering tot die laaste dag wanneer ‘n program getermineer word.

Dit is so belangrik dat die geskiedenis van Badisa as barmhartigheidsorganisasie van die twee kerke en as diensorganisasie in die welsynsektor van ons land, bewaar word. Die goeie werk wat oor jare gedoen is, mag nie vir die nageslag verlore gaan nie.

Dit is hoekom Badisa ‘n beleid en ‘n goeie liasseerstelsel het vir die bewaring van inligting. Ons is ook baie dankbaar vir oud-personeel soos Thys de Coning en Magdalena Koch vir die gesindheid, passie en akkuraatheid waarmee hulle hierdie taak verrig het. Ons sien ook uit om ‘n meer modern stelsel te skep vir die elektroniese bewaring van dokumente.

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BADISA IS 20 YEARS OLD, BUT WITH THE RESPONSIBLE STORAGE OF DOCUMENTS, THE ORGANIZATION CAN LOOK BACK ON A HISTORY OF MORE THAN 150 YEARS TOGETHER WITH THE TWO FOUNDING CHURCHES

National legislation requires information to be kept for certain periods of time or indefinitely. Badisa, which is also an activity of the NG Church and VG Church in the Western Cape and Cape Synods respectively, is also committed to the Church’s policy to preserve information. Badisa management program is responsible for the legal preservation of information, as well as preserving the history of the organization. We store the organization’s documents at the Church Archive in Stellenbosch.

Badisa contracted Thys de Coning and Magdalena Koch, two retired social workers from the organization, to check the documents in the Church Archives together with the archivists.

In the words of Thys and Magdalena:

ULTRA-MODERN AND SOPHISTICATED STORAGE FACILITIES AT THE CHURCH ARCHIVES

It was a privilege for us two retired social workers from Badisa to be helpful with the processing of Badisa’s documents in the Archives of the NG Church. Several programs’ documents and also case files were still unprocessed and in containers as delivered.

Our mandate from the Badisa Management Program was to review the documents of the Badisa Programs and determine whether the documents should be stored in the Church Archives, as determined by the policy of Badisa.

We were pleasantly surprised with the ultra-modern and sophisticated storage facilities at the Church Archives which have gained not only national but international fame. 

However, the trained archivists can only process the documents from Badisa if they receive clear instructions from expert social workers. Storage space is a critical problem and therefore it is important that Badisa’s documents must have destruction dates which must be managed by the governing boards of Badisa.

A WONDERFUL JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

Badisa has a phenomenal collection of documents in the Church Archive. As we worked through the vast collection of documents and case files, a wonderful journey of discovery exceeded all our expectations. We are happy to share some interesting discoveries.

  • Documents on case files date back to the days when our country was known as the Union of South Africa.
  • Application forms for admission in Magdalena House (then known as a home for unmarried mothers) were done in Dutch with a boarding fee of 7 Pounds and were mostly completed by the local minister.
  • Reports were either made in fountain pen or typed on a typewriter with carbon paper for copies to the Court.
  • It is also noticeable that a large number of children from the then Transvaal, Free State and Natal were committed (designated by court) to, among others, the Herberg Kinderhuis in the Western Cape, which was then still called “Die Jongenmannen Weeshuis”.
  • The pace of service delivery has been drastically accelerated with the development of technology such as computers and digital communication which has put intense pressure on the staff.
  • The change in legislation t has made service delivery at all levels, from childcare to elderly care, more specialized.
  • The phenomenal development of Badisa as an organization from management level to service delivery at program level, since the amalgamation of the social services of the Dutch Reformed Church (Western Cape) and Uniting Reformed Church (Cape).

IT MAY NOT BE LOST TO POSTERITY

The path of history with working through Badisa’s documents in the Archive, just made us again aware of the big difference that employees and governing boards of Badisa have made to communities and vulnerable people over hundreds of years. It was also worth noting how Badisa personnel remained committed to effective service delivery up to the last day when a program is terminated.

It is so important that the history of Badisa as a charity organization of the two churches and as a service organization in the welfare sector of our country is preserved. The good work done over the years must not be lost to posterity.

This is why Badisa has a policy and a good filing system for the preservation of information. We are also very grateful to former staff such as Thys de Coning and Magdalena Koch for the attitude, passion and precision with which they performed this task. We also look forward to creating a more modern system for the electronic storage of documents.

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