Support children like Themba as part of our Spring Appeal

Our South Africa Programme Manager, Siza Zuma, recently wrote to our supporters highlighting our work with South Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable children. Siza wrote about Themba, a young man who has been an inspiration.

Themba lives in the Moretele district, near Pretoria, one of the poorest and most deprived areas of South Africa. Themba was just a teenager when his parents both fell sick and later died. At the age of 15 he had to drop out of school to look after his four younger siblings in a ramshackle two-room house made of corrugated iron.

Working with a remarkable community-based organisation called the Moretele Sunrise Hospice we delivered emergency food parcels to Themba and his siblings and fixed the roof of their house to keep out the rain. We helped Themba access a government grant, join an income generation project and learn basic skills like cooking and hygiene so he could raise money and look after his home. Crucially, we also enabled him to go back to school by paying for his fees, uniform and books.

Themba’s story is a wonderful example of what we do at Hope and Homes for Children – not just looking after the material needs of orphans and vulnerable children, but keeping their hopes and dreams alive.

Thousands more children and young people need our help, not just in South Africa but across Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe. Help us give them the chance to grow up like Themba, full of hope and promise – donate online today.

July 2010

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