Somalia Park orphans need support
Betty Ndlovu of Somalia Park is doing all that she can to help the orphans in her community but she says it is difficult since she is unemployed herself.
A dedicated and hard-working community member of Somalia Park, Betty Ndlovu is looking after orphans in her community.
She is doing all she can to help but it is difficult since she is unemployed herself.
“I am trying to do something good for this community but it is difficult since our community is ignored by our own government. At least it would be easy if I were employed, because I would use my own income to support the orphans. At the moment everything that I do is out of love.
“To keep the children busy there are number of activities that they do, such as sports, athletics, soccer, traditional dance and Sarafina dance drama and music,” said Ndlovu.
She would like to have a container where she can bring these orphans together and give them meals since it is difficult to go around to different places giving them food.
She appealed to anyone who would like to donate a container to do so.
“These children only have food once a day at school, at around 12 noon. After that they don’t have food at all because there is nothing at their homes. If they missed school they will go to bed on an empty stomach. It is worse during the weekend because they spend the whole weekend without food,” she said.
Ndlovu also said that these kids are very talented in sports and if they can get sponsors their talents will be noticed.
“I have dealt with a lot of cases whereby orphans reach stages where they have to write their matric exams but are unable to do so because they have no IDs. There is a girl who almost committed suicide just because she was denied the right to write matric exams. It is a serious case that touched my heart because that learner was forced to repeat matric.
“It is even more difficult during winter to see these children going to school without shoes. Imagine them walking barefoot to a school which is almost three kilometres away during cold weather. Some of them are turned back from school just because they don’t have uniform. Others, who are of school-going age, don’t go to school because there is no money to send them to school. If anyone can help, please come forward – I would highly appreciate it,” Ndlovu said.
Ndlovu concluded by saying that at the moment her project survives with help from Christian Ambassador Gospel Church under Pastor Ann Makhathini. “They are the only church that has come forward and donated food to feed the orphans. We will appreciate it if more churches can do the same,” said Ndlovu.
