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Wednesday & Sunday Buffet – Adults –
R65.00 Children – u/10 R25.00
Come Enjoy The Best Buffet Ever. Pizza Special (Only Monday-Saturday) - Medium to large
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R50
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Donderdag 23 Februarie 2017
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Hope fades for children Future bleak for abandoned ones as House of Hope faces closure Marti Will mwill@volksblad.com
The services and help to more than 400 orphans and vulnerable children in Matjhabeng will be terminated, leaving them destitute, if the House of Hope (HOH) Community Life Development Programme is forced to close at the end of April. Their major funder has given notice that it will prematurely terminate the contract of HOH on 30 April. “This means that we will not be able to pay salaries, municipal services and so on,” says Gerda Janse van Rensburg, chairperson of the HOH board. “We support more than 400 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). This involves home visits, HIV prevention education, HIV testing services and referrals to government departments, in accordance with identified needs. “The ending of this service will leave these vulnerable people without a place of safety,” says Janse van Rensburg. All of the HOH services are intertwined and other programmes such as the baby safe house (abandoned babies), foster homes and support groups will be adversely affected. “HOH only receives the normal grant from government and has not received any additional funding from the government since its opening in 2004,” she says. The baby safe house can house 12 babies at a time. These are the most vulnerable babies, usually HIV affected and infected and abandoned by their mothers. Many of these babies were found in black bags next to the road. Since 2004, HOH has served 400 babies in their safe house. “HOH has always been the safe haven for organisations and institutions to bring their abandoned babies, and we care for them and love them. “HOH is the only safe house for babies in the Goldfields. The project’s closure will have catastrophic conse-
If the House of Hope Community Life Development Programme does not receive urgent funding from a new source, its various projects will be adversely affected, leaving more than 400 orphans and vulnerable children destitute. Photo: Romien Joubert
quences,” says Janse van Rensburg. HOH currently offers 20 foster children permanent homes. “There are also three homes. We are responsible for paying water and electricity, for feeding and dressing the children and having them be part of a school and community.” There are also weekly support groups for addicts and their loved ones, as well as for victims of sexual abuse and violence. HOH offers counselling and support for women and girls who experience
unintended pregnancy or sexual violence. “We have come up with a couple of sustainable plans and trust that it will be able to help the programme to continue in the Goldfields community. “However, we all know that it takes time for any kind of plan to be implemented and gain momentum,” she says. HOH is planning, among other things, a R100 club, which entails a R100 debit order from members of the public, and charity events, which will
include golf days. “The national trend is that funding has moved away from OVC’s to skills development. This is due to the low employment rate. “But this trend is leaving orphans destitute and without financial assistance. “At HOH, all of our services are free, as we serve the poorest of the poor,” says Janse van Rensburg. For more information, contact Jackie Botes (director) on 083-566-4663 or Romien Joubert on 071-519-2195.
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NEWNEW-VI120117