We Did It!

When I came back to CT, I told a lot of my friends that one of the things I most looked forward to, was the fact that in SA we really can make a difference. It isn't difficult to do, you don't need a special permit or special training. You can volunteer to do just about anything. 

On Friday 19 September, we painted a boy's

home in Khayelitsha; The Bridge at Elukhuselweni Children’s Home. 

Elukhuselweni means 'Place of Safety'.

The home hasn't been left to ruin, by any means, but put on a coat of paint and the place is transformed. There are currently 46 boys who live there, aged between 7 - 18 years. I'd refer to them as street children, which (I didn't know) is a name they despise. Most of the boys do have families, but for reasons such as poverty or addiction in the families, they are unable to go home. 

At Elukhuselweni they learn to take responsibility for their own lives. They have to let go of the seemingly easier life on the street. The boys get pocket money amounting to between R6 and R11 (depending on their ages) per week. This is a far cry from what they can make on the streets begging or dealing drugs. They go to school, all over Cape Town and come home every night to a cooked meal, a bed and carers who act as parents and treat the boys as children.

The ability for someone like me to go into their home for a single day; paint the kitchen a nice new yellow, while listening to the boys running and playing and singing in the halls is what I meant when I said in SA we really can make a big difference so easily.

And we don't have to wait for the one day a year dedicated to it. There are tonnes of ways to help, whatever your location, skills or means. For more information, see the Greater Good SA website:  http://www.myggsa.co.za/