UP COMING EVENTS

EVENTS

Sunshine House

At present, the two Sunshine Houses in Pietermaritzburg and Nxamalala are home to approx. 35 foster children and six foster mothers (four in Pietermaritzburg and two in Nxamalala). The biological children of the foster mothers also live at the Sunshine Houses.

The foster children have either been orphaned or half-orphaned by AIDS or have been abandoned or severely neglected by their biological mothers; violence is another common reason for having to offer children a safe refuge. Social workers from the youth welfare service always ensure that the children are given a good, new home.

The women pool their state care allowances to share costs, such as for food, between them. GEZUBUSO Projects assists with a basic income and the costs for electricity, water, travel and school fees. Sometimes, when more generous donations are made, the children and foster mothers receive additional food and toiletries.

The Sunshine House is only the first pillar of support for the children under our care. The second is education: While a sheltered upbringing in the loving environment of the Sunshine House is important, only good education can give the children the chance of a self-determined life in the future.

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Educational pact

Many children who have lost their parents to AIDS grow up in a family that is unable to afford school transport or school fees.
State schools, the fees for which are usually only minimal, are often lacking in quality: very large classes, teachers who are not always appropriately trained, instruction in Zulu rather than English.

The children of GEZUBUSO Projects also attended state schools for a long time, as the financial situation permitted nothing else.

In December 2018, however, we decided to send most of the children to a private school – for a better education. The costs are significantly higher than at the previous schools and will exceed our budget for 2019, but this will motivate us to work even harder to find supporters specifically for this cause.

After all, only with a good education will these children have the potential to shape their own lives in the future and escape the vicious circle of poverty and violence.