forgood logo
story main

A new Life for six Orphaned Children in Alex

The problem of orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children in Alexandra Township is massive. Many live in child-headed households where school-goer’s effectively run the home. Others live in conditions where there is little or no parental supervision and where abuse and crime are ever-present dangers. A proportion of these vulnerable children are simply homeless and have nowhere to go.

Rays of Hope has been at the forefront of addressing this problem in Alex for years, but the situation changes regularly as role players such as government authorities (including the Department of Social Development), donors such as the JD Group, and other NGOs, do their best to help the children. Recently, Rays of Hope’s role has evolved with the creation of a home where eight children will live and be cared for on a 24-hour basis. Bertha and Martin Mucheyedi came to South Africa from Zimbabwe in 2008 as asylum seeking refugees. After two frustrating years struggling to make a living, Bertha, a qualified high school teacher, was employed by Rays of Hope. Martin, a banker by trade, eventually found employment and currently works as a supervisor in a fast-food outlet. The new home resulted after the disbanding of the Ikhaya Lomusa children’s home in Marlboro, close to the Gautrain station. The Ikhaya Lomusa home had most of its residents relocated to alternative accommodation by the authorities. Rays of Hope took the initiative to place six of the original group with Bertha and Martin’s two own children, to live permanently in one of the three houses utilised by Rays of Hope in Marlboro. Bertha explains, “Effectively I am a mother to eight kids. Apart from my two, the others literally had nowhere to go. They had no families and were abandoned.” The new family settled into their home in the middle of March. “It’s early days and I have had to establish an entirely new regimen in this house. In the old children’s home it was quite chaotic and there was little supervision. I have now set up a system of rules and boundaries to enable structure in the house. This is working well,” she said. “I have instituted a system of duties coupled to a rewards star chart. The children enjoy getting rewarded in a visible way”.

Other stories

Get inspired!

We’ll send you news, national and international campaigns and exciting ways to give back.