Food and school clothing are essentials a child should never have to want for. But in the poorarea of Ga-Dikgale in Limpopo, over 2500 orphans and vulnerable children, are struggling. Many of the children live in granny headed households or households where the parents are unemployed. The Lonely Road Foundationidentified this rural community as one in need of their support. Over the last six years they have set up 15 drop-in centres throughout the area to care for the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). Tanja Bencun spent the day with some of the foundations roadies to see the impact they are having on this community.
“They give us food, things we really need,” one child age 12 says. He lives with his gogo and 6 other siblings in a one roomed house. “They help me with my situation, we eat here every day, they support us,” says another.
I am overwhelmed and touched by the smiles and positive attitude of the children I see going into one of the drop-in centres next door to their school. They look forward to enjoying the warm meal prepared by the caregivers. It is a place to play and interact with other kids, to do their homework and also a place where the caregivers give the kids psychosocial support, a new initiative of the foundation. The caregivers are given a very basic allowance for their vital role in the success of these centres, but they enjoy being with the kids, “it brings us joy to be able to help these children”. To see kids that were once lonely and hungry now healthy and happy keeps the caregivers doing what they are doing.
“They help me with my situation, we eat here every day, they support us”
The 170 trained caregivers provide care and support to 2 740 OVC.But government funding is not enough. Around R8 a day per child is what they allocate to these OVC’s. Private help and charity is necessary to take these centres forward. In August 2012, Nashua Children’s Charity Foundation sponsored 64 food gardens. Now starting to bear fruit, the gardens will be a sustainable source of food for the children. Beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, cabbage and spinach are just some of the vegetables that will provide healthy and free nutrition. On the day I visit, the taps are dry. Already an arid region where rains are scarce, keeping the gardens alive can be challenging. The community and the Lonely Road roadies work together to find water. To keep the gardens project hopes alive. Frantically making calls, they source water just outside the area. Relief and laughter greet the man arriving at one of the centres with a huge barrel of water balancing on the back of his van. Michelle Walford of the Lonely Road says that keeping the kids healthy and happy is their man focus. “We are constantly looking for ways to keep the kids entertained; safe…we are making a big move to sustainability, artisan training, small businesses and training the caregivers more in psychosocial support.” The children and community of Ga-Dikgale are feeling the impact of The Lonely Road; their support is allowing the community to dream.“I want to be a lawyer”; “I want to be a doctor”; “I want to be a traffic officer”; “I want to help other people”. This is what I hear as I leave Ga-Dikgale.
Get a glimpse inside Ga-Dikale.
– By Tanja Bencun
