Ubombo Children’s Care Village
Sands’ chosen Charity
Since October 2010 Sands has been supporting Ubombo Children’s Care Village in South Africa. The children’s care village gives a home and education to children whose parents died of AIDS and either survived on their own on the street or were looked after by Grandparents in overcrowded thatched huts with up to 15 other children who had been orphaned at a young age too.
Many of these vulnerable children are often victims of abuse; some have been raped whilst still toddlers, many didn’t even have a name before they came to stay with Dawn, founder and manager of Ubombo Children’s Care Village.
Originally Dawn Irons, who runs a guest house close by Ubombo, started running a day centre to give the children a place to go for a few hours a week, a place where they could experience friendship, love and hope. It soon became apparent though that she would need a permanent base to look after the worst cases, young children who had been abandoned, HIV positive, rape victims destined for an early grave.
Click here to read the full story about the centre »
In response to Dawn’s latest letter we are now looking to raise another £500 for the Children’s Care Village which will provide 100 children with shoes. These children currently have to walk the long way to school and back barefoot and we would like to help!
We will raise the money through special charity events at the hotel, charity wine sales (£0.50 for every bottle of wine you buy at our restaurant or bar) and donation boxes around the hotel. If you would like to support Ubombo Children’s Care Village, please get in touch with us.
Dawn Irons founder and manager of Ubombo Children’s Care Village sends us regular updates to let us know how our donations have made a huge difference:
“Nobuhle Ndlovu, a young girl of 6 years, and who has just started school this year was very deaf and we have now been able to have two hearing aids fitted to her ears. What a huge difference this has made to her life.”
“Mduduze Dlamini: A young boy of 4 years. This child has TB of the spine and had major operations to remove the TB from sections of his spine. He needs on going medical treatment, and goes regularly to a specialist in Durban for check-ups. He also requires on going physiotherapy as has lost the use of his legs, however, he is doing remarkably well.”
Dawn Irons
Ubombo Children’s Care Village