Sands Resort Hotel

The children of Ghost Mountain.
We are in a lush tropical garden on a plateau of the Ghost Mountain range looking out over Pongola lake towards hundreds' of miles of African plains that make up Kwazulu Natal.

In the valleys below rhino, giraffe and antelope can be seen wandering around the vast game reserves that surround the lake. The temperature is a balmy 28 degrees.

Under the shade of a Jackaranda tree children scream with delight as they tuck in to the bags of sweets we have brought them as a treat. To live here in what seems like paradise should make these children truly fortunate: they are, but not for the reasons you would initially suspect.

For we are in Ubombo, a district with the dubious reputation of being South Africa’s worst HIV and AIDS hotspot. Next to this garden is a vast hospital surrounded by an electric fence and guarded by security men carrying weapons. Queues of AIDS victims sit outside in the beating sun waiting patiently for the medicines that keep them alive.

The garden where the children play is itself surrounded by 6ft of sharp razor wire. Not to keep them in but to protect them from kidnap and abuse. These children are at the same time some of the most unfortunate youngsters in the world, but the luckiest in this part of Africa for they are now under the care of Dawn Irons at the “Ubombo Children’s Care Village”.

So here we were watching the children, watching us, both nervous and waiting for the lady whose dedication to others had created this haven for the children of Ghost Mountain. As Dawn climbed out of her pickup it only took a few seconds to see that here was a woman dedicated to her extended family of orphans.

Dawn runs a guest lodge in the Ubombo village area and had became aware of the large number of street children hanging around taking part in solvent abuse. These were often children whose parents had 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. These vulnerable children were often victims of abuse, some had been raped whilst still toddlers, many didn’t even have a name.

Dawn 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.

Despite her great inner strength it took Dawn 3 years to raise the funds and force a path through bureaucracy, corruption and negativity before she got the land and a few rough outbuildings. That she succeeded in creating this oasis of care where 20 children who had no hope are now nurtured and cared for 24 hours a day, sleeping, eating, playing and re-building self belief and trust makes her a truly remarkable woman.

Now the Umbombo childcare village is spreading its work: in addition to the 20 resident children they run a Sunday school and day respite classes. They have also started a pottery and bakery to try and train children so they leave with some skills.

But the project is still living on a knife-edge. With no running water for the last 8 months they have had to put some of their scarce funds in to the building of a resevoir and they are also funding hospital treatments  for “Duduze”, a young boy who suffered paralysis following TB and spinal operations and “Phumlani” who arrived a paraplegic but after years of care is now walking with crutches and calipers.

During our visit we explained to Dawn that we would like to make the UCCV the official charity of Sands Resort and she kindly allowed us to take some photos of our visit. Faced with the terrible dilemma of hundreds of abused children who she would like to help, most of whom she has to turn away, Dawn needs all of our help to provide for those she has been able to take under her wing.

We plan to raise money by contributing a percentage of sales each year as well as sending out packages of educational toys for the children’s schooling. If you can help with donations of money or toys please contact us, all help would be welcome, donations can be made through us or we are happy to give you details if you want to send direct.

I will finish by telling you about 2 of the children we met.

One young girl born with HIV, both parents dead and raped by an uncle trying to cleanse himself of AIDS had large scars on her scalp. These were the result of an abuser cutting chunks off her scalp to try and cure his own baldness! Yet here she was laughing and playing thanks to the care village and its staff.

Another baby turned up on Dawn's doorstep in the middle of the night, brought by a woman who was herself bruised and bleeding. The woman had been “given” the child on a bus by a mother dying of AIDS. When she took the baby home her husband beat her up and told her to dump the child on the waste tip. She brought her to Dawn who nursed her to the beautiful child she now is, a child who with love and care now speaks Zulu and some English and has hope in her life.

There is hope amongst despair and we hope that we can help Dawn and the children of Ghost Mountain find a better life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Nicholas Malcolm 

Sands Resort

www.sandsresort.co.uk/UCCV.html

DONORS
Sands Resort Hotel Ltd                               Fundraising              
Nicholas, Sarah & Jack Malcolm               Cash donation
Colin Higgins of B-Graphic                         Free Graphic Design

FUNDS RAISED & USE OF FUNDS
Started Jan 2011
February 2011 £500 sent
June 2011 £385 sent
Aug 2011 £480 sent

Letter from Dawn Irons
I am so pleased to tell you that your donation of £500 has safely
arrived in the Ubombo Children's Care Village Bank Account, Mkuze.

 We are all most grateful to you for your wonderful support of this project with the children, and wish to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your wonderful support. Wonderful to know that you continue to support us and that there is a further donation to come. The £500 you have sent has been allocated to medical expenses, for the following children.

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. We do
incur travelling costs and food for her and a Zulu housemother when they
need to make the trip to Durban for her treatment. This child also needs
ongoing speech therapy and this will continue to for a long time. She
travels to Hlabisa Hospital, KwaZulu Natal.

Phakamani Ngema:  This young boy is 4 going on 5 years of age. We do not
have a birth certificate.  He is having ongoing speech therapy as he does
not communicate clearly.  He suffered with extreme malnutrition as a baby
before he came to us. He receives treatment at Hlabisa Hospital, KwaZulu
Natal.

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 ongoing medical treatment, and goes regularly to a specialist in
Durban for check-ups.  He also requires ongoing physiotherapy as has lost
the use of his legs, however, he is doing remarkably well. He visits Inkosi
Albert Letheli Central Hospital, in Durban.

Mpume Zondo:  A young girl of 6 years.  This child makes regular trips to
Durban to Inkosi Albert Lutheli Central Hospital.  She has had several major
operations preparing her for a colostomy for a vestibular colon.  She has to
have ongoing follow up consultations.

These are the children I have allocated to your funding donation.  The
children, particularly, Mduduze requires soft slippers for his feet, which
are deformed.  He also needs strong (cords) pants, as he drags his little
body along the floor, and the pants never last very long, due to the hard
wear and tear.

There is another child, a young boy of 11 years, Phumlani Buthelezi, who is
partially paralysed, and who needs special care.  We have employed a special
carer to be with him at school at R 900.00 per month. This child is
incontinent, and perhaps we could add his name to this list? This is an
amazing child who has gone through so much trauma in his life, and yet has
come through smiling.  He has ongoing therapy at Bethesda Hospital, Ubombo.

This might all sound overwhelming, but be assurred your funds have made a real difference.

We are so grateful for your wonderful support - thank you, thank you.

Warm regards
Dawn Irons & all the children
Ubombo Children's Care Village