THE NEED:

South Africa, a nation known for its wildlife, its gold and its rich cultural diversity, faces a troubled future. The grim specter of AIDS has spread its shadow over the Dark Continent, leaving farm fields barren and fallow, while row after row of new graves line the rural countryside.

The national government is in a crisis. Millions are dying and entire communities are reeling in the wake of this scourge. Widespread poverty, joblessness and despair abound, the most tragic effects being felt by the children.

The traditional family, once the strength of the South African culture, is fast becoming extinct. The fatal combination of AIDS and poverty has ravaged the young, claiming fathers and mothers alike and leaving behind thousands upon thousands of children to defend themselves against unthinkable odds.

Sometimes there are grandparents to care for them. Sometimes there is no one, and they go to friends or to the government. Many are simply destitute and alone. Feared and despised for the shame of “the sickness,” they exist amidst the makeshift shacks of cardboard and tin they know as home. Here they are neglected, abused and often raped. They are forgotten, but not by all.

THE RESPONSE:

At Emoyeni, we believe that these children are the future of the nation. We also believe that of all the needs most specific to children, there is one that stands out above the others: the need to belong.

We are convinced that need can be met in the simple, God-given structure of the family. Children will grow beyond all obstacles when planted in the fertile soil of this healthy relationship: mom, dad and the kids, bonded together by love, strong Christian values and a hardy faith.

That is why we dream of reconstructing family for the children who have lost their own. We desire to provide a safe and secure environment for boys and girls of all ages to grow up as brothers and sisters, with moms and dads of their own.

Our village concept, based on much research and the success of similar programs in other countries, groups together 15 houses, each one home to a missionary couple and 6 rescued children. Although the families remain somewhat autonomous, the village provides support in the form of community resource, school, library, chapel, clinic, administrative infrastructure, and so forth. In such an environment, parents can concentrate their efforts on their most important task – raising their children.

There will always be more children in need than we are able to accommodate in our village. For that reason we firmly believe that supporting other initiatives by means of community networking is vital to the success of the project as a whole. Providing emergency shelter for orphaned and abandoned children, supplying food or clothing to child-headed households, offering medical assistance to over-extended grandparents or caregivers and even providing job training and employment opportunity for struggling single parents - this is all part of the Emoyeni goal to bring living hope to the children of South Africa.