The spread of HIV and related education is a major risk to young children who inherit the virus from birth or fall victim to HIV positive adults who prey on young children in the belief that raping a virgin will cure them of AIDS. The suffering of such children is immense as society’s ability to cope with their pain diminishes. Children that survive their earliest years have little to no access to formal education, confining themselves, their families and future generations to similar plights.
The Holy Family Mission, Ofcolaco, has paved the way towards a brighter future for many young children. The Orphan School, funded by The Murry Foundation provides food, medical care and education to sick and disadvantaged Orphan Children. Despite the Holy Sister’s hard work the Holy Family is simply unable to meet the increasing demand for lodging and medical care. As a result many children are unable to fend for themselves and left to die alone. In response to this tragedy The Murry Foundation has instigated the purchase of a hotel in Gravalotte with a view to redeveloping the site into an orphanage. The new development will focus on all aspects of care and education and will enter into an agreement with The Holy Family Mission to share the influx of orphans into the two sites.
The hotel’s conversion will include new classrooms, comfortable accommodation, a treatment centre and a recreation facility that will be sponsored by Super Sports FC, emphasising the importance of exercise, good health and team work, further developing the infrastructure within this small community. The school, in conjunction with the Holy Mission will service the needs of orphans and those children who suffer from HIV. Provision will be made for those who need constant, specialist medical treatment.
The project will form an integral part of The Foundations Orphan Program, providing hope where once there was none. To this date, we have raised 1,000,000 (£72,000) rand, 40% of the 2,500,000 (£180,000) rand asking price. A further 420,000 (£30,000) rand is required to redevelop the site.
With the significant international expansion, The Murry Foundation needs assistance in raising the rest of the funding for this project. Time constraints dictate that if the project is not initiated swiftly, lives will be lost. As with all of The Foundation’s projects, the school will eventually be self funded. However, the school itself will not form a source of its own income, rather the neighbouring conservancy land that has eco-tourism projects in place will offset profits to maintain the school that will provide skilled labour in the locality. The True Experience eco-tourism project, a selection of luxury lodges that provides candid access to the conservancy and animals on the land will operate for four months of the year, injecting money not only into the causes supported by The Foundation but also into the local economy. The Foundation hopes that this injection of money will have a knock-on effect on living standards, with a view to relieving poverty and the orphaning of children in the local area.
Limpopo holds a the greatest percentage of the South African wildlife. The school will follow a specially adapted curriculum that will teach the young children to work constructively with the environment and its wildlife. The Orphans will also have the opportunity to continue their training at a proposed anti-poaching ranger school that will be seeking official government accreditation in the immediate future.
www.operationhotel.com will provide supporters the means to watch the redevelopment as it takes place. As with all The Foundation’s projects 100% of donations will reach the intended cause. All labour will be from the local community.
On completion, the new orphanage will provide sanctuary for approximately 150 children with room for expansion in the future. The Foundation hopes that the project will pave the way for similar developments across the country before the plight of orphaned children becomes completely unmanageable. Without such projects South Africa will become a divided nation, torn apart by gross inequalities and the rampant spread of HIV. Local government officials have endorsed the project as non-domestic investment in poverty stricken areas and becomes one of the last chances for balance and harmony.
