THE past two weeks have been extremely difficult for Lily of the Valley Children’s Village, which continues to face severe water shortages due to ongoing service delivery challenges affecting the Sankontshe and Mophela areas near Hammarsdale.

The children’s village in Mophela, Eston, does not have access to piped water and relies entirely on water deliveries to meet its daily needs.

“Our water supply is trucked into the village weekly, requiring approximately 17 water trucks to fill our reservoirs and storage tanks,” said business manager Shelly van Bakel.

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“This water is essential to sustain daily life in the village, supporting our children, staff, homes, Early Childhood Development centre, and administrative facilities.”

However in recent weeks, frustration within the surrounding community, which is also experiencing severe water shortages, has resulted in water trucks being prevented from reaching the village.

“Due to a misunderstanding about our water supply, deliveries have been disrupted, leaving us without sufficient reserves,” Van Bakel said. “To date, we have received only five water trucks, supplying just a few thousand litres, far below what is required to sustain operations.”

Lily of the Valley Children’s Village consists of 21 homes, an ECD centre, administrative offices, and 42 staff members. The village has a main reservoir with a capacity of 350 000l, as well as six JoJo tanks holding 5000l each.

On average, she said the village requires approximately 20 000l of water per day to function safely and maintain basic hygiene and care standards.

“The water crisis has also affected the children’s education. Since schools reopened on 14 January, ongoing water shortages in the area have resulted in children being sent home early on multiple occasions, disrupting their learning and daily routines.”

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While the organisation remains hopeful that access for water delivery trucks will be restored, the situation has highlighted the vulnerability of the current water supply system.

“Should these disruptions continue, the well-being of the children in our care will be directly affected,” Van Bakel said.

Lily of the Valley Children’s Village has appealed to businesses and industry partners in Hammarsdale, Pietermaritzburg, Hillcrest, and surrounding areas for assistance with additional water storage solutions and drinking water supplies.

“Access to clean water is a basic necessity,” Van Bakel said. “Your support will help ensure that our village can continue to care for the children who call Lily home. If you are able to assist or partner with us in any way, please contact us directly.”

Email Business@lov.org za or contact 084 397 1116.

About the village

Lily of the Valley was initially established in 1993 in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic as a hospice for children in the KwaZulu-Natal area, providing palliative care. With proper loving care and the accessibility of ARV’s, many children began to recover and the focus started shifting from preparing children for death, to preparing them for life with a future. Over the years as the children grew up, the needs changed and became more varied and this short-term project became an ongoing one, needing continuous funding and assistance.
Lily of the Valley registered as an NPO in 2000 and is also registered as a Child and Youth Care Centre with the Department of Social Development, caring for and raising orphaned and vulnerable children. It can accommodate up to 120 children and currently has 95 children in its care.

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