House of hope in Lindelani

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and He will reward them for what they have done,” Proverbs 19:17 (NIV).

These words are the first thing you see when you visit the Safe Haven for Children and Elders in Lindelani.

Brenda Hill and Rose Zwane, who run the safe house, use the words as their guiding light.

“There are many times when what we do becomes difficult but when we look to God and those words, everything makes sense,” said Hill.

The safe house, supported by the North Coast Courier Orphan Fund, welcomes toddlers to pensioners who have nowhere else to go.

“We feed, clothe and help them heal until they can go back to their homes, or find a permanent home,” said Hill.

Hill has a special vision for the safe house, which she strongly believes can help the Lindelani community by getting children and teenagers off the street.

She wants to turn two vacant lots belonging to the KwaDukuza municipality adjacent and behind the house into an outdoor cinema and market for the community.

“I had the idea while visiting a church in Ballito a while ago. We could screen family movies on the weekend and get the whole community together. In the future the area could be fenced and covered so we can hold market days where people can make some money for themselves.”

Hill has tried to liaise with the municipality regarding use of the land, but has not received a concrete answer.

“This is going to be something special for the community, so we can uplift our children. We are already so well supported by Unitrade, Rapid Builders and the North Coast Courier fund, and welcome any other support.”

Anyone wanting to assist can contact Brenda on brendahill.sa@ gmail.com.