Cause Index

Zanokhanyo Children's Safety Home

Zanokhanyo Children’s Safety Home is a home based in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa where orphaned and abandoned children are given the shelter and love they so desperately need. The home is run by the Nolubabalo (Nolu) Nditha. It was founded in 2005 at another site in Khayelitsha by Nolu and her late husband Christophe, when Nolu, an unemployed community worker, was troubled to see children living on the streets without food, after her parents had died of HIV/AIDS.

She opened her heart and took the children into her home and began looking after them. Everyday her life revolves around the children and taking care of them to the best of her ability.

More children were brought to her house by the police and social workers as a temporary place of refuge for a few days or few weeks.

Tragedy struck in October 2007 when the house caught on fire and 4 of the children lost their lives and Zanokhanyo lost everything but their spirit was not broken.

It's been a long and very challenging road for Nolu but she is succeeding to do so much with so little. Today there are 19 children living at the home - ten boys aged between 4 and 21 years and nine girls, aged between 4 and 20 years old. Nolu currently has one dedicated volunteer who helps her with her daily tasks e.g. getting the children up every morning, getting them washed and dressed, assisting her with the housework, ironing and cooking.

Zanokhanyo are currently fundraising for much needed improvements to the structure of the home and an increased budget for necessities such as school food and healthy meals.