Living on the Cape of good hope

By Graham Hughes
Contributor, BBC Cambridgeshire

These three girls live with their house mother in SOS's Cape Town village

Thousands of orphaned children around the world are being given new homes thanks to a charity based in Cambridge.

SOS Children's Villages operates in 123 countries offering children security in a family environment.

It supports high-profile organisations including the Red Cross and works on non-political lines.

The charity was founded in Austria after World War II when it was estimated that Europe had five million orphans.

In the shadow of the famous Table Mountain, the SOS Children's Village in Cape Town is typical of the charity's set-ups around the world. It houses several dozen youngsters and was opened in 1996 by Nelson Mandela.

Graham Hughes (right) and his wife Christine at the Cape Town village

The children are placed in one of the village's many homes and are looked after by a professional 'mother'. Each fully-equipped house generally has eight children.

House mothers work a 24-hour day, seven-day week, looking after their children. They get four days off a month and an assistant mother, who is known to the children, moves in temporarily.

"It's a calling, as the salaries are appalling," according to Paul Senosi, a manager at the village. "But the mums stay for an average of 10 years."

Meanwhile, the children are encouraged to do household chores after school and at least an hour of school homework every day as well.

At 16, the teenagers are normally ready to leave - firstly via a youth house - and are integrated into society. The charity continues to pay any further education and university fees.

There are around 30 other volunteer helpers at this village in Cape Town. A retired London dentist is giving up his time to help, as do many teachers and other specialists who come in to give their skills and time after their normal hours of work.

The staff are backed up by other professionals including social workers and psychiatrists.

A 'family' at the Cape Town village pictured with their 'mother' (centre)

A stable home

Although South Africa is a stable country, life is not easy at many of the SOS Children's Villages around the world.

The home in Mogadishu in Somalia has been attacked in recent months, and villages in Gaza and Israel - both coincidently close to each other - have been affected by the Middle East conflict.

The charity, however, maintains that its work is non-political and tries to ensure that the children in its care are housed and educated in their own religions and cultural backgrounds.

Working the system

Paul Senosi of the Cape Town village says: "We do what we can to make the system work for the children with our Family Strengthening Programme.

"How do we reach children when there is a need? Well, sometimes it might be bringing in a grandmother to help with her own grandchildren as well as other youngsters, and supporting a family by paying school fees (every child has to pay school fees in South Africa) and getting clothes.

It's a calling, as the salaries are appalling Paul Senosi, SOS Village, Cape Town

"We also work with the Department of Social Services to get grants and in some circumstances families can get an income from the state. We also help when possible with job creation schemes and training - especially in rural areas."

Nelson Mandela

When he opened Cape Town's SOS Children's Village, South Africa's then president, Nelson Mandela, said: "I would like to tell every young person here today that I love them very much. You are the future of South Africa, the hope of our rainbow country."

The staff here maintain that it's very rewarding to see the progress of the children they have helped to look after at this village, which is doing its very best to offer youngsters the chance to live and grow up the way all children deserve.

Graham Hughes and his wife Christine visited the SOS Cape Town village during a family holiday to South Africa.