As co-initiator of the Hugo Tempelman Foundation for South Africa and Chairman of its Supervisory Board, Eike von Oppeln has supported the work of Hugo Tempelman and his wife Liesje in South Africa for many years.
During one of the many meetings, Hugo Tempelman gave a very moving and understandable account of the fate of young people, especially young girls, who are exposed to great danger as orphans. In order to be able to sleep undisturbed, attend school regularly and not be exposed to sexual assault, they urgently need lockable living space. Instead of makeshift corrugated iron huts, small, solid houses are the right solution. When Uta, Eike’s wife, heard this and Hugo also explained in concrete terms how much it would cost to build such houses, Uta immediately donated 9,000.00 euros because she is convinced that this help is urgently needed and important. Now they have a permanent house that can be locked, with windows and doors. They are now protected from the wind and weather, but also from attacks. This gives the children the opportunity to live together as a family again.
These children, Hugo, Liesje and our foundation for South Africa thank Uta from the bottom of their hearts for her commitment.
And that is her story:
The mother of these three children died in 2005. They then moved in with their grandmother in Bloempoort. Unfortunately, the grandmother also died shortly afterwards and the children remained in the care of the sister of the deceased. She had 8 children to look after and was unemployed. Her sister’s three children were a great burden on the household. They were expected to do chores, herd cows and goats and fetch water, which affected their school work immensely, especially since Mr. Moloko, the master of the house, saw no need for the children to go to school. He was and still is of the opinion that they should work to put food on the table.
Since 2017, the children had been living in a corrugated iron hut right next to Moloko’s house. However, Karabo – the 15-year-old sister of the two boys – stayed in the house with Mrs. Moloko. She was of the opinion that the girl should not live with the two boys in the one-room hut. The boys kept the hut clean and in order, but the lack of a solid building structure is a real challenge, especially in the rainy season and in the winter months. The family had no toilet.
The Makola children have no income other than the social security allowances. The children are each entitled to a total of 26 euros per month. This was received by grandmother Moloko and, after her death, her daughter, who administers it for the children. As Karabo was still living in her household, she kept her share in full. She paid the boys 21 euros each per month. The boys have to use this money to buy food, stationery, school uniforms, clothes and toiletries every month. Samie (17), the eldest, dropped out of school for a part-time job so that he could look after his siblings, and Jimmy also works part-time during the school vacations.
The first step towards a better future has been taken. The three children are now part of the NDLOVU CARE GROUP’s CHAMP program and are being looked after by its employees.
