The Help We Provide

“In the past, people used to care for the orphans and loved them, but these days they are so many, and many people have died who could have assisted them, and therefore orphanhood is a common phenomenon, not strange. Those who are alive cannot support them.”

–A widow in her early thirties, Durban, South Africa

Following a visit to South Africa in 2005, dedicated individuals launched the Orphans Relief Programs. Fundraising and creating awareness for these children was their goal. Addressing the basic needs for the most vulnerable orphans and disadvantaged children was launched.

Currently there are an estimated 6 million orphans in South Africa. Without help from our donors this number will increase in the years ahead. The Rotary Foundation recognizes the Orphans Relief Programs and has matched with dollars support.

Through the years our donors have shown their love and dedication for these children. However, there are so many children that today we find ourselves reaching out for more like-minded people and businesses to show they care for those most in need.

Diminished rains brought by climate change have brought a growing water crisis to South Africa, resulting in restrictions, disease, and increasing levels of water theft. Minimal governmental aid and rampant corruption have combined to wrack the rural parts of the country, leaving desperate people throughout the country to their own devices.

So while the major cities have adequate infrastructure to deliver drinkable water to the columns of people who have migrated from rural villages, supplies outside the cities are still in very short supply.

Being able to survive hinges on the availability of fresh water, followed by adequate sanitation. We have learned that no other goals will succeed without these two initial goals being met. Our key belief in TRF and Orphans Relief Programs is that no one need ever lack access to fresh water…the basic necessity in life.

Since our founding in 2005, Rotary International’s African Orphans Relief program has been directly responsible for funding and drilling hundreds of bore holes, accompanying them with rain collection tanks. Tens of thousands of lives have been saved as we’ve empowered villagers throughout the countryside to better care for themselves and their families.

A key philosophy at RI’s African Orphans Relief program is that nobody should ever lack access to water… the most basic necessity of life.
Because despite South Africa boasting one of the best clean water systems in the world, a lack of consistent sanitation (and the threat of steadily increasing water-borne disease) has undercut this strength in the country’s rural communities.

Critical to a healthy life and an ability to maintain school attendance, we’ve been installing plumbing and gender-specific latrines.

When added to building and strengthening the area’s dam infrastructure, we’re helping to provide for the basic health needs lacking for so many in the region.

Delivery of quality health care is a constitutional obligation in South Africa. Yet a 2019 study by the US National Institutes of Health determined that, despite many worthwhile goals for improved health care services, the country’s public health institutions are failing to keep up with basic standards of care.

Since the COVID lockdown started, 40% of South African households have lost their main source of income, with devastating consequences for household food security and hunger. 47% have run out of money to buy food.

The Rotary and TRF Orphans Relief Programs have been combatting this staggering problem with contributions from both private and corporate sponsors. Bags of rice, flour, and beans are regularly delivered to help our kids stay vibrant, even as we’ve been encouraging gardening to help expand balanced diets.

The way we figure it, we’re increasing self-sufficiency, even as we help the local economy and improve employment opportunities.

A 2020 analysis by Amnesty International reported the South African education system is typically characterized by poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and relatively poor educational outcomes. It fails a significant number of its children, and ensures they will be hardest hit.

The report details how the education system continues to be inhibited by stark inequalities and chronic under performance. This results in children getting education whose quality is a direct result of where they are born, how wealthy they are, and the color of their skin.

To overcome these obstacles, the Orphans Relief Programs began providing teacher “minder” educational support at both the primary and secondary levels to assist educators.

Rotary Clubs in the United States, Canada, and England join forces to support these needs, layering in success by building teaching centers, introducing indoor plumbing, and delivering kitchen appliances and related infrastructure. We further built on these accomplishments by providing supplies, uniforms, and meals to ensure a positive and healthy learning environment.