Dear Friends

Greetings from everyone at Home of Hope as we all move towards the end of 2020 and embrace the promise of a brand new year. We hope this finds you well, here is a little from us …

Home of Hope is far bigger than our two homes; it is a collective effort to improve society and you are part of it.

Our Outreach Team ensure that no child’s plea for help is ignored. We always try to make a plan for every child that needs our help. We share any excess that comes our way. We are on the lookout for ways to increase the scope of our actions going forward into 2021. Your ongoing support of the houses and the individual sponsoring of girls means that they can make a future for themselves.
 
Thank you to all who have continued to support us over this period. We are especially grateful for those who continue to remember us even in the middle of their own difficulties. Because of you there was not one night when our girls went to bed hungry. Our big and growing family really appreciate the ingredients donated, from loaves of bread to bags of  groceries. You can be certain that we appreciate every single meal that we can share no matter how simple.
 
The cost of electricity is a constant worry and we have recently been struggling to meet our costs (in the longer term, solar panels will help to offset this).  Our water bills are a similar story.  The City of Joburg threatened to cut off our water and electricity. But we are blessed with friends! A kind supporter went to the city and negotiated to secure us the time we needed to raise funds. One of our primary objectives has always been for Home of Hope to be able to generate its own income so that the work can be sustained and expanded.

The team completed the PMI Project Management Skills for Life five week training course which we found really helpful. This sort of training helps to upskill us in planning long-term sustainable income generating projects.

Looking back over 2020

The response to our home-schooling appeal enabled us to renovate our premises so that we now have basic classroom space with equipment in both houses. This is more than a lockdown project, it is something of permanent benefit. When the time came for the schools to reopen after lockdown our team took a very active approach. We visited the premises to check that the correct measures were being followed. Where they were not, we insisted upon it, and the schools did cooperate with us. 2020 has been a year in which we became stronger.
 
Of course, we have hardships to deal with such as health issues among the girls - one of which required a hospital visit -  but we are so fortunate that COVID infections have not been among our problems so far. We really hope that this is true for you and yours also; you are always in our prayers.  

Don’t forget our unique and very desirable gift products

It’s a good time to give gifts, so check out our lovely products … set into glass containers our natural oil candles give off a warm, vanilla coloured glow and they have a long burning time. When melted they double up as a sensual body oil which nourishes the skin. We offer a blended fragrance from the well-known Soylight candle range. R150

Raw, organic honey has long-proven health benefits such as boosting immunity. Our jars of truly delicious honey make wonderful gifts for loved ones to show you want to give them both sweetness and health in their lives! R130 per jar

Why not stock up and gift or sell to friends? For orders, please contact Rachel on WhatsApp 082 684 3852

Have you been to our beautiful new website yet? Visit www.homeofhopeforgirls.org.za

We send sincere wishes for a very Happy Christmas, we are hoping that 2021 brings you health, prosperity and peace. May your hard times be behind you and your friends be with you. 

Love from Mam Khanyi, the team and every girl in Home of Hope.