Pietermaritzburg Village

This Village was developed in response to a call for help from a city paediatrician, who was concerned at the high number of orphans abandoned at government hospitals. The Village houses 152 children, as well as reaching nearly 500 children in the highly successful Family Strengthening Programme.

In 1992, the Natal Emergency Help Programme was launched to provide temporary accommodation in rented houses for orphans living in very poor conditions in government hospitals. Once suitable land was found, a Village was built consisting of 15 family homes and an SOS Kindergarten.

The SOS Kindergarten caters for 125 children in 5 classrooms. Children in the nearby informal settlement who could normally not afford to attend pre-school are offered a scholarship to come to the Kindergarten. The teachers are also committed to building the capacity of teachers in community creches, by conducting holiday skills training sessions.

The Family Strengthening Programme operates in the informal settlement called France, situated close to the Village. A hydroponics vegetable project has been established with the support of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal's wife, Mrs Ndebele. Nine women from France grow and market tomatoes and mushrooms, thus generating income for their own families.

Another successful project is the self help groups which involve poor women in small-scale savings and income generation.