Sarah Mackintosh chatted to Leanne and Kim Lorrance-Brown, founders of Likhon Ithemba and Holah baby home.
Leanne and Kim met in Australia, where they were both doing care work. Leanne has always had an interest in working with special needs children and adults. She is from the UK and Kim is from Durban.
When they decided to move to South Africa, they knew if they were going to live in here, they had to do something to help make a difference. “South Africa is a beautiful country with incredible people, but there is so much poverty, struggling, heartache. You can’t live here and not do something to help others when there are so many that need support,” says Kim.
“I am adopted, so from a young age I wanted to help less fortunate children and be able to give them a better start to life and better future. Leanne really wanted to adopt and I wasn’t quite ready for that. We spent some time in other baby homes, volunteering and learning about how they run. And we were hooked – we decided that we needed to start something like this,” explains Kim.
And so House of Love and Hope (HOLAH) was born. Their plan then was to start off small – have one little baby at a time and look after them until they could be reunited with biological families, or they find a forever family. That was just over eight years ago and they have come so far from then, learnt so much and grown so much as an organisation and as individuals.
“Having one child at a time didn’t last very long – there are so many children that need a safe home and we just couldn’t say no!” explains Kim. “The first child that we ever took in at HOLAH was Soldier. He was five months old when he came to us. His family were struggling and they wanted a better life for him. We were thrilled to receive our first baby, but also very apprehensive. Within a few months of Solider joining us, we knew there was no way we were going to ever let this little guy leave us. We have stayed in contact with his biological family and try to visit them every year.”
Two years and many babies later, Kim and Leanne fell in love with a little guy, Ryder, who was three years old and at another baby house and they were able to adopt him. Ryder’s biological mom couldn’t take care of him, and she too wanted the best for her son, so gave him up at birth. “Our third child, Vera-May, won our hearts immediately. This little beautiful soul has such an effect on everyone she meets, you can’t help but fall in love with her. Vera is five now,” says Kim.
“Our passion is adoption, helping the vulnerable and working with special needs. We are dedicated to providing a safe and loving environment for those children that are left with no-one. We are adamant that our home is not an institution. Every child that comes into our care, whether it is for a night or a year, is loved, made to feel secure, nurtured and has all their needs met.”
HOLAH has recently moved to a stunning homestead in Crestholme, Waterfall. Kim was lucky enough to receive inheritance and with this was able to secure a property. This new home is the best place for children to grow and develop, heal and learn – away from the city and in the country.
“What they will learn here is going to be the foundation of their future. We have a cottage for our children with special needs and a cottage for our babies that are in crisis care. We have the space to eventually expand and set up a long term special needs home – as our kids get older and they are unable to be adopted because of their disabilities and we want to give them the security that they will be with us forever.
“We have a small greenhouse where we are growing an assortment of fruit and veg, but we plan on using some of the grounds to grow all our own vegetables, again to help us become more self -sustainable and not reply on the public. We are also getting the older children involved in planting and growing veg, collecting chicken eggs and taking care of the animals.”
Besides HOLAH, Likhon iThemba has a few other initiatives. They also run BOP (Bowl of Plenty) – an outreach programme. They help different people in need or other NPOs with food and clothing donations, sourcing equipment and more. Another project is the Vikela Baby Saver – this is a way for mothers who are struggling to get help and advice from HOLAH – they can guide them on safer and better ways to give their child up, rather than abandoning them, or to help support them, should they want to keep their child.
The Charity Hop Shop was established in 2016. The reason for the shop is to bring in much-needed funds to run all the projects under Likhon iThemba. They have converted a beautiful, old Glenwood home into a unique, eclectic charity shop. They accept all donations – women and men’s clothes, kids’ clothes, appliances, sports equipment, household items, and more – as long as they are in working order.
“We never thought we would be where we are today, we have helped over 80 children and families. We have adopted three amazing children and we are living in the best space for these children to grow up in. But we could not have reached this dream if it was not for everyone that has supported us from the very beginning. We need our family, friends, staff, board members, volunteers and supporters to keep us going. Thank you to everyone that has been there for us and who continue to support what we do,” conclude Leanne and Kim.
If you would like to help Likhon iThemba, through volunteering or donations, you can get in touch with them to find out where they need help.
Visit www.likhonithemba.co.za.