Katrine Anker-Nilssen discovers the beautiful Ingane Yami Children’s Village – where orphaned and abandoned children’s stories are rewritten thanks to an extremely passionate team and our very own community
pics: ingane
Twenty years ago Jayne came into Yvonne Greig’s life. In the course of two years, Jayne lost several family members to AIDS, leaving her with grandchildren to raise and eventually having to leave Yvonne’s family to focus on her own. Yvonne visited Jayne in a community out of sight and behind the hills just outside Ixopo, and it was during these visits she realised she wanted to do something to help orphaned and abandoned children. When Jayne passed away in 2007, and Yvonne was connected with the Watoto Children’s Village in Uganda, the journey of Ingane Yami began
Ingane Yami is an isiZulu word meaning “My Child”, and Ingane Yami Children’s Village makes a difference by rescuing children, rebuilding families, restoring lives and releasing leaders. “We believe there is no substitution for the love of God and the nurture of a mother. Children deserve to grow up knowing what that is,” says Yvonne – who founded the village with husband Roger.
The Restoration of Hope Board was formed in 2007, and bought a 30-acre plot in Shongweni/Dassenhoek two years later. “For three years the ground was cleared, levelled and prepared to become a future children’s village,” explains Patricia Deacon, who’s in charge of marketing and fundraising. “In 2012 our first foster mom, Ruth Makhaye, moved in and the village was officially opened.”
Mama Ruth arrived with her two biological sons Mthoko and Mbongeni. “Both my foster children and my biological children are my children, I don’t see a difference,” says Ruth – who heard about Ingane Yami through her mom’s employer. “I went for an interview and when the vision of the village was explained to me, I realised that this is something I want to get involved with. I love working with children and I want to give back to the community.”
The concept of cluster foster care is fairly new to South Africa and demonstrated in different ways: from multiple foster homes integrated into a particular community, to a community created around foster homes. Ingane Yami is the latter. “Our moms commit to long-term care just as a mother would. Ingane Yami then acts as the umbrella covering and supporting our moms with a home, food and education – so they have all they need to raise the children,” explains Patricia. All homes have capacity for six children and one mom, and are designed in a circle in order to create a “smaller community within a larger community” feel. This allows moms to support one another in areas of discipline and play, while still being able to take ownership of their individual home’s needs.
There are currently five homes in operation, with five moms looking after 19 children. “We have an on-site school catering for Grade R to Grade 7, a creche, a community hall, a resource centre, an office with supportive staff, a home for our social worker and her family, an astroturf and a soccer field,” says Patricia. “Our long-term plan is 150 children in 25 homes. We also want to expand our school as our children grow – creating a high school facility – and add computers, books and a quiet space for completing homework at our resource centre.”
Ingane Yami looks to take the next step after simply rescuing a child, wanting to raise that child to become a whole, secure, confident adult. “We want each child to grow to be the best at whatever they are called to be. We want to see functional, well-rounded and well-balanced individuals who are able to go back into their community of origin, experience a healthy and wholesome marriage and raise their own children in that same way – starting transformation in their own community,” says Patricia.
“We have been amazed at how people from our community have so generously offered to give what they have to give in order to see our children’s stories rewritten,” says Patricia. Spar KZN donates all the food for moms and children monthly, while local dentists, doctors and other specialists look after the children’s needs in health. Others are involved giving free lessons in tennis, P.E., dance and gymnastics.
“The African proverb ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ really rings through. We could not see the change that we see in these children’s lives without the help we receive from the wider community,” says Patricia.
tricia@inganeyami.com
www.inganeyami.com
