A few years ago, a couple from Lotus Gardens in Pretoria-West, noticed that many small children in their impoverished community, are left home alone during the day while parents are out to work/looking for work.
The parents do not have the means to pay for day care – in some instances older siblings are left to look after the little ones and have to leave them home while they go to school. The children are also left without food – sometimes for more than a day. One such a child got very ill after eating her parents’ ARV-tablets. That’s when they decided to start a day care at their home for these children – without funding or expectation to be paid.
News about this spread in the community and some children were left at their day care for good. The day care turned into permanent care. The couple added some structures to their shack and they now care for 28 abandoned and orphaned children. They registered the Garaletsang Home.
DJ Lamiez visited the Garaletsang Home, after hearing of the work they do and that they were struggling to get by without funding. She was very touched by their intention to give shelter to destitute children of the community where she came from, but also distraught to see the conditions they were living in.
DJ Lamiez, together with her husband, well-known rapper, Khuli Chana committed to helping Garaletsang, to raise funds and to improve their living conditions.
They have had plans drawn up to build a proper home, with bathroom facilities and space for all 28 children. They are awaiting re-zoning permits from the City Council and will fund the building project themselves. They’ve also arranged for the children to be moved to a cricket hall in Atteridgeville in the meantime.
With winter fast approaching, DJ Lamiez asked for assistance with 20 bunk beds and mattresses, as the children are sharing four double beds and some are sleeping on the floor. Her hope is to at least provide them with warm, comfortable beds, while they wait for their new home to be built.
