Statistics say that 8 out of 10 children who lived in a children’s home, and had to leave at age 18, almost always end up in a shelter later in life. How sad is this? How can we expect 18 year olds, who have no family support, to “make it in the world?”

“I have three children of my own, and not one of them were able to sustain themselves financially at the age of 18.” Alison Alexander, General Director at Rainbow of Hope.

How then do we expect this from kids who have been dealt a raw deal from day 1?

At Rainbow of Hope we think of our home as “bringing hope” and “making dreams come true”. We teach children to REACH FOR THE STARS!” Our first children have already reached the age of 18. We want to prepare them for independence, something we have been doing since the first day they entered the doors of Rainbow of Hope. Now we need to take it a step further and create a second stage where over 18’s can live with assistance from the General Director/House Mother & the Board, which will eventually take them to full independence.

To do this we need to buy a second house in the Goodwood area and as close to Rainbow House as possible. This house will belong to the Rainbow of Hope Trust, which means it can never be sold, but rather given to a similar organisation if Rainbow of Hope ceases to exist one day. We are looking at a 4 bedroom home. These adolescents will, with assistance, manage their finances. If they are at University, they will need to find a part time job. If they don’t want to study, and not everyone can be academics, they will need to find a job, and of course we will assist them. The simplest way to manage the assisted living is to make the youngsters responsible for the following: 1/3 of their “salary” goes to Rainbow of Hope, 1/3 goes towards housekeeping where they are living and the other 1/3 they will need to save/bank so, when they are ready to move from assisted independence to independence, then they should have a little “nest egg”. Now, as this will be the pilot project, we have no time frames, but rather would want to see what works as we go along. Remember, we are not a government funded home, but rather a home just like yours….so we will learn by trial and error.

Why a 4 bedroom house? There would have to be a room for a Peer Supervisor and the two oldest girls when they finish school, will live in the other room. The idea is that the 2 extra rooms would be utilised, in the mean time, for International volunteers and their families at a reasonable cost. This will allow the home some financial sustainability too….We know our international interns and volunteers and their families would love to support us in this venture, by making use of our accommodation and contributing in their own way to breaking the cycle of poverty, neglect and abuse that have been thrust on so many children in South Africa.