Cape Town Through the Eyes of an American Woman on Charity Tour

Photo Credit: Jean van der Meulen via Pexels

Laura Cardner has been supporting Home from Home for a few years now and finally got to visit South Africa to have a tour of all the work they do; she shared her thoughts in a beautiful essay, and we loved seeing the country through her eyes.

Cape Town, South Africa (29 July 2022) – Laura Cardner travelled from the United States to see first-hand the work being done by Home from Home, a South African non-profit that takes care of children in the foster system. Laura had put the tour off twice due to Covid, but she finally got to South Africa this year and loved it.

Laura shared an essay with Home from Home after her tour, expressing her joy in seeing how well everything was run and how lovely South Africa was. She shared it as thanks to the organisation for hosting her and giving her a tour of the various homes being run in the Western Cape.

While the essay is several pages long, sharing it would be difficult; we found this extract to be the most beautiful description of what Laura saw in South Africa and how it made her feel.

“Mafi, the first social worker to tour me around, whisked me away to our first community along a most picturesque route of Cape Town. This city is utterly breathtaking. The mountains fall into the ocean, the towns crowd the edges, surf pounds the shore where swimmers and surfers collide, hikers trek up the mountain and life hums in the buildings downtown. Cape Town holds everything in a single bowl. Just like the sea crashing into the mountains, wealth and poverty clash upon the same borders. One street may be filled with beautiful homes and spacious gardens while the next street is the entryway into a dense landscape of shelters and homes smashed upon each other where there is barely room for transportation among the throngs of people. In these communities, if there is a yard, it is dirt and sand. Some homes have plumbing, others do not. In the market you see butchered chickens hanging from ropes and dogs roaming about. Kids may or may not have shoes, but most all have a smile and eagerly greet you as you drive by.

The wealthier communities are surrounded by fences and gates. Some have concertina wire around the top, icing on the cake that says stay out. It is this juxtaposition of beauty and poverty, of security and vulnerability, of crime and peace that mesmerizes me.” – Laura Cardner

Home from Home provides supported, family-style foster care to orphaned, abused, neglected and vulnerable children. The organisation was founded in 2005 and has grown from one home to over thirty-six. Each home has the capacity to care for six children. The homes are spread throughout Kayamandi, Khayelitsha, Masiphumelele, Zonnebloem and more.

Overall, the organisation can provide care for over 200 children who would otherwise not experience family life.

Laura started supporting the organisation as a whole, but she then proceeded to sponsor one of the children through his schooling. The young man is now in a private school where he is able to pursue his love of sport. Laura got the chance to meet him in person during her tour and was delighted to see just how much he loved talking about his sporting activities. Laura’s support is changing this young man’s life!

You can find out more about the organisation and how to get involved via the website here. You can choose to sponsor a child, volunteer your time, raise funds for the home by doing sporting events or donate directly to the organisation. There are many ways to lend a helping hand, and all are welcome.