Background
Cami Rencken, a 16-year old from Ballito through the Domino Foundation met Angela Dube and along with the help of family, friends
and community members, raised funds and built a house for an impoverished caregiver in Amaoti. In this home, Angela Dube provides
a safe and nurturing environment to ten orphans who are abandoned, abused and disabled children. Angela’s Home, based in Geneva
Unit, Amaoti, is also used as a temporary place of safety for vulnerable children, by the Juvenile Courts.
recycL Junction was introduced to Angela’s home by Dr Julia Ambler from Umdudzi and has been actively involved with the valuable
assistance of our sponsors in raising funds and donations for home improvements, day to day needs of the family as well as facilitating
fun days for the children. We provide ongoing mentorship to assist Angela’s home to become a self-sustainable N.P.O.
Angela Dube
Angela Dube, a community leader and ‘Mother Theresa’ figure who has impacted on the lives of many orphaned and neglected children with
limited resources over the years. Her husband died of HIV/TB in 2003 and Angela and her three biological children found themselves homeless
and starving. Angela says that one day when she was in the streets, she saw an infant roaming aimlessly near a shack. Inside the shack she
found the child’s mother in a terrible condition, having been abandoned by family due to her condition caused by HIV/ AIDS. Angela started
looking after the child and her mother and brought her children to live with her newly acquainted friend. The community reached out to them
and the rest as they say is history! From then on Angela started getting involved taking in orphans herself.
Angela Dube is well-known and her involvement with children has earned the respect of NPO’s and the community alike. Until recently she housed
‘her’ children in a shack before moving them to a small two bedroom dwelling that still exists on the property and now houses Angela’s immediate
family and the very busy home kitchen.
Angela’s sister, niece and two of her three sons live in the ‘old house’ on the property and Angela and her daughter share the newly erected home
with ten children who are toddlers, pre-primary and primary school children. One of these children is mentally and physically challenged.
All these children have been orphaned or abandoned and some of them have been physically abused leaving some of them HIV positive.
In the afternoon the home is inundated with the local youth who come there for a meal and nurturing and some of the older ones do homework
with a sponsored teacher. It is at these times that Angela sews into their lives and assists with any personal issues the children may have.
Angela never turns anyone away and ensures that all that come into Angela’s Home, leave knowing what it is to be loved.
In the afternoon the home is inundated with the local youth who come there for a meal and nurturing and some of the older ones do homework
with a sponsored teacher. It is at these times that Angela sews into their lives and assists with any personal issues the children may have.
Angela never turns anyone away and ensures that all that come into Angela’s Home, leave knowing what it is to be loved.
Help
Angela manages with the assistance of a sponsored helper but the demands are constant with health issues being an on-going concern. Sue Naylor,
a retired nurse, assists Angela with the wellbeing of the children – arranging sponsorship for operations and arranging special hospital visits etc.
The home has now partnered with the Container Ministry so that Angela is able to supplement her meagre food supplies and also feed the aftercare
children and thus contribute to her impoverished neighbourhood.
The Domino Foundation assists in any way they can so as to relieve Angela and all those involved of the day to day concerns and administration so
that Angela and all involved can get on and do what they do best – nurture the children! The Domino Foundation also manages any contributions and
one can go to http://www.domino.org.za to get further information on The Foundation.
There are ongoing and once-off needs and to find out more please contact Sally du Plessis on 082 856 9801 or 031 561 2098 or sally@durbs.com .
More on Amaoti
Amaoti is the largest informal settlement in Kwazulu-Natal (between 80 000 and 100 000 people) characterised by poverty, unemployment and HIV/AIDS,
and increasingly high numbers of orphans and child-headed households. It forms part of Inanda on the outskirts of north Durban (nearly adjacent to Mount Edgecombe).
Izimbali ZeSizwe Child and Youth Development, 050-663-NPO
C184 Geneva Unit, Ngoqokaz, Amaoti, Inanda,
Tel: +27 73 826 8968 0r +27 82 853 1345