Big brown eyes met us as the door to the little home opened. Smiles of appreciation and welcome invited us in. Had it not been for a home Maria and her two younger sisters would have needed to take refuge in the veld. At fourteen, Maria is a radiant young woman ready to take on the world. Many years has shaped and restored the once fragile young girl. Maria, at a tender nine years old, needed to deal with the abandonment of her paternal father only to be left w...

Upon entering the Elandshoorn Township near Groblersdal you are pulled into a different world, one of wonder and extreme difference from the ones we are acquainted with. Dusty streets line numerous metal shacks. Children are running out to you waving in wonder as they recognise the Ndlovu Land Rover. This vehicle not only promises a better future, but also brings hope to a community pulled apart by HIV/AIDS. Not unlike any other township, Elandshoorn faces a desperate need for understanding...

Are we protecting or ignoring our future? Orphans and vulnerable children are left without their first line of defence – their parents. When a child is orphaned they become vulnerable to various aspects of life dangers. Sexual exploitation, lack of education and abuse are but a few issues that face their daily lives. According to the Oxford dictionary an orphan is “a child who has lost one or both parents”. However the Namibian National Policy...