Orphan support

The primary objective of Mothers for All is to develop a sustainable model of support for orphans and vulnerable children. Research has shown that any benefits a mother or caregiver receives by way of financial upliftment, education and life skills are immediately passed onto the children in their care - so that's what we provide.

Orphan training fund

There is no doubt that there have been many obvious benefits for the children in the household, from receiving regular meals to having school clothes and stationery. The less obvious but more powerful benefit has been the sense of hope for the future that now pervades our mothers' households. And as we want to keep that sense of hope alive we have started an orphan fund which will be used to provide training for the orphans once they leave school. We are all thrilled that our very first orphan to benefit from this scheme is Oratile, who started training in book-keeping and IT at the beginning of 2011 with the intention of coming back to work for Mothers for All. It is fitting that she is also the orphaned granddaughter of our very first mother to be recruited - Maipelo from Selebi-Phikwe, Botswana. The funds for her training will come out of a World Bank grant.

Oratile has already become indispensible to Mothers for All helping with administration, sales and marketing

The first donation to this fund, of nearly 200 Australian dollars, came from a raffle held at the Methodist Ladies College Christmas market stall in Perth. The raffle prize was a special necklace constructed with paper beads made from the 2009 school magazine by Maipelo and some semi-precious stones. Initially the raffle proceeds were going to go to the school but everyone quickly agreed that they would be best used for the Mothers for All orphan training fund. This amount will pay for a year of basic computer lessons or enable someone to get a driving licence. A recent World Bank grant has enabled us to pay for a year's tuition in IT and book-keeping for our first orphan trainee.

Orphan relief fund

Mothers for All has also set up a fund to help the orphans who are in particularly dire straits, especially those of our mothers who pass away. While the governments in both countries offer financial support in the form of a grant, this can be difficult to access in South Africa as many of the caregivers don't have all the requisite documents such as birth certificates, death certificates and ID documents. Money from this relief fund will be used to make sure these children receive food and clothing, and stay in school.

Orphans get involved

Mothers for All has amply confirmed what research has shown - skills taught to caregivers are quickly passed onto the children in their care. Almost all of the children now assist the mothers to cut the paper, roll the beads, and assemble them into different products. Many of the children receive their pocket money out of the proceeds and so they are also learning basic business principles as well as new skills.