Khayelitsha Baphumelele Children’s Home Project
The vision of Baphumelele is to provide a temporary shelter for vulnerable and orphaned children and young adults with chronic diseases and HIV/Aids. Baphumelele works to provide skills development for the unemployed, early childhood care, alleviation of poverty, and healthcare information to the community in Khayelitsha and surrounding neighbourhoods in South Africa, so that the lives of everyone they touch can become more productive and accepted individuals who make a difference within society.
The Need for new Roofs for the Children’s Home
The Children’s Home at Baphumelele is made up of 12 cluster homes that provide short and long-term residential care to orphaned and abused children. The homes have become unhabitable, dilapidated, wasted with overuse, and had the old roofs made of asbestos. The local government has declared the houses unhabitable because of asbestos has been deemed illegal in South Africa, due the dangers it poses to humans, especially children.
Project Outcome
Clemens House
Started 2nd November 2023 - Completed 10th November 2023
Work was completed on the first house – Clemens House - where we were able to install a new clip-lock zinc roof. We were also able to waterproof and paint the inside and outside of the building. New aluminium gutters were also installed to help with drainage.
The Workshop House
Started 16th November 2023 - Completed 24th November 2023
At the second house – The Workshop House – we were able to complete removing the asbestos and re-roof the building with the new clip- lock zinc material. All work was completed on both houses by the end of the fourth week of November 2023.
The sustainability and unique nature of Baphumelele as a community-based project is assured through its deep roots in the community. Baphumelele management, staff, and the children would like to say a big thank you to everyone/to the committee and the secretary of Human Ecology Foundation and the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council who have helped to ensure that Baphumelele will manage to continue to deliver a service to those in our community who desperately need support and help. Without your help and donations, we would not have been able to continue to do this much needed work, your contribution has positively impacted the lives of young, innocent children, whose lives have all been impacted by many things including the HIV/Aids pandemic rampaging in our country.
Thank you for shining your light wherever you are.
Enkosi kakhulu.
Rosalia ‘Rosie ‘Mashale
Read the full project report here
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Baphumelele Children’s Home in Khayelitsha, South Africa
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November 2023
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Remove dangerous asbestos roofs from the children’s home buildings at Baphumelele.
Installing new roofs on the children’s home buildings. -
Both the Clemens and Workshop Houses of the Children’s Home at Baphumelele successfully had the dangerous asbestos roofs removed and new zinc clip-lock roofs installed. The buildings were also fumigated and repainted.
Both buildings are now safe for the children to live in.
