Rainbow of Hope
I chose to support Rainbow of Hope as a community project, mainly as I am inspired by one woman’s drive and passion to support abused and abandoned children. Alcohol and drug abuse are rife in Cape Town and gives rise to terrible social problems and total misery for the young defenceless victims. Alison Alexander, a qualified Pre-Primary School teacher comes from an unfortunate background which was what inspired her to help children who have been abused and abandoned.
It started in March 1984 when Alison and her husband opened their home in conjunction with a project that was being run by Comminicare, a non government, nonprofit organisation Numerous children were taken in and cared for, the youngest being a two-week-old baby left in a drunk coma by her mother along with a bottle of neat alcohol. This child was later adopted by Alison and her husband and is doing very well despite her poor start to life. Alison officially opened Rainbow of Hope as a Non-Profit Organization In 2007. The initial vision was a place of safety for children from babies to 6 years old, but she soon saw the need for older children to be in a safe environment and then changed the age range. She currently has 12 Children from babies up to children up to twelve years of age and she looks after their wellbeing in terms of their physical, emotional and educational needs. She also trains staff and volunteers in caring for the children’s needs and runs workshops for those who are considering fostering or adopting children.
Alison also runs programs which focus on rehabilitating parents so that they can be able to parent their own children again. To this end she teaches moms various crafts like beading and provides all the material. These products are sold and 50% of the proceeds go to the moms and the other 50% to the home. Rainbow of Hope is not a large organization by any means, but it provides a place of care, safety, love and nourishment for 12 babies and children who would otherwise have no real hope of survival. Alison does this without the help of government and operates purely on donations.
Many of the items on the needs list are small, so can be packed in your luggage. If space is limited and the items you wish to provide are bulky (like nappies) or sugar, I would be more than happy to purchase the items, and we can deliver them during your stay in Cape Town. We would need to do this by prior arrangement, and I would appreciate pre-payment.
Please visit Pack for a Purpose to see a list of items Rainbow of Hope need in order to make a big impact on children’s lives.
