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| At the new SOS Children's Village in Rustenburg children can enjoy their childhood - Photo: SOS Archives |
When South Africa won the bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 100 orphaned and abandoned children would soon find a home in the North West Province of Rustenburg. A joint initiative by FIFA and SOS Children’s Villages for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany called "6 villages for 2006” campaign was launched in 2004 with the aim of raising sufficient funds globally to build six more villages, one in each continent.
Danny Jordaan, Secretary-General of the Organising Committee for the first FIFA World Cup on African soil, stressed the symbolic value of the joint campaign between FIFA and SOS Children’s Villages: “Germany has taken an innovative approach to implementing its slogan ‘A time to make friends’. The SOS Children’s Village in Rustenburg is a first step to a different Africa after 2010.”
South Africa was nominated as the preferred African country to construct one of these six villages. After undertaking a needs analysis country wide, based on the high number of orphaned and vulnerable children, SOS Children’s Villages South Africa rated the North West Province as the neediest province, particularly the Rustenburg area of Tlhabane West. Ten new family houses have been constructed and fully integrated into the existing community. There are no borders or fences that separate the village houses from the neighbouring community houses. According to the village director Kerileng Mushi, "33 children have been admitted to the village since its establishment and there is a projection of another 32 children being admitted by the end of 2008.” The community integrated houses offer the children a natural sense of being part of a wider community and is a conducive atmosphere for playing with other community children, the village director explained further.
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| Lucas Radebe, former football star and still one of the most popular players in South Africa, has been supporting the village in Rustenburg right from the very beginning on - Photo: Ab Sebetha - eimage.co.za |
During the sod turning ceremony in July 2005, the Premier of the North West, Edna Molewa, acknowledged the importance of a new children’s village in the North West. She believes that “It is difficult to see who in the North West does not stand to benefit in having the establishment of an SOS Children’s Village in the province. Our figures show that more than 180,000 children in the province have already lost one or both parents.” Certainly this figure has changed dramatically especially with the prevalence of HIV/AIDS since 2005. In addition to the SOS family houses, the Rustenburg village supports children in the surrounding communities through its family strengthening programme. This programme has been tailored to meet the community needs, more especially in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the North West.
“Bana Boswa” (celebrating the children as our future) is the theme for the official opening of the SOS Children's Village in Rustenburg on 24 September 2008, Heritage Day.