In Matatiele, in South Africa, MDW worker Jozien Koelewijn is committed to sheltering and protecting children in crisis. One of these children is Charlotte. Because of her story, Jozien and her colleagues at the time started dreaming of a home to offer children like her a safe place. Jozien tells how this turned out and how things are going now.
Charlotte just turned seven and has been living with us with her two sisters for a year now. Sixteen years ago, we helped her mother, who was very young at the time. She grew up in terrible conditions. During our years in Ntuzuma township, where we first worked, I learnt a lot about the hugely broken situations at home, in which many of the children and young people grew up.
Love amid violence
There was no way out of these situations, no place to settle down for once. Only a downward spiral of violence and abuse. That's why we then started family home Ikhaya Lothando (‘house of love’). Especially the story Charlotte's mother played a big role in this. At home, there was abuse and a lot of extreme violence. There was also a lot of witchcraft and everything was overshadowed by dark and occult practices.
Girls from this kind of situation look for a way out at an early age with boys who give them some attention, hoping for a better life. The beginning of our work was not a success story: mostly a lot of ploughing and little harvesting. It was hard that much slipped between our fingers. We had to learn to be there for young people when they needed and allowed it.
Charlotte's birth
When Charlotte was born, her mother was again nowhere to be found for a while shortly afterwards. We had Charlotte with us temporarily, right from the moment her umbilical cord was still attached. We started praying for and dreaming of a home where we could offer children like Charlotte a safe place, because in the township things were only getting harder.
A home as a safe place
A few years later, God answered our prayer for a home from the township. What a miracle it is that precisely Charlotte and her two little sisters are the first girls allowed to be safe with us. Finally, we may now break the cycle of violence. Even though we were unable to change her mother's situation, thanks to the trust in us built up in her childhood, she made the courageous decision to give the girls to us. This is certainly not something to be taken for granted.
Charlotte may now be safe and will no longer be abused. Everyone in the township seemed to know about the misery at home but because of the witchcraft, no one dared to do anything. Now people are thankful that God is stronger and that there may be a new future for the new generation. Charlotte and her sisters are doing well here and we look forward to what God will do in the future.
CGK Diaconate supports the work of Jozien and her colleagues.
