Orphans and 83 yr old lady's home collapsed

Hello, my name is Hajo Kowalke, I am a tour guide in South Africa and need help for an amazing 83 years old woman, who dedicated her life to raising orphans:

For almost 20 years I have been leading township tours as a tour guide in Cape Town, South Africa and am also on the road in the Eastern Cape province in pristine and rural areas.

A few years ago I met Malephuthing Selina Mokhoabane (I will write Selina below) in her home in the Eastern Cape. She is an old lady of 83 years and lives in very modest circumstances in a village in the countryside. In her long life, Selina has raised 31 (!) children, own children and grandchildren, but mainly orphans whose parents have either died or simply disappeared.

Even today, at her high age, she is still taking care of 3 children who are living with her and her daughter in the small house, consisting of 2 rooms only (living room/kitchen and bedroom). They are sleeping on foam mats on the floor, there is only one tap for water outside the house and an outdoor toilet with a septic tank. There is no insulation or heating, the wind blows through cracks in the masonry and when it rains, the water comes through the rusted roof sheets, which also serve as ceiling.

I have visited Selina several times, and each time I am fascinated by her very warm modesty and gratitude for the little that she shares with the parentless children. On my last visit a few weeks ago during local winter, I experienced for myself how rain dropped into the house in several spots through the desolate roof and how the cold whistled through all cracks in the masonry.

During this visit, I decided to support Selina in addition to my projects in the townships of Cape Town, so that she can live the hopefully many remaining years of her life in well-deserved dignity.

I then looked in the region for materials for a new roof and for the repairs to the masonry, as well as craftsmen. After down payments and the procurement of materials, the time had recently come for the work to start. While taking off the old roof, the catastrophe happened: after the roof was partially loosened, a cracked outer wall collapsed and partially collapsed together with the roof. Luckily, no one was in the house and the workers on the roof escaped unharmed, just with a fright.

As a result, the house has become uninhabitable, and I have now planned and calculated the reconstruction with craftsmen and suppliers.

Originally, I had collected most of the sum for the roof renewal from the budget for my projects. Due to the partial collapse, this budget is no longer sufficient to make the house habitable again. The walls have to be removed and rebuilt together with the foundation. Windows and parts of the electrical system have to be replaced and the substructure of the roof has to be renewed.

Selina has to be accommodated elsewhere with her daughter and the three orphans until she can move back into the house. There is currently a lack of funds for getting all this done.

My heartfelt request goes to everyone who can make a small or larger contribution and would like to help Selina return into her house: we are short of about € 11,000 for the reconstruction.

I have arranged for the reconstruction to begin, so instead of the original amount for the roof, I have now provided the funds for the demolition and start of the reconstruction, in the hope of quick help from some of you.

I can assure you that every donation will be used for the project and will inform everyone who donates and is known to me by email address or Facebook about the status of the work. The workers are sending me photos of the progress, which I will compile and send to donors after completion.

I will be there in the Eastern Cape towards the end of the work and help with the painting and installation of curtain rods etc., to be able to hand over the house to Selina.

Of course, I will also send pictures of this to everyone who has contributed and would like to see them. On behalf of Selina and of course myself, I would be very happy if we could manage to rebuild the house for her and the children together!

A big thank you to everyone who has read this far and is willing to help!