Our visit and Donations

The Tartan Army Children’s Charity have donated £30,000 each to two deserving causes:

• Umthombo Street Children, Durban
  

• Let us Grow, Orange farm, near Johannesburg

TACC's South African Trip

Friday 11th June - Let us Grow, near Jo'Burg

(Trustees Carey and Jamie’s travel costs were funded by a corporate donation. It remains TACC policy that 100% of every £1 donated by fans goes directly to good causes)

We were picked up from our guesthouse in Jo'burg at 9am by Sixolili and Joseph, staff at Oxfam and Let us Grow, for the 1 hour drive to Orange Farm. On the way we stopped at a sports shop to buy a sack of footballs - TACC's 30k grant had been transferred a few weeks earlier but we didn't want to turn up empty handed.

Orange Farm is a vast informal settlement inhabited by people who travel there hoping to make a living in Jo'burg. It is exactly as you'd imagine it, with red dirt "streets" and basic accomodation. On this day however there was also an excitement in the air, with South Africa's opening World Cup match taking place that night.
 

We were greeted by the Let us Grow founder - Mama Rose - and her young staff. Most of them were once orphans supported by LuG, so they are the best people to try to connect with the children, to earn their trust. After a beautifully delivered traditional African welcome song, the team introduced themselves to us, explaining their own backgrounds and current roles. It is inspirational stuff. This is a hard place to grow up as an orphaned child, with extreme poverty, physical and sexual abuse to contend with. To have come through that and now be working to help the current children is remarkable.

We spent a short time organising a TACC sponsored football tournament that will take place in July, the day before the Wolrd Cup Final. The aim being to give the children a day of world cup fun, with many teams taking part and food and drink for every one.
 
We were then shown around LuG, effectively a small brick building with a small outdoor (but covered) cooking facility. They provide food to the children 3 times daily, the kids queuing up with their plates or margarine tubs and then sitting in the open to eat, even in bad weather.
 
LuG currently supports over 1,000 children who's parents have passed away of TB, Aids or other illnesses. Often the children are left to look after their younger brothers and sisters, because in Orange Farm no-one knows who they are, where they're from or who their relatives are.
 
As we watched the children queuing for lunch, one small boy of around 2 dropped the lid of his margarine tub. An older boy of around 8 picked it up for him and helped him put it back on, then held his hand while they waited.

Afterwards we went out onto the street where there were a few children milling about, curious about these men in skirts!  As soon as we got the footballs out loads more childen appeared, and we soon had several kickarounds going on. We tried our best but were hopelessly outplayed!

The lasting impression we got was of the inspirational staff who run the programme, and the cheery, friendly nature of the children.
 
TACC's donation to LuG will fund it for the rest of 2010, providing food, counselling, support, medicine, sport and education.