Project 01/2025 Co-funding project Dr. Hubert Jung, Buseck-Germany in collaboration with the Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation

Support for the Rising Eagles-Safe Haven home for abused and needy children in Struisbaai, South Africa

On the occasion of a milestone birthday of our long-time foundation companion Dr. Hubert Jung, Buseck, instead of common gifts he asked for financial support for a childrens aid project in South Africa through our Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation (we have provided detailed information about this on our homepage). 

Thanks to the extremely generous donations of his guests and the increase in our foundation, so much came together that we were able to propose two projects together for South Africa and support them today. Dr. Jung was happy to take up our suggestion to hand over the project funding together on site in South Africa at our own expense and to gain an insight into our foundations work and the local need there. We paid our first project visit to Struisbaai, at the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas. There we visited the childrens home for abused and vulnerable children Rising Eagles – Safe Haven, which was founded by Seloma Gouws about 15 years ago.

At that time, under the umbrella of the global organization Meals on Wheels in Struisbaii on rent with two/three rooms for the accommodation of the children, Seloma now has a new building, also supported by our foundation in 2018, in which 13 children, mostly of the younger age of 4 - 14 years, are currently accommodated.

In order to understand and appreciate Selomas personal, self-sacrificing commitment to each of Selomas children taken in, we take a brief look back at the situation in the poor region around Struisbaai and the children at the time (we quote from our visit report at the time and the conversation with Seloma in 2018 and 2020): 

The region around Struisbaai, located at the southernmost point of Africa, was once dominated by the life and work of local fishermen, but more and more they have to give up their houses and their work because the fish population has been greatly reduced. On the other hand, more and more richer Europeans and South Africans from Johannesburg are buying up the houses of needy locals and converting them into holiday homes. This no longer brings any income and there are no other businesses in the area. The income of fishermen and locals is reduced almost exclusively to 3-4 months of work in the holiday business. Conditions are further complicated by sand drifts on the rough southern Cape and the very salty sea air, which makes it difficult to grow vegetables, so that expensive purchases have to be made from farmers further away.

Many of these families become impoverished, the fathers become frustrated and can no longer look after their children, some of whom are then left to fend for themselves. Alcohol and drug problems result from this, as does domestic violence. Rapes are increasing. Even young girls have children before they grow up and are left to fend for themselves.

Many children suffer from hunger, are beaten and constantly have to endure domestic violence, so the only way out of this misery is to be separated from their families and placed in childrens homes that are few and far between.

Meals on Wheels, which was founded in 1964, helps to alleviate the plight of children and offer them a safe haven with over 200 branches in South Africa. A branch is located in Struisbaai, whose main task is to combat hunger in the region and support families in need with a warm meal.

Currently, 1,200 meals per week are cooked in the Meals on Wheels building by the kitchen helpers there, mostly volunteers, and are delivered by assistant drivers and distributed at a number of designated delivery points. Unfortunately, even these meals are often not enough, which is sad to see, especially when waiting children come for free and have to leave hungry.

There are few social workers available to care for children who have to be removed from their families because of domestic violence. The task of social workers is not only to protect the children from further violence, but also to work on and with the families to put an end to this misery.

Seloma Gouws could not see the misery of many children for a long time and she decided to set up a daycare center to take on the most difficult childrens cases and take the children in. So far, Seloma has taken in 99 children since it was founded and strengthened them for their future. Some only stay for a day, some for a week, 3-4 months or even for several years, like Beuleluwe, who was taken in by Seloma when she was 6 years old. Now she is 21 years old, has her own room there and still looks after her fellow siblings in her free time. She works and would like to do legal training as part of her police career. 

In 2017, a new building had to be built for the ever-increasing number of children in long-term care. At that time, the building was only financed, built and equipped with donations. Our foundation helped support the expansion of the roof beams and the fencing of the property, also with the help of some of our donors. On our last visit in 2020 we were able to view the beautiful, almost finished property and on our visit today we met the children there and were able to spend a whole afternoon with them. The children live there and have a common room for girls and one for boys where they can sleep and be alone. They eat together like in a larger family and receive care and motivation to learn from the volunteer carers. They feel every day that they are cared for and that they are getting their childhood back and experiencing a lot of love. Living together is characterized by great harmony. For lessons, the children are driven to the school bus or to school in their own minibus. They also come into contact with Christian values and go to church regularly. Most children are traumatized by abuse, sexual and domestic violence and need constant psychological trauma treatment, which we are providing with our current project funding from Dr. Young and supporting us. In addition, Seloma would like to involve the children in a bed garden project, for which she, the children, is then responsible. If our funding is still sufficient, one or two school clothes will be purchased.

A few months ago, Seloma was able to purchase a nearby property through donations and is planning an urgently needed expansion (new building) to accommodate more children.

It is a big challenge for everyone there in Safe Haven, which Seloma can no longer overcome without significant donations.

Dr. Jung and we, the foundation board members, are convinced that his and our co-funding is well received there and is sustainable. We will certainly continue to pursue and promote the Safe Haven project in the future.

Struisbaai, Western Cape, South Africa 02/14/2024

Photos: own, Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation