Led by the nuns of the Oberzell Nunnery, the South African convent founded in Mbongolwane in 1959 soon developed into a safe haven for the local population, whose lives are often tragically touched by poverty and violence. Built in the late 1980s, the Antonia Werr Kindergarten provides safe childcare in this remote area, enabling women to go to work. Meanwhile, the St. Joseph’s Children’s Home, founded in 1988, offers a caring and peaceful home to children with extremely challenging family backgrounds or babies who have been abandoned in emergency situations.

The two sisters still living in Mbongolwane following the closure of the convent are now responsible for running both the kindergarten and children’s home. The latter is currently home to 33 children, including a good number of babies and toddlers. The Franciscan sisters work together with a team of employed caregivers, social workers and other staff to care for the children and ensure their personal development. They do all this while respecting the local Zulu culture with the goal of reintegrating the children into their families wherever possible.

The older children up to the age of 14 attend the nearby local school, while the younger ones are included in the sisters’ kindergarten. The most intensive – and of course expensive – care is that given to the newborns looked after at St. Joseph’s. With costs rising and institutional incomes falling and the already low government subsidies barely covering the essentials, times are hard.

This makes outside help all the more important for the children reliant on St. Joseph’s and the Franciscan sisters. Mix for Kids is one such donor and is as such a vital source of food, formula, diapers and school uniforms as well as other everyday expenses for the children.