Children's HopeChest - Engaging, Connecting and Transforming The World's Orphans

South Africa

POPULATION: 47.9 million
NUMBER OF ORPHANS: 3.8 million

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The Challenge

South Africa is a country of extreme beauty with metropolitan cities such as Capetown, Durban and Johannesburg.  Developed, thriving industry and tourism might lead the average on-looker to believe that all is well, yet in the shadows of theses cities are all the challenges that exist in other African nations.  HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, tuberculosis and death are a way of life for the nearly 3.8 million orphans of South Africa.

South Africa has been significantly impacted by HIV/AIDS.  An estimated 5.7 million people in South Africa have the disease (roughly 12% of the population).  Approximately 1,000 new infections occur each day with 350,000 AIDS related death annually*.

The nation of South Africa has the distinction of being the wealthiest most developed African nation, yet 61% of its people still live within the grasps of extreme poverty.  In this post apartheid era millions of South Africans eke out an existence and survival is an everyday struggle.

The HopeChest Solution

In response to the significant challenges facing the nation of South Africa, Children’s HopeChest approached Focus on the Family, US to begin an orphan care initiative in partnership with Focus on the Family Africa.

We will employ a three phased approach of survive, thrive and succeed.   Our approach will take orphaned and vulnerable children in our care, from assistance with most basic necessities of life (food, clean water, and proper sanitation) to opportunities to break the cycles of poverty through job training and micro-enterprise opportunities.

We will look to develop CarePoints in communities with high orphan populations and partner with local community leadership to ensure that those who are in the most desperate of circumstances are offered access to food, clean water,  proper sanitation, and spiritual development.

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South Africa Data

  • 18.1 % of the 15-49 year old population is infected with HIV/AIDS
  • 5.7 million HIV-infected individuals in SA
  • There are approximately 3.8 million children who have lost one or both parents
  • South Africa has 0.7% of the world’s population, 17% of the global HIV epidemic, and 28% of global HIV and TB co-infected people.
  • Unemployment: 21.9%.
  • Population (2007, 47.9 million): Composition--black 79.7%; white 9.1%; colored 8.8%; Asian (Indian) 2.2%. Official figures from 2007 South African Census
  • Infant mortality rate 5.8%
  • Life expectancy--52 yrs. women; 49 yrs. mena