‘PLEASE RESCUE CHILDREN FROM ORPHANAGE’

MOTSHANE – Please rescue those children from that orphanage to a safe place!

The above was a plea from teachers of Motshane Primary School to the social welfare office, requesting that they set free children housed at Motshane Hope House, where they said there was no hope at all. According to the teachers, the general appearance of the children spoke volumes on issues of their welfare which has been going on for a while without being attended to.

Teachers said the children at the centre needed to be rescued immediately.
The teachers who were over 10 complained that the children who lived at the orphanage lacked food, proper school uniform, including school shoes and their books were untidy and not covered.

They said most of the children were a sorry sight as their uniforms were tattered and beyond that, very dirty. The teachers also complained that the children reported to school very late or absented themselves for weeks without any explanation.

Worse, the teachers said the children displayed violent behaviour and were quick to beat others up. “We have seen the children fighting over porridge crust, something which clearly indicates that they starve,” related the teachers.

They said it was painful to see the director of the orphanage, Dr Lewis Chomba, who is a man of God, in a clean suit while his children were the total opposite. Further, they noted that the children’s behaviour showed that they were intimidated by a number of things. One of the teachers said as he questioned one child on why he was late, he simply burst into tears, while another teacher said when he questioned the children why they were late, they told her that they were from drawing water at the pond.

Teachers felt that the orphanage was no longer a safe haven for the children, considering their physical appearance. They said the concerns regarding the centre were not new and were well documented with the social welfare which was why they wanted the children to be saved by the office. 

Meanwhile, they wanted answers from Chomba on where he got the children from as some had South African identities and could not benefit from the Free Primary Education (FPE) Fund. Responding, Chomba said the problem at the centre was not financially related, but with management. Chomba said teachers were assuming and spoke what they perceived about the institution as they had never even set foot there.

Argued

He argued that he was seen as a person who did not love children by the teachers who regarded the centre as a prison and not a home for children.
“I feel so much ashamed as you perceive Hope House as a young offenders’ institution or a jail,” he said.

The pastor said currently, the school was running about four programmes which included the orphanage, feeding programme, pre-school and the church. In their feeding programme, Chomba said they fed close to 150 children daily, who were from the community.

This he said was an agreement between him and the late Chief Sipho Shongwe, who gave him the land and requested that he contributes towards the welfare of the children in the community. “I also run a pre-school where we offer children attending there food free of charge,” Chomba said. 

He said Hope House was an institution which had several partners whom they worked with.
According to Chomba, the community recieved help from the centre in terms of food. “I offer three meals a day for the children; breakfast, lunch and supper,” Chomba said.

He said the church also had a huge following and members could have raised their concerns if they felt there was something not going right at the orphanage. Chomba said he was working with the Department of the Social Welfare, who referred the children to his centre.

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