Bethany Place Of Safety - A Personal Account

April 1st 2008

Last year I had a chance to visit the Bethany Children’s home in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It was a beautiful experience, even though deeply tinged with the sadness that inevitably comes from encountering innocent children who’s lives have been profoundly affected by loss and tragedy. What could be more vulnerable than an abandoned child, where the primal premise of loving protection has been swept away, for whatever reason....death...disease..poverty...abandonment?? All children need is loving care. That’s it. And one of the things that made me feel good in Bethany, was that I really saw a lot of love there. Bethany is not an orphanage per se..It’s a stopping off place. Sometimes the parent(s) come back to retrieve their child, when they are in a better circumstance. Sometimes...not. A wonderful piece of synchronicity happened... Sammy Andrews ( who has helped me to create all the sites) has a best friend from the North of England, who’s sister went to South Africa for work experience. Little did I /we know that she was one of the wonderful care workers at Bethany, when we went there...so many long miles away from the UK. Here’s her story....It’s truly inspiring....


My name is Hannah Wood. I am 19 years old and a student at Sheffield Hallam University. I am originally from a small town called Leyburn in the Yorkshire Dales. In August 2006 I travelled to South Africa with a charity called Project Trust. Project Trust work with projects across Asia, Africa and South America, sending 17-19 years olds to volunteer for a period of Eleven to Twelve months. I remember after deciding to take a ‘gap year’ the process went by very quickly. Project Trust is based on the isle of Coll in the Scottish Hebrides. After applying, you go up to the Isle of Coll for a selection week. After being selected, Project Trust placed me at Bethany Place of Safety, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Before departure volunteers had to raise £3950. A couple of very generous trust funds sponsored me with large amounts of money; the rest was raised by family friends, cake stalls and a sponsored fast with two good friends. After a week of training we were on our way, into the unknown. After an uncomfortable plane journey and an even worse 12 hour bus ride I was picked up at 5.30am from the bus stop in Mthatha, South Africa on the 1st September 2006, not sure at all what to expect. My first images of Mthatha were groups of men sat around by the road side. The town was a hive of activity even though it was still so early! Even after travelling for 36 hours in total, when I was dropped off at my living accommodation, after unpacking, sitting doing nothing, it was the last place I wanted to be! After a short rest, I went down to Bethany, to meet the children. Never before have I been greeted so wonderfully. It’s hard to describe how you feel when 20 small children run and jump at you. A feeling I never got used to throughout my time in South Africa. There was no time for introductions and work started straight away, with the toddlers in the ‘day room’. Time there involves performing all the basic tasks toddlers need. Changing a LOT of nappies, cleaning up around them, feeding at meal times, helping teach them to walk and talk. Being left alone with 18 children really was terrifying. All I could think was ‘what if something happens and it’s my fault’? The first few days in South Africa passed very quickly. From the beginning I felt nothing but welcome, from the staff, other volunteers and local people I met along the way. Whenever anyone asks me to describe or define Bethany it always takes a little time. Bethany is a place of safety for abused and abandoned children between birth and 8 years old. While I was there, there were about 89 children, but at Christmas this number was touching on 100. Any money from the government goes on staff wages, therefore all other running costs, food, electricity, etc comes from fundraised money. Of the 89 children 28 were in the nursery, and were still bottle fed. The older children have a pre-school teacher that comes in Monday to Friday. The five oldest children go to the local primary school.


Most of the work at Bethany is performed by local staff. There is usually at least one volunteer around, sometimes as many as 5. When I’d settled in at Bethany and found my feet my day certainly became more varied. It would start by driving the 5 oldest children to the local primary school. Then back at Bethany I’d find out what needed to be done that day. Then I would go into town to do the shopping, banking, any hospital trips etc, or collect post, answer any emails and write letters. Some days I would drive Bethany’s social worker Linda to families of our children or to potential foster parent’s houses. In doing this I was lucky to see lots of the surrounding countryside and experience the home life of many Xhosa people. In the evenings I’d help with feeding the toddlers their dinner then change them and put them to bed. Some evenings I would then go up to the older children’s bedroom where we would watch films or play games, before I helped them to wash and go to bed. As hard as I tried not to have a favourite, there were definitely a couple of children that I had a brilliant relationship with. Lelethu was the noisiest yet smallest baby in the dayroom when I arrived. You could walk with her for hours and still she wouldn’t calm down. After breaking her arm during birth she had the craziest one armed crawl. She left Bethany to live with her mother and aunt, one of the best parts of my final week at Bethany when her and her mother visited Bethany and I got to see her again. The days at Bethany were long and some days I found it so hard to motivate myself, but as soon as I’d met the children in the morning I knew it was worth it. Taking the schoolchildren to school each morning was a constant fight to organise them. After playing up, being late, forgetting bags and lunchboxes one of the oldest boys, Mpho would just give this cheeky grin and I’d forget how cross I was five minutes earlier. I’d been in South Africa nearly 10 months when we heard Annie Lennox was coming to visit Bethany. I really didn't know what to expect. When she arrived there was no great fanfare, she didn't expect anything, and she was just as excited to meet our children. It was amazing how quickly she got stuck in there with the kids, not caring about snotty noses and grubby hands. It was also the first time I had come across the treatment and action campaign (TAC) while in South Africa, however the other projects they were working with in the Eastern Cape that I knew of are all fantastic projects. Annie Lennox seemed so passionate about her work battling the HIV AIDS pandemic in South Africa and it was so exciting to find out that some of the kids would be in the music video, 'Sing'. Nearly all the Bethany kids absolutely adore having their pictures taken, so it was a good opportunity for them to show off, especially their hoola hoop skills!


Wherever you go in South Africa the effects of the HIV AIDS pandemic are painfully clear. Many of our children in Bethany had family members affected by AIDS or there as a result to HIV affiliated illness, or parents who have died from the disease. While I was there it was thought that about 40%of the children in Bethany had HIV. Only 4 of these children were recieving Anti-retroviral treatment, treatment that greatly increased several children's quality of life, giving them so much more energy. It was beautiful for me to know how a little affection and attention could make the kid's day. They are all always smiling and so, so happy just to be involved in a game or a group cuddle. My time in South Africa was only short, just less than a year, but I will never forget it. I think about the Bethany children on a near daily basis, I'm sure my friends and family are getting a little bored of hearing 'Well in South Africa they...' 'Or there was this one time the children...' but I really can't help it! I had so many amazing experiences, and I know I'm a very different person to what I was when I left England in 2006. I would encourage any one interested in visiting South Africa, to just go for it. I met some amazing people there, such as Sister Mary Paule, Bethany's former administrator, I am always thankful that despite her hectic schedule she always made time for me, no matter how many mistakes I made along the way. I'll never forget all she did to support me during times when I felt out of my depth. Despite all its political difficulties and the levels of poverty it's a beautiful incredibly diverse country, full of surprises. I hope I taught the Bethany children something, but I'm sure that they taught me a lot more.

Me and Cwenga (with a click!) This little guy moved from Bethany to another local children's home, Khanyisa. He was such a chubby guy; all he did was roll around and squeak!

Oyama (left) Tornado (right) Cheeky Oyama will either turn out to be a comedian, and actor, or a politician! Tornado certainly lived up to his name causing havoc every where he went.



How could you resist these people?





My girl Lelethu, it was so amazing to see her before I left.



Me and Sister Mary Paule- if I am ever half this woman then I know I've done ok.



Meeting Annie Lennox. Annie is holding Sinawe, I have a grumpy Lilitha.



The kids dancing on my last night, I cried the whole evening




Sinazo the biggest poser in Bethany!






Because apparently I was more comfortable than the mat.



The Eastern Cape


CLICK HERE To visit the Bethany Website

CLICK HERE To visit The Project Trust Website