Joyful Center Opening in Botswana

Our Community and Wilderness Outreach Project in northern Botswana has recently re-opened the Joyful Center, a day care facility for mostly orphaned children and youth from the Mathathane Village.

Our mission is to create a brighter future for those less fortunate, who have often through tragic circumstances lost one or both their parents. The orphan rate in the village is considerably high due to HIV/AIDS, a disease that has taken many lives in the past. Numbers are more stable now, yet the parents passed cannot be brought back to life, and the children live with some family, friends or selected guardians.

At the Joyful Centre our focus is play, laughter and fun facilitated in a safe space, providing support and a sense of belonging to the children. Our aim is to bring joy, as well as educate on important matters such as nature, environment, wildlife, hygiene, English, technology, future and career and other. We have recently been able to renovate our building, which was made possible by Good Hope Volunteers and support from our community locally. The facility can host up to 45 children, which is considered a full house!

The renovations have been great, but we are still seeking some furniture, a projector and screen for movie nights and may other small but vital equipment. Our biggest challenge is the lack of financial support, as we would like to employ caretakers full time and not have to rely on volunteers (locally and internationally) for the centre to be operational. We solemnly rely on public and government support, which is difficult.

We are incredibly grateful to the donors and supporters who have stood behind us to date, without you the Joyful Centre would not exist!

Good Hope Volunteers also thanks all the volunteers for their hard work in re-opening the centre. If you would like to volunteer in Botswana, please contact us.

Yours,
The Good Hope Volunteer Team

To be part of our amazing volunteer community, please contact us.