One day 2 1/2 years ago I was walking through the valley with one of my friends. We were passing a small mud hut and noticed an elderly woman sitting outside on a blanket. In the Zulu culture you must greet people when you pass them so we slowed down and greeted the lady, as we talked with her i noticed a small child in the garbage dump that was next to the house. The surrounding houses and the Shabine (tavern) next to her mud hut throw all their waste into the pit. The little girl came out of the dump and she was carrying 2 apple cores. She lifts one to her mouth to take a bite when she notices Nthabiseng and myself talking with her grandmother, embarrassed she hides the apple cores behind her back.

Her grandmother was also embarrassed and explains that Thembalihle has lost her parents to AIDS and now it is just the 2 of them left, they are trying to survive on her pension but its just not enough for them and she cant even send Thembalihle to school. they go for days with nothing to eat.

I told Gogo (grandmother) that I would be back soon. We leave and when i am in the seclusion of my bathroom I break down, my heart breaks for the Gogo and her beautiful little granddaughter. I felt as though my heart was breaking into thousands of tiny pieces and the pain I felt for these two strangers took my breath away, it over whelmed me and I knew I had to do something.

As most kids do when they don’t have the answers, I called my mum! I told her about my day and about Gogo and Thembalihle. What should I do? My mum and dad decided they they would help this little family, they became our 1st Project O sponsors and Thembalihle our first orphan!

For £19 a month my parents change a family’s life. Now they have enough food to make it through each month and Thembalihle is going to school and doing great!! She is a very bright little girl and now has big dreams for her life.

Just £19 a month and a loving, faithful couple (I’m not bias) has changed their lives FOREVER.