Botshabelo is situated in the rural grasslands of Gauteng Province, South Africa, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Johannesburg. From there, it takes about two hours to reach Botshabelo by car.
The remote location of Botshabelo means that there is little infrastructure, and so adaptation and ingenuity are requirements for survival. Income-generating opportunities are rare in this rural area, and so the community must be as self-sustaining as possible.
Our region is arid, and so water can be scarce. This problem has been compounded by the fact that 200 years ago, European settlers introduced many non-native trees and plants to the region. These plants have since proliferated and they soak up massive amounts of water that used to flow down from the mountains into the streams. As our population grows, so does our need for water.
Where we are:
Botshabelo is situated in the rural grasslands of Gauteng Province, South Africa, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Johannesburg. From there, it takes about two hours to reach Botshabelo by car.
The remote location of Botshabelo means that there is little infrastructure, and so adaptation and ingenuity are requirements for survival. Income-generating opportunities are rare in this rural area, and so the community must be as self-sustaining as possible.
Our region is arid, and so water can be scarce. This problem has been compounded by the fact that 200 years ago, European settlers introduced many non-native trees and plants to the region. These plants have since proliferated and they soak up massive amounts of water that used to flow down from the mountains into the streams. As our population grows, so does our need for water.
Contact
Email: con.botshabelo@hotmail.com
Nicole: +27833133318
Con: +27727250899
A Typical Botshabelo day:
05:30 AM
Everyone starts their day bright and early. The children in the orphanage make their beds and sweep and mop their rooms before washing up and getting ready for the day.
06:45 AM
All Botshabelo residents go to their designated section of the property to collect litter and clean.
07:00 - 07:45 AM
Breakfast time. This gives the students enough time to prepare and head off to school, which is on the Botshabelo property. The toddlers go off to their own play group corner and the babies (one month to 2 years old) are then taken to their minders.
10:30 - 11:00 AM
Tea Time
02:00 - 02:45 PM
School finishes and then there is an extracurricular sport activity, like karate or hiking.
03:00 - 03:45
Everyone cleans up their section of the property again, and afterwards has lunch.
04:00 - 05:00 PM
The system of discipline at Botshabelo is in the form of community service, which takes place at this time each day. Community service jobs could be anything from watering trees in the small orchard to digging foundations to minding the juniors to maintenance jobs.
05:00 PM
Bath time starts for the younger groups, while the older kids take a break. The boys,16 years old and up, play soccer.
06:30 - 07:30
Dinner time
07:30 - 09:30 PM
Students do their homework, others clean up, and everyone prepares for the next day's work. Little ones have a bedtime story at 7:30 p.m., and then they're tucked in for the night. For the older kids, lights out is at 9:30 PM
For Botshabelo founders Con and Marion Cloete and their volunteer workers, lights out is after everyone else is safe in bed and the challenges of the day have been resolved as well as they can be.
At Botshabelo, our philosophy is to help anyone who needs it, regardless of background or age. If someone comes to us for help, we cant turn them away, whether they are an adult, a child or even an animal. Our goal is to alleviate poverty and be the model village of Africa. Everyone at Botshabelo the founders, the villagers, students and volunteers lives and works together as a family towards that goal. We are dedicated and optimistic. We face challenges, not problems.
