This year, 30 children at the Johannesburg Children’s Home will not be going home for the holidays. Either because they have no other home – or because our Family Reunification team is still working with parents and extended family to ensure ‘home’ provides a safe and nurturing environment.

You can imagine how it feels to be left behind when your friends are making plans and packing their bags.

That’s why we so badly want to be able to send these kids to summer holiday camp. To see their eyes light up with excitement, and hear excited squeals of ‘Yay!’ and ‘Yippee!’.

For some – like *Loyiso – this will be his first proper holiday. Ever. Even though he’s nearly 9 years old, he’s never been out of the City. Never climbed a mountain or sat around a campfire toasting marshmallows.

Every child needs experiences like this to open up their minds to possibility – and joy.

For others, struggling to connect with their peers, it’s a chance to make friends, work as a team, discover leadership skills or overcome the fear of trying something new, like whizzing through the sky on a zipline.

For all of them, it’s an opportunity to create magical childhood memories that will last a lifetime, and stories they can pass on to their own children when the time comes.

You can help make those memories possible.

This year, we want to take the kids to Camp Tholo in Brits for a few days of adventure, discovery and just being kids.

And I’m hoping that, with your help, we can take all 30 children who will be with us for the holidays. Even though the cost of taking 30 children on holiday is considerable, we can’t leave anyone behind.

Your donation, large or small, will help get the kids to holiday camp. More than that, you’ll help ‘buy’ new experiences, challenges, fun, laughter and magical memories.