The Albert Jack Foundation is in the process of registering as an authentic charity in both Cape Town and London. It has been set up to support a very good cause. When you hear about it, I hope you'll be as inspired by it as I was. A remarkable woman The Abaphumeleli Home of Safety was established by registered child carer Evelyn Makasi in the heart of the Khayelitsha Township close to Cape Town. In 2004 Evelyn rented the house next door to her own to shelter and care for homeless children. Since then she has been donated a lorry container to convert into two new bedrooms to help cope with the sheer numbers of homeless, and helpless, children who come to her.

She now cares for 26 children, ranging in age from just 4 months to 16 years. All of them have been either sexually abused, raped, neglected or abandoned. Some have been born with the HIV virus. To say that these children currently have no future would be a case of stating the shamefully obvious. But I have seen for myself that they have very little present either. They have nothing but the love and care of Evelyn and her round-the-clock team of voluntary helpers, most of who earn only R500 per month for their efforts (about £40 or US$60).

When I was last there Evelyn showed me the electricity meter, which had only R15 in credit - about a day's worth of electricity. I asked her how she would light the place after that ran out and she simply replied 'candles'. During my visit somebody arrived with three loaves of bread, which were soon sliced up by the carers and handed out to each child with just a smear of cheap margarine on each piece and a plastic cup of water to wash it down. That was lunch. There is often no dinner unless another goodheart turns up later in the day with their leftovers - food usually well past its sell-by date.

Dreaming of a brighter future

The Abaphumeleli Home of Safety (the name means 'hoping for a brighter future' in the local Xhosa language) receives no state funding at all. Despite that, it is considered to be one of the best-organised orphanages in the area, with city social workers regularly bringing children into Evelyn's care. Yet still the state refuses to contribute. Evelyn's costs are around R5200 per month, funded partly by ABSA Bank and a local businessman who ensures the helpers are paid. These two contributions amount to about R2800 per month. That's around £230 or US$345, for the welfare of 26 children and every month Evelyn fears she and the children may be evicted from the orphanage if she is unable to pay the R1000 rent (about £80 or US$120).

This has got to stop, now.

How we can help

I have, with immediate effect, taken over the payments for the rent of the orphanage and will be paying the R1000 every month direct to the landlord. But this is only the beginning. Extra funding is needed to keep the orphanage running and the children clothed and fed.

And this is where the Albert Jack Foundation comes in. Through the Foundation - which will be administered by myself and co-trustees Gillian Smith and Mandy Cupido of M Cupido and Associates in Cape Town, and Paul Ryan in England - anybody in the world can help us make a difference RIGHT NOW to deliver the brighter future Evelyn has dreamed about from the very beginning.

The South African government aren't going to do it, but you and I can. Lots of small, regular donations from anybody who wants to be part of our long-term programme will help turn every one of these children into healthy, well-educated young adults who can make a positive contribution to society and South Africa as a whole.

It's so easy to help. A very small sum of money can make a huge difference:

R12 - £1 or US$1.50 will buy enough bread and milk to keep one of the kids fed for a month.

R25 - £2 or US$3 will keeps two children fed for a month.

R50 - £4 or US$6 per month will provide bread, milk and a blanket for the winter for one child.

R100 - £8 or US$12 per month will contribute to the overall running costs of the orphanage, helping to feed the children and provide electricity.

R500 and over - approximately £40 or US$60 a month will make a real difference to overall running costs and to the future of each child

Building for a brighter future

But we want more for the orphanage - to secure its future as well as the children's. Our long-term plan is to buy the land opposite and build a brand new orphanage that can never be repossessed. Attached to it would be a medical centre that anybody in the area could benefit from. Meanwhile, further down the line we plan to build a school and recreation area to ensure the children receive a full, all-round education.

We have no shortage of volunteers. We have Councilor Stephen Vuba from the Democratic Alliance, who is helping to have the planning consent on the land changed from single dwelling to multiple occupation. We have Mandy Cupido, the lawyer, who will negotiate any purchasing and help with the management and administration of the Foundation. We have architects, designers and builders and, of course, we have Evelyn, who cannot believe her luck that we are all now helping her.

At the moment R5000 per month (around £400 or US$600) will secure the orphanage and feed the children. With your help this should be easy to achieve. And with your help, too, we will be able to achieve our initial goal of building a brand new orphanage. We estimate the cost of the land purchase and construction of the orphanage to be around R350,000. At about £39,000 or US$43,000, this is still a very small sum by Western standards.

Act now to make a real difference

Let's get together and put this one right. Let's use this as an opportunity for turning our good intentions into positive action, knowing that all our money will go straight to where it's needed. None will be spent on overheads but every rand, penny or cent will go direct to the Abaphumeleli Home of Safety and their Brighter Future. That is why this is not a professional website. We are doing it all ourselves to save costs: no money will be spent on web design when it can be used to buy bread instead.

Until we are properly registered with an officially administered bank account, we will not be asking for any monthly commitments, but you can help today and make a small donation that will help to see Evelyn and her children through the next few months until we are properly set up. It doesn't have to be much. Just R12 (£1 or US$1.50) WILL make a difference - believe me.

Albert Jack

Cape Town
23rd January 2011