Dessine l’espoir • South Africa

The A&A Ulmann Fund, alongside the Designing Hope association, has committed to improve the living conditions of AIDS orphans in a small town in South Africa.

Every day, the Roosboom Halfway House welcomes 30 to 40 AIDS orphans after school before they go back to the orphanage. It is a welcoming, lively space, where these children can get together and share a friendly moment, play, practice sports, study for their classes, draw, read, and especially, eat a warm meal which is often the only one they will have in a day. 

The initial project financed by the A&A Ulmann Fund was to restore an abandoned space and turn it into a hen house for 40 laying hens. Since the former hen house was destroyed by a fire, the building was recovered and secured with bars protecting the windows and doors to prevent theft. A space was fenced off outside to allow the hens to roam freely.

Now, children’s meals are once again accompanied by eggs several times per week. A part of the space has also been converted to allow children to eat their meals with a roof over their head. With the remaining budget, about 50 books on biodiversity and the environment have been purchased to enhance the house’s library.