Barbara Maregele
ARCHBISHOP Emeritus Des-mond Tutu, his daughter Mpho and granddaughters joined the children housed at the Hilary House for street children to hunt for Easter eggs at a lunch in Khayelitsha yesterday.
The event, organised by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, included face painting, a drum lesson and a jumping castle before the children rushed to find the Easter eggs hidden in the facility’s garden.
It houses 47 boys, aged from 7 to 17, who are orphaned, homeless or who have been abused.
Tutu and his two granddaughters, Onalenna, 8, and Nyaniso Burris, 17, took part in the egg hunt and lunch.
“I grew up in a township where we didn’t have any facilities for children, but that was years ago. I can imagine it can be depressing now 20 years since democracy and nothing significant has changed. It hurts me deeply. I can’t go to my grave knowing our children still live in poor conditions,” Tutu said tearfully.
His family had been involved with Hilary House, the Homestead and other facilities for children at risk for the past 30 years, he said
He paid homage to the Homestead’s director, Paul Hooper and his staff for their work at the new facility and several other take-in centres across the city. “This facility can give hope to the community. It sends out a message that no one is a lost and hopeless cause.”