Nompilo finds her family

Nompilo finds her family

family is everything

Every child deserves to grow up in the warm heart of a family. Sadly, it’s not possible for so many of today’s little ones.

Nompilo’s mother died shortly after she was born, and she was placed in a children’s home. A few years ago, the home closed down and Nompilo came to us.

But this young girl never believed she was an orphan. She remembered visits from her father when she was little. She also remembered the visits coming to an abrupt end, although she didn’t know why.

Thus began our search for Nompilo’s dad. Our social worker made contact with an agency social worker in the area where Nompilo was born. We asked her to go to the hospital to see if she could find out the name of Nompilo’s father … and there it was in the hospital medical file. It was a huge blow to find out that he had died in 2008.

Seeing Nompilo’s disappointment, our social worker asked the agency worker to go to the father’s last known address. She hoped there might be other family members still living there. Sadly, it was not so. But a neighbour recalled having seen two family members in the town. She promised to keep an eye open and pass on the agency worker’s number if she saw them again. And so it was that Nompilo finally made contact with her paternal aunt and grandfather.

They were beyond grateful to have found their ‘lost’ child. Nompilo, who turns 18 in a couple of months, has decided to return into their care.

Although we strive to give children placed with us the best possible care and attention, the truth is that there is no substitute for a real family. We are always so excited when it becomes possible for a child to return to his or her family. And we strive to work with family members to make reintegration possible, wherever it is in the best interests of the child.