In April 2006 Homes of Hope volunteers travelled to the rural South African province of Kwa Zulu Natal for three weeks. During that time we worked in close collaboration with God's Golden Acre to build a new home for orphans and their carer.

The new house was made of concrete blocks on an insitu-poured concrete foundation. The roof consisted of timbers lashed to the blockwork with a corrugated tin roof nailed on. The the windows were metal framed with glass. Internally, the house was decorated with a whitewash type slurry to seal the blocks and a whitewash decorative coat.

The house comprised of an entrance room, 2 bedrooms and a kitchen area. The toilet was external as government issue with a 'long drop'. There was no mains drainage but water is provided from a communal tap in the street and electricity will be added later. Whilst we fitted a timber front door, the locals often prefer to use curtains rather than internal doors as it saves space.

We needed to raise around £15,000 to complete the project.  This was to cover all the estimated construction costs including land and materials, and the costs of making sure that the new home was sustained for the long term and the children cared for. We hoped to cut costs as much as possible and any funds we raised above those that were needed went directly to the children of God's Golden Acre.