Stories from Lawrence House: Kelly

Lawrence House is a registered child and youth care centre based in Woodstock, Cape Town. Although it runs as an independent children’s home, it is one of the programs of the Scalabrini Centre. Lawrence House can accommodate up to 25 children and youth and specialises in the care and protection of unaccompanied foreign minors and refugee children, as well as of children who have experienced trauma.

We meet Kelly, a former volunteer and current donor to Lawrence House.

Why I donate to Lawrence House

I come from a society that believes that if people work hard enough, they can achieve anything they want to achieve. However, I analyzed this position in the course of writing my PhD, and it became very clear to me that this supposed ‘equality of opportunity’ is simply not true.

All children deserve a chance to ‘make it’ in life, yet we live in a world of structural inequality that creates difficult obstacles for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to overcome, no matter how hard they work.

I want to be part of the group of people that changes that by standing up, saying ‘This isn’t right’, and creating a world in which all children receive the opportunity to maximize their achievements in life. When children are able to do this, everyone benefits. Changing lives is hard work, and good intentions are not enough. Impact is what matters.

My work at Lawrence House

During my 8+ years of being part of Lawrence House (3 years as a volunteer and 5+ years as a donor), I have repeatedly witnessed the long-term, transformational impact they have on the children they help.
Their hard work, dedication, and sheer determination ensure that no child has to continue in the circumstances from which they came.

I have consistently seen timid, reticent children become confident, caring, admirable young people who are equipped to face the challenges of life and go far beyond what would have otherwise been offered to them.

Donating to Lawrence House enables me to be part of this impact and helps ensure that lives are changed, one child at a time.