South African clinic

Saturday night I was visiting with my family celebrating my Aunt’s birthday in Thousand Oaks. We were out at a restaurant when we bumped into a couple that I had originally met in South Africa and was my initial connection to the South African clinic Giving Children Hope established in partnership with the CareNow Foundation.

In 2006, just before I would be moving from Johannesburg to Orange County I was introduced via my aunt to Steve and Linda while we were both in Cape Town. Steve and Linda would be making a visit to the KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa to visit the Lily of the Valley Orphanage of which they support.

A few months later when I came to work at GCH we re-connected and in partnership with the CareNow Foundation, GCH supplied the medical supplies, equipment and medicines to care for the many orphans in this community. The shipment arrived in November 2007.

When I bumped into Steve at the restaurant he announced with great joy that the orphanage has not lost a single child since the clinic was established.

Wow! That’s a testament to what happens when individuals get outside of their self interest and they choose to invest in something bigger than themselves. An entire community in South Africa is receiving health care where none existed. The community is able to become self-sustaining and begin to care for themselves as they have the tools they need.

I’m continually humbled that God allows me to be a tiny part of the process of seeing communities become sustainable and children being cared for. So while every truck that leaves our distribution center looks the same, each has a unique story. The story of that truck was that South African children would have healthcare. I am privileged to be a part of an organization that has such amazing stories!