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Winner of the 2010 Feather Award
Nedbank Hero of the Month


A DAY IN THE LIFE AT BEREA HILLBROW HOME OF HOPE




04h00:
During the school term, the Girls wake up, make their beds and then pray quietly together. There’s no singing yet as the neighbours are all still asleep! The prayers are lead by a Group and this is rotated from week to week. Within the Shelter, the girls are in four groups. Each group is lead by a Peer Educator. A Peer Educator is a care giver who has completed school, has done skills development training in couselling and education on HIV and TB. Within the school going Girls there are six groups lead by Head Girls. These Girls have been at Home of Hope for at least two years and are proven responsible and in Grade 11 or 12.
04h30:
Washing: Due to limited showers, each group takes it in turns to get ready.
05h00:
The Care Givers will be preparing breakfast which is usually Mabele porridge or jungle oats. The Peer Educators will start preparing the lunch boxes with a sandwich. Occasionally there is fruit and they will take that as well. The Peer Educators will open up the tressel tables, lay the table and stack the chairs out.
05h45:
The Peer Educators lead the morning meditation
06h00
Breakfast time. The Peer Educators help serve the plates. Each person will clean up after themselves when finished breakfast. Head girls ensure everyone has a lunch box and they themselves will carry the medication for their school group.
06h55:
Everyone leaves Flat No 42 and they go down to wait for their transport that takes them to school.
07h00:
Everybody is outside waiting for the taxi to go to school. There are often times when there is no taxi fare and they have to walk to school. In this case, for safety and support, they will walk in their Groups lead by the Head Girl and must leave half an hour earlier because it takes an hour to get there.
10h00:
When its medication time at school, the Head girl will go and call the girls from their classroom so they can take their medication in private. They will then return to class. When someone completes their TB treatment, there’s a celebration to encourage the others not to default


14h30:
They catch the bus home at 14h45.  Primary school kids are fetched by Head Girls and taken to the high school premises where the taxi fetches them. The New Nation High School and primary schools are a couple of blocks away from each other.
15h15:
They arrive back at Home of Hope. Change their clothes immediately and go downstairs to eat the main meal of the day which is usually porridge with beans or vegetable soup. They very seldom eat beef or tinned foods as it does not react well with the medication.  They have chicken once a week on Sundays
1600:
Once they have finished eating they go down to the local church with volunteers to do homework.


1730:
The girls return home and prepare for the next day.
19h00:
Supper time. The Care Giver, peer educators and girls prepare the meal, lay the table, serve and wash and clear up afterwards. At 20h00 they watch Generations on TV and afterwards say their evening prayers.
20h30:
It’s time to go upstairs and prepare for sleeping. A Peer Educator and Head Girl will take the girls upstairs in groups.  They go up in the lift to the 12th floor but do not use the lift coming down to 42.
21h00:
Lights out.
Click here to see what the girls do over the weekends!