The children at Double Joy

The children come to Double Joy with their siblings and live as a family unit in small houses. Older children help to care for their younger brothers and sisters with the help of house staff, so that the family is kept intact.

As all the children have suffered the loss of both their parents, we think it is vital that they have good contact with their remaining relatives. We encourage our children to keep in touch with their extended family, which can consist of grandparents, uncles and aunts. As the families are usually barely surviving with their limited resources, they cannot feed, clothe or educate the orphaned children.

Members of an extended family often live in the same homestead with the sons staying with their parents and daughters moving to the home of their husbands. A home typically consists of a group of houses built closely together. All sons are entitled to a piece of their father’s land. As the fathers of our boys have died we take special care to get their land registered in order for them to return to it once they leave us.

Growing up

The children visit their extended family on a fortnightly basis, to spend a day with them and share their news. When our children leave us we want them to be welcomed back into the family home as mature teenagers capable of becoming useful members of the family.