Stratford kids raise funds for South Africa orphanage

Achim and Tatjana with their friends at the orphanage two years ago.

Pre-loved toys, a brand new wedding dress and lots of raffle tickets are all being sold by three Stratford children who are raising funds for children less fortunate than themselves.

Achim Hanne (13) says he and his siblings raised $2000 for children in an orphanage in South Africa two years ago, and loved meeting the children and spending a day with them when they handed over the money.

"We went to South Africa to visit family, but wanted to do something for some of the children in orphanages there. We found out about a small orphanage called Kwethu, which means home, and fundraised for them."

His sister, Tatjana (10) says visiting the children made a lasting impression on her.

"They live in an old brick factory and often have no power or water. They all only have a few items of clothing and don't have any of the nice things we do. When we knew we were going back to South Africa this year to see our great-granny for her 95th birthday, we decided to help them again."

This time, the children only had a few weeks to fundraise, as new visa requirements for South Africa meant it was a while before their travel plans could be confirmed. Despite the short time frame, they have already raised $700 and hope to raise more before they go.

The youngest of the three siblings, Thiemo (6) says he remembers playing football with the children at the orphanage last time.

"They are all really friendly and we had lots of fun meeting them."

The children's mum, Stratford Press editor Ilona Hanne, says she is impressed by the efforts the children have made.

"This has been all their own idea from the start, and my husband and I are really proud they have managed to raise this amount."

Next Monday the children will be outside Z service station in the morning, selling raffle tickets in a last ditch effort to raise as much as possible before they leave for Africa on Wednesday.