uch sad, withdrawn children, they had never known the carefree joy and innocent wonder of a normal childhood.

Home, for them, was a place of poverty, hunger and fear. Both parents were out of work and reliant on alcohol and drugs to get through the day. Instead of playing with toys or going to school, Duduzile and Khanyisile learned to survive – on their own. To keep out of sight when voices were raised in anger, and anger spilled over into violence. And to live on scraps of food offered by kindly neighbours.

Sadly, their case isn’t isolated. Too many children in South Africa face a daily battle for survival – victims of poverty and despair in a country where 33% of adults are unemployed.

But St Philomena’s – named after the patron saint of babies, infants, and youth – is a place of healing, comfort, love and hope. Here the sisters, along with 38 other vulnerable young girls, are cared for in a safe, structured environment.

Regular meals, clean clothes, toys to play with and warm beds of their own come naturally to children in loving homes. For these girls, it’s a dream come true. They go to school and play sports. And get counselling from in-house social workers and therapists to help them recover from the trauma of the past.

We give them a future … a chance to escape the cycle of poverty and despair and grow physically, emotionally and spiritually. But it all costs money.

And St Phil’s, as it’s affectionately known, is just one of several children’s homes in Durban and the surrounding rural mission stations supported by the Catholic Archdiocese. Please will you help us provide for, and guard these vulnerable children?

Food is the biggest cost. Your gift of $18/£13/€15 would give every child in the home a bowl of oatmeal porridge for breakfast tomorrow. $8/£6/€7 would add a serving of milk. And $84/£62/€72 covers the cost of feeding a child for a whole month!

Any amount you can spare would be such a blessing to Fr Herman Giraldo, the Director of St Phil’s. And to the children who depend on us to give them another chance of a happy childhood, and a future filled with hope.

So please, will you be as generous as you have always been in the past? Send your love and care to this corner of Africa where children like Duduzile and Khanyisile so desperately need your help.

As always, we offer our prayers in return for your kindness. Be sure to let us know of any special intentions you’d like included in our Masses for Mission Friends.

* To protect identity, names have been changed and representative images used.