Meet Otlo, a happy, thriving learner at Dayspring Children’s Village.
Otlotleng (Otlo) is a bright 8-year-old boy who first started at Dayspring Children’s Village in kindergarten. He is currently in Grade 3 and works hard at school but does not always get the support he needs to get his homework done on the weekends. He usually catches concepts quickly and truly enjoys being at school.
Otlo is a quiet child in and out of the classroom. As such, he gives the teaching and care staff very little trouble. He is neat and tidy in the hostel and likes his things to be in order. Furthermore, he gets along well with all the other children whether old or young. Although he is quiet, he has a lot of friends and is quick to laugh and enjoy himself.
Otlo’s family dynamics…
Otlo is the only child of a young mom who gave birth to him as a teenager. He, therefore, grew up with his grandmother and young uncle named Otshepeng, who was also a sponsored child at Orphan’s Promise for a couple of years. Otshepeng is currently in Grade 11 in a local high school and finally beginning to prove himself academically. We encourage you to pray for him to keep improving and to trust God for the plans He has for him.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, Otlo’s grandmother had great compassion for the hungry children in the settlement where they lived. She, therefore, decided to care for the little ones. With what little they had, she started cooking and dishing out food. She was feeding close to 200 kids at one point during the lockdown and God was blessing her with sponsors and local farmers who were donating food for her to cook. Otlo and Otshepeng would help in the distribution of the meals each day.
Today Otlo still lives with his grandmother and Otshepeng because his mother is currently furthering her education. She is taking extra courses to try and gain a skill to be more employable. Even though Otlo’s mom is young, she truly loves him, attends parent meetings and wants the best for him. Sometimes on Sunday evenings, Otlo stays with an aunt and cousin in town because the school transport collects him very early on a Monday morning, and he usually stays quite a way out of town in an informal settlement where there is no running water or electricity in the home.
“I want to thank the school and you for paying school fees for my son. I want to have a good job one day and pay for him by myself. Thank you for now. I am grateful.”
Otlo’s mother.
More about Orphan’s Promise
Orphan’s Promise is committed to promoting the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children around the world by providing food, shelter, medical help, academic opportunity, life training skills, mentoring, career placement, and health programmes. We create opportunities for orphans and at-risk children to feel safe, loved, and secure so they can thrive and live exceptional lives. One child. One family. One community at a time. That is how we begin to change the world together.
Find out more about Orphan’s Promise and how to support this ministry.
