A pastor and his wife together with an international organisation have taken 14 children and two unemployed mothers from Lavender Hill on a trip, where they saw Cape Point for the first time.
Pastor Ivan Jones and his wife Bronwyn are the founders of the NPO, Revelation Ministries.
They say with their “Rise Up” programme and the help of the Sage Foundation, they are planning to give at least 200 laaities from Lavender Hill the chance to experience tourist attractions like Table Mountain and the cable car, the Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Point and Robben Island for themselves.
On Saturday, 14 children and two unemployed moms were taken on a trip to Cape Point.
Jones says over the next seven months, they will give other children similar experiences, in an effort to broaden their horizons.
Pastor Ivan Jones and kids at Cape Point
The children are aged three to 14.
Jones says they have received funding for the trips from the Sage Foundation.
“The idea is to expose children to a different world,” he says.
“These children from Lavender Hill only get to attend school and the shops in their areas, and have never been to Table Mountain or the Aquarium.
“On Saturday, 14 of them were taken to Cape Point for the first time.”
14 children and two unemployed moms were taken on a trip to Cape Point. Picture supplied
Nathaniel Works, 12, says he had a lot of fun: “The trip was nice to Cape Point and we enjoyed seeing the monkeys. I was once at the pools on that side of the mountain but I have never been to Cape Point before.”
Jones and Bronwen, a former teacher, also run an after-school homework programme and a feeding scheme in Lavender Hill.