A VISION OF HOPE
Hope Village has been a beneficiary of Standard Bank’s long-term support for over 14 years. According to the founder of Hope Village, Marietjie de Klerk, Standard Bank committed to the project wholeheartedly from the beginning. As the former MD, Mpumzi Pupuma, said, “We are in it for the long haul. We are building our future and our legacy in these kids”. This commitment has been unwavering as the bank has consistently provided support to the children of Hope Village.
Standard Bank’s support began in 2007 when the first house was built. Twelve kids moved in the following year, followed by another 12 within a month. As the village grew, the original Standard Bank house became the girl’s house. The bank maintained and fixed the house annually, hosted a birthday party for it and conducted pest control measures in the entire village twice a year. The staff and children also received Christmas gifts.
Julius Kamati became the first recipient of Standard Bank’s full scholarship, which was promised to the first child of Hope Village to finish grade 12. Kamati studied hospitality and tourism and is currently a Hospitality Manager at B2Gold for Welwitschia Catering and Cleaning Services.
Standard Bank also recognised the need for transportation for the Hope Village children and donated a combi, followed by an 18-seater bus in collaboration with Liberty Life. The bus is still used today to take 42 children to 13 different schools every day.
When the founder of Hope Village, Marietjie de Klerk, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that spread to her lung, Standard Bank once again came forward to pay the salary of an operations manager. Sophy Mouton has been the operations manager for the past two years and according to Marietjie has taken Hope Village to new heights.
Last year, Standard Bank agreed to extensive renovations to the girl’s house, which has once more become the pride and joy of Hope Village. Marietjie says, “Hope Village, in essence, is actually the birth child of Standard Bank. Standard Bank, through its vision, commitment, support and encouragement over the years, is bettering the lives of orphaned and abandoned children.”
The high standards that the village adheres to have been recognised by other big sponsors such as MTC, who refers to the girls’ house as a shining example.
