Founding Principles

Children

There are many homes for orphaned children, some with AIDS or disabilities, which provide an environment where the children’s physical needs are being met.  Most of these homes do not provide a fully functional family environment where healthy children are raised by a mother and father, and given the best possible opportunity to experience life in a normal family.  After matric, these children leave the home and do not have a family to belong to.

The CRUZ Foundation aims to provide a healthy environment for orphaned children:

  • Parental support: maximum of 12 children per house with a mother and father, boys and girls of different ages – simulating a normal family.
  • Physical support: housing, healthy food, schooling and medical care.
  • Emotional support: access to an onsite social worker and counselling.
  • Spiritual support: a loving Christian environment and teaching.
  • Post-matric support: a facility where young adults can return to the village to visit their siblings and house-parents, and possibly make their skills available to the Love Village.

Elderly

There are many elderly people who are abandoned by family and/or no longer feel useful to society.   Whilst existing homes for the elderly take care of physical shelter, basic food and basic medical care, it does not provide an environment for healthy, productive living in a loving family setup.

The CRUZ Foundation aims to provide a healthy environment for people aged 60 and over:

  • Physical support: an income based housing unit with individual rooms, healthy food and medical care.
  • Family support: friendships with people of the similar age and interaction with the children (“adopt a child”).
  • Purposeful living: productivity and active involvement in the various functions of the Love Village, using their individual skills, developing new skills and adding value to the lives of others.

General environment

Staff accommodation

The Love Village will provide accommodation for staff who may need to live onsite, as well as parking facilities.

Communal buildings

The Love Village will provide separate recreational facilities for the children and elderly, as well as a venue where meals can be enjoyed together.

A medical unit will take care of all residents and staff, and a school will take care of the children’s educational needs.

Christian ethos

All residents of the village, including staff, must be willing to be part of an environment that is very distinctly Christian.  They must engage in active Christian living which will include devotion time, ministry, sharing of Scripture, prayers, praise and worship.

Social Impact

The Love Village will address a number of social needs:

  • The Fatherless generation.
  • Loneliness of the elderly.
  • Provision of work opportunities for elderly residents as well as the wider community.
  • Community facilities (conferencing, schooling and medical).

Development phases

The Love Villages will be developed in phases, with Phase 1 catering for 120 children and 120 elderly people.  Once this model has been established the existing Love Village will grow in size and also will be reproduced in others locations.

Sustainability

The Love Villages will be sustained to some extent by generating income in the following ways:

  • Income-based accommodation for the elderly, according to affordability.
  • Conference facility to hire out to businesses.
  • Fruit and vegetable garden to supply the onsite kitchen.
  • An onsite school that is also open to other children in the area who will be required to pay school fees.
  • Medical facility that is also open to the wider community at pre-defined rates.