This Women's Month, the spotlight is on phenomenal females who are changing the world through their remarkable deeds. Anna Mojapelo, the co-founder of the New Jerusalem Children's Home in Midrand, is one of them.
She has devoted her life to giving abandoned children a better future.
Anna's purpose was birthed while working as an advocate and dealing with children's cases. Anna says she was disturbed by how many children from toxic homes got into trouble with the Law. She also witnessed the dire effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic that led to many children becoming orphans.
Moved by compassion, Anna alongside her late sister, Phina, who was a social worker at the time, decided to open an orphanage.
They made it their mission to give love and hope to abandoned children.
" We started with one child and then from there, eight, and then it started growing," Anna says.
Today, the home she started in 2000, has cared for hundreds of children. Not only is she providing shelter, but she has also opened a school on the same premises, and many of the children who grew up in the home have now gotten jobs and are also making a difference in the lives of others.
" Our admission is from zero to twelve, and the children can be here up until they are 18, and sometimes they even stay until they are 21 or 22."
She says what gives her joy is seeing the children succeeding in life.
"I've got one child who is studying Data Science in Russia. Another one is also going to study Bio Technology also in Russia. She will be leaving in October."
Anna says when she looks at the children who are from her orphanage and are now in the market place and are responsible adults and are " no longer in the cycle of social welfare", she feels that all her hard work " was worth while."
Speaking about her core values, Anna says compassion and love is what drives her.
"I am love in action. I'm brotherhood in action, I'm care in action, I'm forgiveness in action, I'm excellence in action and I'm gratitude in action and action speak louder than words. So these are the core values that moves us."
Anna says there her greatest strength lies in prayers.
" I spend a lot of time kneeling and praying."
She speaks about how mercy and grace have been crucial in the orphanage.
" I've seen New Jerusalem growing through the support of donors and friends of New Jerusalem. I've seen that grace and those miracles.
She says her faith and trust have grown since running the home.
" I've seen beautiful people bringing donations, bringing food. We don't have the budget for clothes, but the children are always beautifully dressed, so in God I trust."
Anna says her dream is to someday build a college where the children will be able to pursue their higher education.
The biggest value she teaches to all the children in the home is gratitude.
" For my children here at New Jerusalem, I'd always say they must have gratitude. There are a lot of supporters supporting them. So they must not have a sense of entitlement. There are children out there who are worse off, children that don't have food, clothes or anything."
Anna says the most important thing in life when facing difficulties is to know that weeping doesn't last forever.
"Even when things are bad, there are four seasons, things change. The storm does not last forever. The most important thing is you must go through the storm and have faith."
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