News & Updates

May 15, 2019 We want to see our children uniquely as we provide the very best care for their particular needs, strengths, and gifts. It’s not a cookie-cutter approach, but one that ensures our children get exactly what they need, as they need it. Due to past trauma, learning differences, severe malnutrition, or years of […]

February 7, 2019 People often ask how children arrive to our care at Acres of Love. We are registered and licensed with the South African government to offer long-term care to children who have been orphaned and/or abandoned. Each child is unique, and so are their stories. Infant abandonment is a critical issue in South […]

January 16, 2019 January means the start of a new school year in South Africa and we’re passionate about offering each child particularized care based on their unique needs. Because of that, our children attend over 40 different schools throughout Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa so that each one can thrive. Over the last […]

August 29, 2018 With joyful hearts we share that our Garret McGann Malibongwe Forever Home is officially open in Cape Town! This newest Acres of Love Forever Home will allow us to rescue six more children who have been orphaned or abandoned in South Africa. They will be welcomed into a family home with loving house […]

April 17, 2018 Microcephaly. Cerebral Palsy. Epilepsy. People mistakenly assume that words like these define a person or their worth. But we know that each child is so much more than their diagnosis. Today we are thrilled to welcome a little girl to our family who will live with these words, but not be defined […]

March 29, 2018 A month ago we opened our newest Forever Home. Called Sinethemba (Zulu word meaning “we have hope”), this Forever Home will eventually welcome six children who have been orphaned and/or abandoned in Cape Town. Close to great schools, clinics, and therapies, this home sits on a quiet street that will allow our […]

December 29, 2017 As we relish the last few days of 2017 with our Forever Families, we look back on the year with gratitude. Thank you for coming alongside our work to rescue children and create families. This year we continued to provide the very best medical, emotional, educational, and nutritional care for each child […]

September 26, 2017 Our Ingane Forever Home is now open in Cape Town! This is the culmination of months of planning and dreaming, with our South African team and partners all over the world.  Each child who comes to the Ingane Forever Home will know what it means to be a much loved son or […]

On August 9, 1956, women of all races in South Africa marched together, many with children on their backs, against unjust laws of oppression. Today’s National Holiday commemorates their strength, bravery, and courage and we celebrate the women here at Acres of Love who spend each day defending the rights of South Africa’s most vulnerable […]

June 12, 2017 As our children get older, we’re excited to explore opportunities for them to use their gifts to bless others. We started a new tutoring program this term with our upper secondary and university students. They travel to local Acres of Love Forever Family Homes to help our younger students with after-school homework, […]

May 11, 2017 Sometimes we have weeks to prepare for a child. Other times, a judge requests immediate and emergency placement within a few hours. Either way, our entire team steps up to welcome each child to our care with love and attention to detail. Yesterday we received an emergency placement for an infant boy, […]

April 24, 2017 When we talk with people, we find that they often assume Acres of Love is an orphanage. While we are a registered Child and Youth Care Centre and NPO in South Africa, “orphanage” is not a term that best describes our model of care.  While institutions offer survival, we seek to rescue […]

April 18, 2017 People often ask us about the process of receiving children to our care. Most of the time, government social workers contact us about specific children in need of placement. Some children are abandoned in fields, on street corners, or at shebeens in informal settlements. Others are left at police stations or hospitals. Because […]

March 24, 2017 It takes a village to care for the children in our 29 Acres of Love Forever Homes. When we began our work in 1998, many children who came to our care were incredibly ill with AIDS. Without pediatric anti-retroviral therapies available, it was often a death sentence for our very sick children. A […]

January 30, 2017 As our children become teens and young adults, our focus turns to helping them launch into adulthood. We work to help them uncover their passions and strengths. We encourage their studies. We help them explore options that include universities, trade schools, or apprenticeships. It’s an incredible gift to watch them chart a course […]

January 12, 2017 Our students are all starting back to school this month! Our entire team has been busy collecting stationary kits and new school uniform pieces for growing kids. With children in 45 unique schools, this was an incredible feat as each school has it’s own uniform, and each classroom has a unique list […]

October 10, 2016 When we opened our Cape Town Region 800 miles from our existing Forever Families, we knew that we would need passionate local leadership to successfully launch our Forever Home model of care. Our HR Director since 2008, Carmin Harty quickly expanded her role to include our Cape Town Operations as well. This […]

Each year, Acres of Love is invited to participate in the Festival of Children at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California. The Festival of Children is celebrating National Child Awareness Month in September and this is close to our heart. Acres of Love is passionate about providing each child in our care with the very […]

August 4, 2016 On August 4, 1998, we brought a car filled with these toddlers to our first Forever Home. We knew that there was an overwhelming need in South Africa for children who had been orphaned and our goal was to do everything for these children that we would do for our own. With […]

A few months ago we were asked to participate in an episode of Turning Point. We were excited to share our work and belief that children belong in families, not institutions. It was an encouragement to work with the amazing production team who visited our Johannesburg and Cape Town families along with our US team. We’re happy to […]

June 17, 2016 Adults with special needs are extremely stigmatized in South Africa and many are institutionalized or kept away from society.  It is our desire to think outside the box, and offer a better future for the older children in our care. Over the last 18 years, we have developed a reputation for being […]

October 26, 2015 Written by Cheri Shank, Safari Sister Emissary You can’t meet the children living in the Acres of Love Forever Homes without your heart being touched and your life forever changed. I had always dreamt of going to Africa to see the animals, experience the culture and meet the people I had heard […]

October 12, 2015 If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.  -African Proverb After watching her mother die from AIDS, Gugu and her sister were in need of care. They were placed in foster care where Gugu’s medical needs were ignored. She was ridiculed, verbally abused, and missed […]

September 28, 2015 We’re grateful to have an amazing global extended family of people who advocate for our children. They are individuals who have seen the work of Acres of Love, and decided to invest in the work of caring for our children by leveraging their communities to partner with us. Their stories inspire us […]

September 14, 2015 This past week marked another World FAS Day as South Africa continues to educate and encourage expectant mothers about the dangers of consuming alcohol while pregnant. As we continue our work both in Johannesburg and Cape Town, we are inundated by the daily reality of living with FAS. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or […]

January 19, 2015 Our students are back in school for new academic year! Our team is collectively breathing a sigh of relief, having completed quite a logistical feat. For most families, the school year entails enrolling a student (or two), getting uniforms and backpacks ready, and organizing the schedule of daily drop offs and pick […]

December 8, 2014 On a recent school holiday, a few Acres of Love House Parents and a large number of our teens arrive, early in the morning, at Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre for their quarterly appointments.  Set in a suburb of Johannesburg, it’s impossible to see just how big the unassuming clinic is from […]

September 30, 2014 Our newest Forever Home is now open in Cape Town! The Sikelela (which means Blessing in Xhosa) Forever Home joins our Unathi and Evangel Forever Homes, serving the children of the Cape Town region of South Africa. Often touted as one of the most beautiful places in the world, Cape Town is […]

July 21, 2014 When we talk about creating families for children and raising the bar in orphan care, we are referring to the strategic ways we are able to wrap around each Acres of Love Forever Family in order to encourage each child to thrive. It’s hard to understand the complexities of caring for children […]

June 2, 2014 We often refer to the extra layers of support that surround each Forever Family at Acres of Love. Each Forever Home is family for 6-8 children and in a family this large things like school schedules, school transport, medical appointments, daily meds, special diets, sleepovers, choir practices, rugby matches, homework checked, and […]

May 26, 2014 Acres of Love was asked to be a part of Clear Channel’s KIIS FM Community Council and two of our team members were interviewed for local radio stations about our work and children.  We are always excited to share our story with others… click here to listen to the interview!    

May 3, 2014 When people first hear about Acres of Love, many envision a stale, institutionalized environment, where children are struggling to survive.  We try to help people get a vision for what our children truly experience- a family, a home, and hope.  At Acres of Love, we strive to give each child everything we […]

April 11, 2014 We’re not sure if you’ve noticed, but you see a lot of shoes on our social media posts. Our website is filled with side profiles and “behind the head” shots. Sometimes we’ll blur out the faces, show you some knees, or have a lot of distance between the camera and the children. […]

March 26, 2014 At Acres of Love, everything we do is centered around the idea of family. We believe that children belong in families, not institutions. So when we partner with volunteers, our desire is that they will be a long-term presence in our children’s lives. This allows extra layers of support for our children, […]

March 4, 2014 Many places of safety (the first stop in South Africa’s orphan care system) are struggling to provide the necessities for children in their care. Things like food and clean drinking water aren’t easy to provide, but services such as therapy or proper wheelchairs to offer postural support for children living with things […]

February 10, 2014 If you’re driving with Peter, you’ll first notice his sweet and gentle spirit. He’s soft-spoken, quick to smile, and always ready to help. He’s part of our Acres of Love Transport Team, and one of his daily tasks is to drive children to and from school. Some jump into his van with […]

January 28, 2014 We are so grateful for the extended family that has come alongside our children. The Safari Sisters (shown above at last year’s Walk for the Children) are involved with our Safari Sister and Siyabonga Forever Homes, and are “aunties” to the children in these homes.  They are committed to visiting the children […]

Join one of our quarterly “Connect with Acres” gatherings at our Acres of Love office in San Juan Capistrano.  We welcome anyone who would like to learn more about Acres of Love in a casual and intimate setting.  We’ll tailor the presentation of each morning to the people in attendance, and hope to engage our friends, […]

January 13, 2014 Dr. Leon Levin has been a true hero to our children at Acres of Love.  He has been providing care and consultation for our children who are HIV positive.  In addition, he has encouraged our children over the years, and our teens just a few weeks ago, to remember that HIV is no longer […]

January 10, 2014 January means a new school year in South Africa!  It’s an exciting time, as many of our children are starting new adventures in new schools.  Acres of Love provides it’s own crèche for our preschool aged children, and many of them “graduate” to primary schools this next week.  While our preschool teachers are sad to […]

The following are stories of real children saved from real situation by our forever homes and house parents. Continue to check in as we publish more real stories and watch as these children thrive in the world you have helped us create for them.