It’s not every day that you find ordinary citizens take on the sole responsibility of taking care of orphans and needy children.
This is what makes Mama Catherine Sepato’s story so unique, a 52 year old woman from Hammanskraal who has taken over 80 needy children under her wing- giving them a home and a chance to fulfil their dreams. This is especially the case for Lesego Msiza, one of the children living at the orphanage who now has a chance to fulfil her dream of becoming a social worker at the University Of Pretoria (UP).
It was in 2002 when Mama Catherine Sepato felt the need to assist orphans and abused children in the Hammanskraal area by giving them a home and making sure that they stay in school. Today, Mama Catherine is a mother to over 80 children who worry about what will happen to them should anything happen to her.
Lesego Msiza from Tshwaragang was fortunate enough to finish her matric in 2013 under Mama Catherine’s care but due to financial reasons, could not further her studies.
In what most have described as “pure destiny” and “divine intervention”, the young Ms Msiza joined current matriculants from the orphanage and attended this year’s Open Day at the University of Pretoria. It was then that Ms Msiza decided to enter a bursary competition which resulted in her winning a R25 000 UP bursary.
She completed her matric at Sikhululekile High School but continued staying at the children’s home because she couldn’t get a bursary at the time. Speaking to Moretele Times about the bursary, this is what the soft-spoken Ms Msiza had to say, “I am very happy and excited to be getting a chance to study Social Work, it’s what I have always hoped for.” Ms Msiza also dreams of opening her own orphanage one day to help the homeless. She is yet to apply for residency at the university but the young lady is confident that she will get in.
Mama Catherine is proud to have nurtured Ms Msiza and hopes for more of such opportunities for her other children living at the orphanage. Although the children’s home has been receiving support from sponsors over the years, the place is still in desperate need of resources to meet the needs of the orphans.
To get in touch with Mama Catherine, you can contact her on 072 260 2608