Rehoboth comes from the bible verse Genesis 26:22. The story is about Isaac's shepherds who kept moving away from the Philistines due to the fighting over wells. When they eventually moved far enough that there was no more fighting, they dug a well and named it “Rehoboth”. Rehoboth means “to receive space to flourish in the land.” The symbolism behind the name Rehoboth is that God is the One providing space to take care of orphaned children who have no families to look after them in order for them to flourish. It is a privilege to take care of such children at Rehoboth; praying that they will grow and flourish into mature and healthy adults.

You can help in several ways:
A: As a volunteer
B: As a financial supporter
C: As a local representative
D: Sponsor a children's house

Further details about the ways to sponsor us are found under the menu button "Support Us".

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to help. We will be happy to provide you with more information on how to become involved. You may contact us through the info box on this page.

Rehoboth has chosen to serve and care for a special target group, namely children that have no family or extended family. Without intervention, they are likely to remain hospitalized until their death. Rehoboth wants to provide loving care to this special target group - orphaned and abandoned children living with HIV/AIDS.

Rehoboth has a five-way holistic approach and takes care of children in the following areas: spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual and medical. Rehoboth is unique in this way, by providing quality family life to a group of children with special needs.

People working in HIV care in the KwaZulu-Natal province have identified the need to care for orphans living with HIV/AIDS. They see the Rehoboth approach as a viable program and are strong supporters of our efforts. Also the local community support Rehoboth fully.

The children that Rehoboth cares for is a specific group. There is a functional HIV care program, operating at the community level, that tries to ensure all children are cared for within the extended family and within the community setting; that is a preferred option if at all possible. The children Rehoboth looks after either have no extended family or their required special treatment is too complicated for them to be placed within the community. Having a social worker onsite helps us find and maintain relationships with families and encourage extended families to visit a child. When a bond forms and further investigation shows that the found family member is a suitable caretaker for the child, we start an intensive reunification program. When we feel a child is ready to make the move to their new home, the child is reunified with his or her relative.

Other areas of HIV care such as home-base care or hospice care are already offered by other NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations) or government departments, leading to a strong community-based HIV care delivery system. Rehoboth therefore focuses on caring for orphaned and abandoned children living with HIV/AIDS in collaboration with the local hospitals and other NGO’s.

Rehoboth is closely linked to the Murchison hospital, the local government hospital with a "mission-minded" administration. Through quality medical services they support the Rehoboth team in offering the proper medical care to the infected children. Without such support, this care system would not be possible. A close network has been established with all other HIV related stakeholders within the area and region. Rehoboth is a member of the CINDI network. Rehoboth has established very strong relationships with other key role-players like Social Development, Department of Health, KZN Housing, UGU Municipality and the Hibiscus Coast Municipality. All of the partnerships Rehoboth has established are contributing to the holistic care approach for HIV positive children.

Stigma and fear are very real and present in the local community. Rehoboth tries to break through these barriers by teaching our staff and their families and friends the truth about AIDS. Some of Rehoboth’s own staff battle with this terrible disease and although they see what our care is doing to the quality of life for the children, the stigma and fear keeps some from coming forward to ask for help and medical care. We reach out to all our staff with the love of Christ and support them and their families in every possible way.

Yes, there are possibilities to adopt a child from Rehoboth. Check Support us to learn more.

We would be happy to provide you with the information you are looking for if available. Please send us a message through the contact box on this page and we will get back to you shortly. Thank you for your enquiry.