THE 15-year-old pupils of 5C class at Douglas Academy near Glasgow, Scotland have donated 800 pounds (approximately R8 600) to the Hotels Housing Trust (HHT) in Cape Town after their teacher, Anne Ferguson, saw an appeal for funds in her hotel room during a stay in the Mother City.
While holidaying recently in South Africa, Ferguson stayed at Relais Hotels' Bantry Bay Luxury Suites and saw the appeal - placed in every room at every participating hotel - by the HHT in conjunction with the u'Tshani Fund which, in turn, loans money to build houses to members of the SA Homeless People's Federation.
Relais Hotels' Nan van der Merwe explains that the money is loaned to shack dwellers and other "bona fide" new home builders at nominal rates.
"To date the HHT has raised some R500 000 and this has been spent mainly on homes at the Victoria Mxenge development near Philipi."
Van der Merwe says the funds donated by the Scottish pupils will go a long way to producing an almost complete house. It costs R11 000 to be able to produce a three-roomed home - twice the size of the average starter home, according to her.
(Adele Mackenzie)
