We first met “Molly” when she was sleeping on the street and heavily pregnant by a “client” (rapist) at the age of 15.

She was a runaway and spent her days with other homeless teens, hustling and turning clients ( being raped for money) in order to survive.

Needless to say, we were VERY concerned for her and her unborn child. Thankfully she was not using drugs and was planning on returning to her family home to live with her older sister (the only family she now has left).

One Thursday night, we went to check on her and the others and she was gone, managed to save money and had taken a bus home.

Skip forward 8 months and last week we found Molly and baby back with her friends on the street. She had come to visit and check on everyone and had not been able to get together the R150 to get back home. So we made the decision to get her home asap. She needed to return home with nappies and groceries for the sister, otherwise she was not welcome home. ?

So we managed to get a heap of nappies for baby and thanks to generous donors we had groceries for Molly to take home.

On Wednesday night, we told Molly that we would come and get her on Friday and put her in a taxi and pay for her ticket home.

When we pulled up in the alley where she has been sleeping with baby and the other kids she literally danced and jumped for joy when she saw us. She ran to Liza and hugged her and they went to get baby and her belongings. We then took her to the taxi rank and paid for her seat and for an extra seat for her belongings and gifts from us. Her sweet baby boy suckling at her breast as he slept, so calm and peaceful, so healthy and happy. We are incredibly proud of how well Molly is caring for her son, she is so young herself and yet she is parenting her son like a champion.

Molly didn’t believe that we were going to come for her. She has been let down her entire life by adults. Used and abused. Cast aside.

But we keep our promises and when she realised that we were there for them her whole person became filled with tangible, visible joy and excitement.

Molly is why we do what we do. Molly is why we keep our word. Molly is why we do whatever we can when all others have walked away. Molly is just one of 100’s of girls and women that we care for. This Christmas Molly and her baby are safe, but there are 100’s across our city who are not safe, please help us to care for them.

TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER!