There are millions of orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa, mostly due to HIV/AIDS. LIV focuses on a solution to aid this crisis. We place these children into a family environment with a trained foster mother to love them, a school to educate them, and where all their needs are met. If these children are equipped with essential moral values and life skills, they will grow up to be a generation that will influence positive change within South Africa, Africa and the world.
IT TAKES
A VILLAGE
TO RAISE A CHILD
WHY WE EXIST
LIV focuses on the solution
“We place orphaned and vulnerable children into a family environment where they will receive unconditional love, spiritual discipleship, care and nurturing.”
LIV VILLAGE MODEL
The LIV model is long term cluster foster care, where the children will have a sense of belonging in a homely environment. The homes are built within a cluster of 8 to 10 houses, modelling the African village life. This helps the children to find ‘home’ and close connection within the cluster and in the village itself. Each home has a fully trained House Mother, who may bring two biological children, and will be given up to six children through the Department of Social Welfare.
LIV is about change on a large scale
“The future plan is to see many villages across our nation, raising future leaders, and turning scars into stars by providing a fresh start in a supportive community.”
Tich Smith – Founder
WHAT WE DO
LIV FAMILIES
LIV is about the restoration of family, a safe environment where the children entrusted to us are placed in a home with a mother to love them, with new brothers and sisters, and where all their needs are met. A place where they can grow and then be released as stars into the world.
LIV EDUCATION
LIV School has had to adapt the curriculum to cater for the individual needs of each child. The teachers play a vital role in their development. We believe in holistic education which will assist each child to reach their full potential and give them an opportunity to earn a living. The LIV Culinary School and the Welding School offers tertiary education opportunities.
LIV CHOIR
Music and drama play an important role in the holistic development of these children. The LIV Youth Ambassador choir toured Johannesburg, the UK and Dubai between May and September 2016 where they shared the “LIV the Journey” story through a vibrant song and dance production. On the 8th April 2017 the choir were also blessed to partner with Worship Central to record a live album at the Village with Tim Hughes, a well-known Christian musician from the UK.
LIV CHURCH
LIV is the church in action. We ‘do church’ 24/7. Sunday services and Monday morning devotions are times when we gather together to give thanks for what we have, learn more about who our God is, and celebrate the testimonies of His goodness and provision.
LIV HEALTH
LIV provides holistic health care for each child in the LIV Health Care Centre including medical and dental care, psychological, speech and occupational therapy, and counselling. LIV also provides basic health care for the neighbouring Cottonlands community.
LIV COMMUNITY
LIV represents a true reflection of Mandela’s dream of a rainbow nation living in harmony together. Children, mothers and staff, some with their own children, and volunteers from around the world, from all races, live together in community. Socio and economic barriers melt away and masks come off as we do life together in all its forms and challenges.
LIV BUSINESS
LIV Business was established to provide for the future where the village would become self-sustainable, and ultimately support many villages across Southern Africa, as well as providing skills development and job opportunities for rural communities surrounding the villages. The LIV model is about doing everything with excellence, offering companies the opportunity to do business with us, and in so doing, partner with us to bring about change on a large scale, leaving a legacy of hope for future generations.
LIV VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers play a vital role in the life of the village. LIV provides opportunity for people from around the world to spend time on the village, serving in the various departments. LIV4Change is a mission based discipleship program which invests in young people’s lives and they then, in turn, can invest in the life of the village.
LIV also offer corporate team building days, which are an excellent social investment opportunity for any business or organisational groups.
LIV is about
partnership
We believe that if the Government, Business and the Church continue to work together, we can look after every orphaned and vulnerable child in this nation.
ECO VILLAGE
LIV’s goal is to be an eco-friendly Village. Each home has its own solar water heating system. Tanks attached to all village buildings catch rain water which is used to flush the toilets. Boreholes are used to irrigate the sports field and vegetable gardens. The LIV vision is to be able to produce, in the future, our own solar electricity, as well as install sewage purification plants. We also have a dam on the village to store water from the treatment plants and create an eco-friendly environment for the wildlife in the area.