"The women of the township have so little, I was shocked," says
Julie, who determined that somehow she would help the township where 35 per cent of people are HIV positive.
Now, with Christmas over, Julie is hard at work in
Norwich making and selling decorative hearts to raise funds to help the township people - "and even build a new beauty parlour there... a place of well-being for local women who have so little by western standards."
Julie is pictured, right, with some of her decorative hearts - visual reminders of the needy township families. The hearts sell from £5 to £7.50p each.
In an unforgettable trip, Julie and her husband
Fred, members of
Norwich Family Life Church, visited
South Africa this year to meet Julie's long-lost sister,
Anna, who lives 200 miles east of
Cape Town.
There, Anna and her husband,
Deon Kruger, are ministers at
Word & Life Church in
Mossel Bay. Their ministry also helps the township people to set up vegetable gardens, a vital source of nutrition for local families.
Julie can be contacted at
Julie.jules2007@hotmail.co.uk