They Call Me Mama – Foster Mother Nicky’s Story

Imagine having the same foster mother and foster siblings for the past 17 years. The stability of a safe and loving family home in Khayelitsha, over this time period, has been extraordinary. Our work at Home from Home is to recreate family and this fills us with hope and joy. All five youngsters matriculated together in 2022 (?) and are now studying courses in a variety of fields from fitness to hairdressing, nursing, early childhood development and public management.

Foster mother Nicky has consistently loved and supported these children as if they were her own. This is not shift work. This is the epitome of dedication, grit and resilience through the ups and downs experienced in any family, let alone a non-biological one. 

This foster home was the first to be established in 2005 when the founders of Home from Home, Pippa Shaper and Jane Payne, planned to start an organization which strongly believed in the importance of de-institutionalised care. They were determined to create homes and not orphanages and for up to six children to live together in a home environment within their community. Nicky now has a new intake of little ones that she is nurturing. This kind of dedication is gold!