Spring Break
Eyes on Africa helps orphanage
Sophomore Jeff Lakusta begins foundation to raise money for South African children
Kate McClelland
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: News
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When sophomore Jeff Lakusta returned from a service trip working in a South African orphanage this summer, he decided to found a nonprofit group called the Eyes on Africa Foundation to continue to support the children through donations.
"I was really touched by my time there," Lakusta said, "and I was determined not to forget. … So I contacted people from the trip and friends from home and began to set up the foundation."
The orphanage, Othandweni, is located in the township of Soweto. About 90 children currently live there, including 30 infants. The long waiting list has caused orphaned children to rely on each other until they get a spot.
"While waiting for a place in the orphanage, the kids form families with one another -you'll find a 15-year-old watching out for several other kids and ... responsible for bottle feeding a baby. Can you imagine doing that at 15?" Lakusta said.
He said he was struck by the children's lack of basic necessities in the orphanage.
"We were bringing them simple things - a washer, dryer, socks - things that we [in the U.S.] take completely for granted," he said.
Othandweni - which means "place of love" - is the most under-funded orphanage in all of South Africa, Lakusta said, a fact the foundation hopes to change.
"We want to make a sustainable difference, not just giving them meals, but making a lasting improvement in their lives," Lakusta said.
The foundation's goal is to build a new orphanage with funds raised by college students on campuses worldwide. Campus coordinators and councils are currently being set up at several universities in addition to Notre Dame, trying to raise awareness with posters and T-shirts.
Right now, Lakusta said, Eyes on Africa hopes to be involved in Notre Dame's Africa Week. In the spring, the group plans to coordinate an event for all schools with Eyes on Africa councils - possibly a five-kilometer run.
For Lakusta, the project is also a continuation of his research. His trip to South Africa with the International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Medicine was also part of the undergraduate research on HIV/AIDS that he is conducting under the instruction of Father James Foster, associate professional specialist of preprofessional studies.
"I was really touched by my time there," Lakusta said, "and I was determined not to forget. … So I contacted people from the trip and friends from home and began to set up the foundation."
The orphanage, Othandweni, is located in the township of Soweto. About 90 children currently live there, including 30 infants. The long waiting list has caused orphaned children to rely on each other until they get a spot.
"While waiting for a place in the orphanage, the kids form families with one another -you'll find a 15-year-old watching out for several other kids and ... responsible for bottle feeding a baby. Can you imagine doing that at 15?" Lakusta said.
He said he was struck by the children's lack of basic necessities in the orphanage.
"We were bringing them simple things - a washer, dryer, socks - things that we [in the U.S.] take completely for granted," he said.
Othandweni - which means "place of love" - is the most under-funded orphanage in all of South Africa, Lakusta said, a fact the foundation hopes to change.
"We want to make a sustainable difference, not just giving them meals, but making a lasting improvement in their lives," Lakusta said.
The foundation's goal is to build a new orphanage with funds raised by college students on campuses worldwide. Campus coordinators and councils are currently being set up at several universities in addition to Notre Dame, trying to raise awareness with posters and T-shirts.
Right now, Lakusta said, Eyes on Africa hopes to be involved in Notre Dame's Africa Week. In the spring, the group plans to coordinate an event for all schools with Eyes on Africa councils - possibly a five-kilometer run.
For Lakusta, the project is also a continuation of his research. His trip to South Africa with the International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Medicine was also part of the undergraduate research on HIV/AIDS that he is conducting under the instruction of Father James Foster, associate professional specialist of preprofessional studies.