It’s just a circle of simple mud huts with roofs of thatch and floors of dung, in a mist-shrouded valley near the village of Hobeni in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. But for the residents, Ikhaya Loxolo, “Home of Peace,” is a paradise of love and acceptance, where they feel worthy, in contrast to the world beyond its fences, where they’re shunned.
Home of Peace Works to Support Mentally Ill in South Africa
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Some residents of Ikhaya Loxolo color in, in an atmosphere of love and acceptance (VOA/Taylor)
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The home’s director, Alex Gunther, applies for disability grants on behalf of her patients and keeps meticulous records (VOA/Taylor)
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Young and old are welcome at Ikhaya Loxolo – the only facility for hundreds of miles that helps mentally ill people and their families (VOA/Taylor)
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The home is in a particularly isolated and poor part of South Africa (VOA/Taylor)