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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Hobeni community elder Mama ka Blondie harvests beetroot from the Ikhaya Loxolo garden … She too believes that mentally disabled and ill people are bewitched…(VOA/Taylor)
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Village sangoma, or traditional healer, Zwelisithile Bendlela, says evil spirits cause “mental problems” (VOA/Taylor)
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The Ikhaya Loxolo compound in Hobeni district (VOA/Taylor)
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Hobeni Xhosa chief, Patrick Fudumele (VOA/Taylor)