Our Arks are networks of care.

Noah’s 101 Arks care for about 30,000 orphans and vulnerable children across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The Arks are not buildings, but networks of care. They are largely made up of elected community members, and are supported and guided by Noah on a financial, organisational and skills training level.

How the model works

An Ark starts when a community approaches Noah for assistance in caring for their orphans and vulnerable children. A community meeting is called where a committee of community leaders – such as teachers, pastors, local entrepreneurs, traditional or political leaders – is elected. An Ark Manager is also appointed by Noah and the committee. This committee is trained in the needs of children.

The committee then mobilizes volunteers who go house to house to register orphaned and vulnerable children, and deliver services to them. Volunteers continually check up on the children and refer them to the appropriate agency as needed. This network of care and community support is what we call an Ark.

The next step is a satellite office where a feeding scheme can be started – it could be a railway container, a school classroom, a community hall or a shack. Eventually, this may become a resource centre with daycare and aftercare programmes.

An Ark Development Officer/ADO (from the Noah head office) supports each Ark with developing sustainable practices and to form networks within the broader community. Noah co-operates and partners with existing community projects, since we believe it is counter-productive to duplicate resources.

Each Ark provides a combination of services to orphans and vulnerable children in its community. Click here to read more.

The aim for each Ark

The ultimate aim for any single Ark is to become a self-sustainable charitable entity in its own right, able to raise funds and operate independently from Noah. Once an Ark “fledges”, that creates a space for Noah to start a new Ark elsewhere.