TWO young men who spent their life-changing gap years working at a children’s home in South Africa have won the Gold Star Award.
Harrison Nash and Chris Johnson found their time at the Maranatha children’s home in Port Elizabeth so compelling that they have since returned twice, spending their own money to help kids with terrible backgrounds, and changing their career plans to fit in with their new- found passion. Now aged 20, both men first went to South Africa on teaching placements two years ago after finishing the sixth form at Devonport High School for Boys. Chris and Harrison, who have been friends since starting at the school aged 11, together planned what was originally going to be one gap year in Africa. Harrison said: “It seemed like the obvious place where we could make a difference in something.” After working to save money, they travelled to Port Elizabeth in January 2007 and took up voluntary placements teaching children in a township. Through their work they became aware of the Maranatha children’s home, which cares for children with family backgrounds of violent and sometimes sexual abuse, and started to help out there in the evenings and at weekends, taking the children on day trips, running activities and helping them with their homework.
Chris said: “The children had a lot of unhappiness during their lives, but we were amazed at how happy they were.”