Aziza Nolan

It would seem as if Aziza’s earlier life and education thoroughly prepared her to be the rescuer and loving mother she is to the nine children presently in her care at Peace Home.

In her teens she had a vision of a child reaching out to her, and it was as an eighteen-year-old that she ‘rescued’ her first child, a six-year old begging by day and living in a car at night. As she was determined to fulfil her dream, she worked in order to support herself and pay for her own education, which included the study of psychology. She also later acquired an NNCB, an international qualification in child care. In 1998 a child care position enabled Aziza to travel abroad. In the UK, she furthered her studies in psychology, training also in maternity nursing. She is an international expert in infant care.

What persuaded Aziza to return to South Africa happened during Nelson Mandela’s 2001 visit to London, where his public address in Trafalgar Square made her aware of South Africa’s great need for workers with experience and knowledge. On her return she would have liked to live and work in a township, but the need to earn kept her working and saving, travelling back and forth internationally in order to do this. She was thus able to help some families in Cape Town, sending money for children’s education and food.