We chatted to two special women at Summerhill House, an NPO that provides holistic care for vulnerable, orphaned and abandoned children through its children’s home and community initiatives.
At Summerhill House, Mother’s Day is not defined by a single day or one traditional image of motherhood. Instead, it is lived daily through the hands, hearts and homes of women like Esther Lynn and Zowi, women who have become mothers to many.
Esther, the co-founder of Summerhill House, has spent 17 years building what she calls “a place of help, love and listening”. But her journey began long before the organisation took shape. A widow raising her own children while caring for foster children, Esther often prayed for the means to support children in her community.
That answer came in the form of Paula Owen, her former employer and close friend. Together, they began what would become Summerhill House, starting simply and humbly in Esther’s home.
What began as monthly walkabouts with sweets and clothes soon grew into a safe space where children could come, play and do homework. Then came a turning point.
“I saw a child who had not eaten,” Esther says. “Then I went back and said, ‘Paula, we have to start cooking.'”
From a small three-plate stove, sheltered with tin sheets, Esther began feeding children. Today, she cooks for up to 250 children during school holidays.
“It’s exhausting,” she admits with a smile, “but I love making them smile.”
That love has been shaped by her own childhood memories of scarcity and a lifetime of nurturing – raising her own children, caring for 14 foster children and now mothering those who walk through Summerhill House.
“I always tell the kids, just say thank you,” she says softly. “That’s all I need.”
Today, Summerhill House is a fully registered non-profit providing holistic care through its children’s home and outreach programmes. The village is home to 12 children full-time, while also supporting a wider network through feeding and community initiatives.
Behind Esther is a dedicated team of house mothers who carry the same calling into the home each day. One of them is Zowi, who has been part of Summerhill House for nine years.
“I wanted to have children all my life,” Zowi shares. “Now I have more than I ever dreamed of.”
She cares for six children, supporting them with daily routines, school life and emotional needs.
“It’s challenging,” she says, “but the love they give me keeps me going.”
Like Esther, Zowi speaks less about difficulty and more about connection. She recalls caring for a baby who arrived weighing just 750 grams. Today, the child is thriving.
“I love it,” she says. “Seeing them grow next to me is amazing.”
For both women, motherhood is not defined by biology, but by presence, showing up daily, holding space for children who need safety and offering love without condition.
Faith sits at the centre of it all. Esther describes it as the foundation of everything they do.
“We pray for wisdom in everything.” she says. “We don’t always have the answers, but we believe God helps us.”
That belief has carried them through challenges, including funding shortages, emotional loss and the responsibility of caring for children with complex needs. One of the hardest moments came recently, when a former foster child, missing for 16 years, was found severely ill and brought back to Esther before passing away shortly after.
Moments like these sit alongside the joy, children reunited with families, teenagers completing matric and small, everyday victories.
For Esther, the greatest reward is simple: “To see someone’s life change. And to see them smiling.”
Details: summerhh.org.za; info@summerhh.org.za; 032 947 1210;
IG: @summerhillkids; FB: SummerHillKids
