As a teenager he’d seen the movie Boys Town, based on the story of Father Flanagan, a priest who started a village for ‘problem’ boys in Nebraska, USA in 1917.

Years later, the late Bishop Reginald Orsmond realised a dream, when he opened South Africa’s first Boys Town at a Catholic Mission School in Magaliesburg in 1958.

From this humble beginning, Girls & Boys Town has grown into a large, successful organisation with eight facilities throughout the country, including several family homes in the community.

The first family home was opened in Rondebosch, Cape Town in 1974. (This was subsequently replaced by the Alpha Family Home in Claremont). Other family homes were opened in Kenilworth, Cape Town and in Glenwood, Durban in 1976, and in Observatory, Johannesburg in 1983.

Boys Town Tongaat – our second Youth Development Centre opened in 1978, with Macassar following in 1989 and Randfontein in 1999.

Now, nearly 50 years later, we are Girls & Boys Town, having opened the doors of our first Family Home for girls in Claremont, Cape Town in January 2005.

’What about girls?’ has been the eternal question from the public for the past 46 years.

Joe Araujo, the Executive Director and one of the first residents at Magaliesburg said: 'Extending our services to girls is a natural progression for the organisation, enabling us to help even more young people.

'Our success with boys clearly demonstrates that our programmes promote healthy attitudes, behaviours and lifestyles. The transition to working with girls in care has been an exciting and interesting challenge.'

We’re also the proud custodians of a range of innovative programmes aimed at avoiding the need for children to be placed into care by improving their lives at home, in the classroom and within their own communities.

But as far as we’ve come, we know that it’s only because ordinary South Africans from all walks of life have lent a hand. Thank you for believing in our work and the potential that rests within each boy and girl.