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Gill Fonteyn is working tirelessly to bring meaning and hope to some of the most disadvantaged and needy people on earth. He was raised on the outskirts of Antwerp, in the Flemish part of Belgium, in the 1960s. After a tough adolescence, Gill became a paratrooper and at the age of 20 found himself defending the iron curtain during its last six months. The violence he witnessed during this time, compounded by the death of his hemiplegic father, fuelled his decision to devote his life to paralysed and disabled people.

In 1993 he happened to notice an advert in a local British newspaper. It was seeking someone to work for six months with disabled people in Botswana. This was the chance he was waiting for; from then on he has not ceased in his mission to help disadvantaged people.

What are the main things Gill has learned from working with orphans?

1. Listen to what the children tell you; do not impose your views on suffering people or assume that you know what is best for them.
2. Set an example: adults must show children the way. For instance, every year he and Brenda have themselves HIV-tested along with Dula's older children. "How can you ask them to be tested if you don't do it yourself?" wonders Gill.
3. Give the children ways to express themselves. Their sorrow and their joy can find an outlet through their hobbies. Choose from children's most popular activities, like sports or music. As Gill puts it: "Music runs in their veins, rhythm is in their genes".
4. Never disappoint children. You are their last chance for a better future. If they lose their faith in you, they will never trust anyone again.
5. There are many advantages to having a couple run the project. They can provide the children with much comfort, as children look to them for memories of their loving parents. Losing a child when you are a caregiver is a terrible experience; having a loving partner to share this grief can be an immense support.  Running a centre like Dula can help you grow stronger as a couple, forge friendships and cement your love through a common passion.

Although the orphan day care centre is now well-established, Gill is not about to relax. His thoughts are now turning to these orphans' home environments, to the households run by grandmothers or older siblings who live in shelters made out of plastic and metal roof sheets and for whom every day brings a new, seemingly insurmountable obstacle. These are the poorest of the poor, and through a new foundation, Gill hopes to reach them in two ways. First, by giving them essentials like beds, mattresses, a rainwater tank, or a tray of orange-tree saplings; and second, by connecting them to the wider community and finding ways that they can sustain themselves over the longer-term.

When asked what happened to his six month mission, Gill smiles and replies that he is "still in the second week" of his mission. Is he planning to retire one day? "Only when the last of Dula's orphans is able to stand up for his rights and live happily in an AIDS-free environment !". In other words, Gill will be in his adopted country, Botswana, for a few more 'week-years" to come!