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Ncandeka Mshweshwe is the mother of Karin's adopted daughter Unathi. Ncandeka's life has been marked by great difficulty and sadness. She ran away from home when she was 12 to escape her abusive, alcoholic parents. Four of her six siblings have died. She survived by begging and by the time she was 20 she already had two children to take care of as well as her 12-year-old brother. On two occasions she tried to commit suicide. She later gave birth to a third child, making three children with three different fathers, all of whom have now disappeared.
To help Ncandeka and to avoid possible custody battles with relatives in the future, Karin and her husband agreed to take care of and eventually adopt Unathi.
Since then Ncandeka's life has been very much up and down. She lives in a eight square metre shack and as a single mother she receives 200 rand per child per month which does not go very far. Her eldest child is now sponsored through schooling. Including food, giving him a better foundation on which to build a future. Unaithi is very much aware of their situation and she is extremely proud to have two mothers. |  |  | |  |
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