Cheshire Homes South Africa

Established in 1965, Cheshire Homes South Africa has grown into the country’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to providing specialised, full-time care for people with physical and mental disabilities. For nearly six decades, the organisation has remained steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that some of South Africa’s most vulnerable individuals are not only cared for, but respected, empowered, and supported to live meaningful lives. Today, Cheshire Homes South Africa supports nearly 650 adults and children across five major provinces, delivering compassionate, person-centred care that prioritises dignity, independence, and quality of life. Each individual is supported according to their unique needs, abilities, and life stage, within environments designed to promote safety, inclusion, and a sense of belonging. Operating under a single national umbrella, the organisation oversees an extensive and diverse network of services across 17 premises nationwide. This network includes adult residential homes, independent living villages, children’s homes, Educare centres, retirement homes, outreach programmes, a physical rehabilitation facility, and a workshop. Together, these services form a comprehensive continuum of care, ensuring that individuals can access appropriate support throughout their lives—from early childhood through adulthood and into later years. Beyond residential care, Cheshire Homes South Africa plays an active role in community development and social transformation. The organisation implements sustainability initiatives, outreach and prevention programmes, development and upliftment projects, talks on mainstreaming, and advocacy efforts aimed at advancing the rights, inclusion, and long-term wellbeing of people with disabilities and their communities. These initiatives seek not only to respond to immediate needs, but to address systemic barriers and create lasting change. Cheshire Homes South Africa operates across a wide range of contexts, including rural areas, informal settlements, townships, and metropolitan centres. It serves individuals who depend entirely on government grants and subsidies, while also offering fee-based accommodation options for those with financial means. This balanced and inclusive model enables the organisation to extend quality care to those most in need, while ensuring long-term sustainability. Through community partnership, ethical governance, and the support of donors and stakeholders, Cheshire Homes South Africa continues to create safe spaces of care, opportunity, and hope—ensuring that disability never equates to exclusion, and that every life is treated with dignity and value.