A NEW girls unit has been opened at the House on the Rock for orphaned and vulnerable children in East London.

The unit is a result of the hard work put in by a group of Dutch youth. Each year, youngsters from the city of Leiden visit Buffalo City to uplift the lives of young children who have been abandoned and abused. The visitors renovate and upgrade various children's homes, having started with the King William's Town Youth and Child Care Centre.

The new unit was opened on Friday, 20 August after the group painted, tiled and decorated it. The House on the Rock is now known as the Glen Stella Campus.

Speaking at the opening, Bill Heaton, the chairperson of the East London Child and Youth Board, said: "We are grateful to have a group of youngsters who have shown us what it means to be united and work together in building a home."

The visitors are part of Leiden's Keys for Kids programme, which helps learners and students in Leiden with experiential training in their specific fields. Some students are studying brick laying and other construction studies, while some are studying health care.

Speaking about the programme, Leiden's international relations co-ordinator, Muriel Bosman, said the students were very dedicated to changing the lives of abused children in Buffalo City.

At the opening, children from the centre entertained their guests with music and dance.

The programme grew out of the relationship between the two cities. It is one of several projects they have developed, including an HIV/Aids initiative, a solid waste programme and a storm water management initiative. The last was launched 2006, and is aimed at cleaning streets and streams.

Another project coming out of the partnership was the rehabilitation of the Mzonyana Floodplain in Duncan Village. In the floods of 2002, six people died and saw 300 families lost their homes. The floodplain was turned into a soccer field and netball court.