Well, the Easter break is over. Those children old enough have returned to school and the unit has resumed its term-time routine. We all enjoyed a wonderful time with the children whilst they were off school. With our abundance of able volunteers we were able to take day trips and have lots of creative craft sessions! We took the children (along with lots of excited adult ‘helpers’) to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. There were so many of us that we even had to hire a bus to take us there! The amazement on the children’s faces really was a sight to behold. They were intrigued by all the fish and sea creatures and soaked up the entire experience. It was a fabulous day and all of us were worn out by the end of the trip. The bus was nearly silent on the way home because most of us fell asleep! We also took a more local outing to Highlands Road Deli. The Deli and wine estate is in a beautiful setting by a dam in the Elgin Valley and is run by Justin and Mary Hoy. We we made to feel very welcome and the children were able to enjoy a fantastic home-cooked chicken pie followed by a play on the pirate-themed jungle gym. We had a few rainy days (yes, we do get rain!) over the holidays but did take a trip out to Kidz At The Mall, an indoor soft play venue and the kids went crazy in the ball pools and charged up and down the climbing equipment. The Easter weekend itself was a bit of a wash out, this was a shame but, with the large British contingent we have here at the Village of Hope, we pushed on through with our British tenacity and braaied as well as having an easter egg hunt for the children in the rain!
Sports Outreach and Community Work
Both Rainbow Smile and the sports outreach programme took a break over the Easter period but full service has resumed since last week. Every now and then we get a sharp reminder that these children really do have a tough life: you may have read on our blog that one of the boys from Iraq (an area of the community where we work) lost his home in a shack fire. He had turned up to sports club as normal and didn’t even mention anything about the fire until the end. All he had managed to rescue from the fire were his school shoes. Click here to read the full story.
Other News
Volunteers:
We have had a flurry of visitors over the Easter period. Tim’s sister Vicki joined Tim’s parents and, along with her daughter, Faith, and their friend, Liz, came to visit and help out. Jess’ parents, Debbie and Geoff also came to visit along with Hazel and Tony Allen and Pauline Robowtham from Aylesbury. At one of our social gatherings there was a total of 17 English people which was rather strange!
Water of life:
Our project is supplied with water from our very own borehole but last year we discovered that the water was contaminated and not sensible to drink. This is not great when we look after children who have low immune system! Since the beginning of January we have been working on solving this problem. You may remember us previously mentioning our lovely, Dutch volunteer, Stijn (a building student) was constructing a tower to house a new water treatment system. Well, now we have the new system in place and, after the usual teething troubles, it seems to be working very well. We are just waiting for the tests to come back to say the water is now safe to drink which will save the House Moms a lot of time boiling and cooling water before it can be used and hopefully eradicate the random stomach complaints which seem to affect some of our visiting volunteers.
It won’t be long before we will have our very own barrel of Village of Hope wine. Our friends at Almenkerk Wine Estate in Elgin offered to harvest the vines that grow outside of the volunteer’s accommodation and, together with some of their yummy grapes, magic them into a wine which we can use to raise some money for the project. This week Joris van Almenkerk and his team came over to pick the grapes. This was a rather hilarious affair because our crop was rather small – the whole process only took ten minutes and the results barely covered the bottom of the crate! However Joris has assured us that this is only the beginning and that next year, now that we have the vines under control, the crop will be more substantial. Although our contribution of grapes will be miniscule it will still be enough to call it a Village of Hope wine and we are excited to taste the results.
New Wheels:
Those of you who have been out to volunteer with us will no doubt have had the pleasure of driving our lovely Toyota Camry. Our relationship with the Camry has been one of love and hate combined. Although it has managed to get us from A to B and Z many-a-time, we have finally been able to upgrade to a ‘proper car’ with doors that open and shut properly, a boot you can open easily, interior lights and even a working radio! – We are definitely moving up in the world. Although we considered holding on to it for sentimental reasons (or as an ornamental planter), we decided to get what we could for it and with the money purchase a lovely Audi A4 from a friend of ours who was selling. It is great for the shorter drivers amongst us to be able to see over the steering wheel for a change and even has leather seats (posh!)
How You Can Help
We are never short of ideas on how you can help us out!!!!
• Become a regular monthly giver - Regular givers are like gold dust to us!!!
• Fundraise – Commit to shave your head, host a quiz night, do a sporting event!!!!! – The possibilities are endless and can raise £10000s with enough enthusiasm!
• Pray – need we say more?!
For more information contact us fundraiser@thembalitsha.org.za
Up And Coming Events
For further details check out our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/thembalitshafoundation
We’ve got some energetic events for you coming up!
• British 10k London Run
We have six places available and the run takes place on Sunday 8th July. This really is a fantastic race – you get to run past major London landmarks like Big Ben and St Paul’s cathedral. It costs £30 to enter and you need to be willing to commit to raising at least £250 for us. So, whether you are new to running and looking for a challenge, or an old hand looking to beat your personal best, this is a great opportunity to get into training and to run for a great cause. Contact us at office@thembalitshauk.org.uk for more information.
• Thembalitsha Bike Challenge
Can you cycle 10 miles? 100 miles? Either way we’d love you to join us on Saturday 8 September as we challenge ourselves to cycle whilst raising money for Thembalitsha.
The challenge:
10 Miles: A circular route from Aylesbury on picturesque lanes in the Chilterns, suitable for all kinds of cyclists and all ages and including families, you just need to be able to cycle comfortably for around an hour at an easy pace. Entry fee is £5 for adults, £2 for children.
100 Miles: A wonderful route through the Chilterns and the Thames Valley before lunch at a riverside inn, then on to the South Downs and the sea at Brighton. You’ll be rewarded with a stopover at a farm and a hearty breakfast before being driven home the next day. Suitable for regular or more experienced cyclists, you need to be able to cycle at a moderate pace for most of the day. Entry fee is £25, which includes overnight accommodation, breakfast and return transport.
Whichever personal challenge you choose, our challenge to you is to raise as much money as you can for Thembalitsha in sponsorship. Are you up for it?!
Contact us: office@thembalitshauk.org.uk to sign up!
Volunteering
We rely heavily on committed volunteers to do the stuff here in South Africa. It can be a fantastic way to give (and receive!) However, we do have some criteria you have to meet in order to apply. For more information on volunteering for Thembalitsha please check out our website or email us at volunteer@thembalitsha.org.za.
Also, please do NOT book ANY flights before your application form has been accepted. Thank you!
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