October News

Tim and Maz are back from the UK and the rest of the team are breathing a sigh of relief that they are! On their return we were able to all attend the Thembalitsha annual party which was held at a township restaurant near Cape Town. The House Mom’s said it was ‘rockin’ (!) which is always good to hear and we were able to celebrate and recognise staff members who’d made extra effort this year by presenting them with certificates. We were very thankful for our team of volunteers who took up the baton of caring for the children in the unit to allow the House Moms to be able to attend the party.


Children’s Unit
The unit is gradually filling beds. We now have two new children. One is a little girl who is only 3 weeks old. She is tiny! Our 3-year-old girl, who’d been having trouble walking has also been fitted with splits to assist in her development and to complement the work being done in her regular OT sessions. She is not too pleased with them at the moment and keeps trying to take them off. This is understandable because they must be quite sore and difficult to adjust to, but we are trying to encourage her and demonstrate how it will make a difference in the long run – we are not sure she is convinced, but what 3-year-old would be?!

Sadly two parents of previous Village of Hope children have recently been admitted to ThembaCare as they are really ill again. Whilst we are pleased that ThembaCare are there to offer them support, it goes to show how tough it is for so many people who live in the local community to remain well and healthy. Please keep them in your prayers.

Sports
Plans are in full swing for our Sports Saturday which is happening next Saturday. The clubs themselves seem to be growing at a massive rate at the moment. So much so that we are running out of the collectable cards! We are now seeing at least 250 children every week and we’ve also expanded this work by providing sessions for under 8 year olds to keep them entertained whilst their old friends and siblings are at the clubs. We are really so thankful for our volunteers, Josh, Shana and Seb, and the work they are doing for this outreach. Their dedication, along with the support of other volunteers, like Emma, is making such a huge difference and also encourages the sports mentors from the community too!

Other News:
Garden Improvements
Our front entrance is now looking very grown-up and tidy thanks to the funds we received to do this. We’ve got a wonderful driveway with parking slots too. We’ve also got a proper key-pad for the gate which is going to make getting on and off the property safer and easier.

Concerts
Our Hope@PaulCluver events are starting next month and Emily has been working very hard getting the programme organised and ready to launch. We are still bowled over by this fantastic opportunity granted to us by Paul Cluver Wines. If you are based near Cape Town please do your best to attend and help to promote these events. All of which will benefit our projects in Grabouw. Read more info on the origins of the partnership and full programme details on our website.

Volunteers
Shannon, our much-loved volunteer and in-house worship leader is back in the States visiting family and so too is Mel. There are definite gaps with them gone!!! Whilst they are away we are expecting two teams from American churches so we are going to be lots of activity going on!

3 Men Went To Mow
In the mornings, before sports clubs, Josh and Seb are spending a LOT of time assisting Johan with strimming, trying to keep the grass on the land under control and limit the danger of snakes being close to walkways. It’s a mega task as everything is growing like crazy now that summer is nearly here!


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 R10000s with enough enthusiasm!
• Pray – need we say more?!

For more information contact us fundraiser@thembalitsha.org.za


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!

We also have job openings for specific long-term volunteer roles. Please visit the volunteering section on our website for full details.

welcoming new children

emma and our other special girls feeding
the new baby

the recent official registration of the village of hope with the department of social development has meant that our phones have been busy with calls from our local social workers as they seek to place children with us, which is obviously great news and the reason why we exist, however with any new admission the realities of the communities we work with are highlighted and the need for the services that we provide become even more evident.

highlighting this fact was the arrival of our second new admission in as many weeks and this afternoon we received the second of two girls who need our care, the newest arrival is a beautiful little 3 week old who has been placed with us from some very trying circumstances and she joins a very malnourished and needy seventeen month old who was been with us for just over a week.

please pray for us, the team of wonderful house moms, the social workers and our volunteers as we all try to work together to understand the needs of these, and our other children, to ensure that the best care is provided for them and that their families get the best support during the times these children are with us.

stories of hope!

as you might be aware myself (tim) and maz have been enjoying some much needed family and holiday time in europe over the last few weeks and we are so thankful to the team of wonderful volunteers and staff who valiantly held the fort whilst we were away....to have such a team around us takes away that stress and strain when we are away and the legacy of the project is the fact that the project can run without us being as involved in the day to day stuff which is really cool.

whilst we were away we had the opportunity to meet up with family and friends in england and france and we were able to share highlights and update people on the work we are doing both at the village of hope and the wider thembalitsha foundation. we also had the chance to speak at a couple of churches and a surprise fundraising event with our main focus on encouraging everyone that they can make a difference whether they are called to set up a HIV project in south africa or called to provide a hot meal to a needy neighbour wherever they live!

upon our return we were able to celebrate the amazing news of our successful application for the village of hope to be registered as a temporary place of safety which we have been waiting and praying for over the last year or so, as has been highlighted before much credit for this must go to maz who has been a stalwart in ensuring that this registration came through under the correct government department and within the new children's act, of which she is an expert.

however our successful registration wasn't the only incredible news that we are able to share, what must go down as a true miracle happened yesterday as two of our village of hope children have been officially adopted by an amazing american family, who we were able to join for a celebration braai at the elgin country club last night. the parents, brent and karla, have been visiting our thembalitsha projects for a number of years now and we are so pleased that these two children will now have the opportunity of a lifetime to grow up in a stable loving home with a mum and dad who can provide the basis of a life in the united states.

the underlying success of the village of hope is the fact that around 40 children have now been placed back home with their own families here in south africa and that continues to be desire, however for some that isn't that easy so we are so pleased in the outcome that has happened to these two dear little ones...should you want to read more about this fantastic story then please visit the families blog by clicking on this link, we are sure you will be inspired.