March News

Our new admission: Cool Dude!

We are very excited to be receiving more referrals from Caledon and Villiersdorp which is extending our work into other jurisdictions. Its very interesting to see how things vary from one area to another and we are working hard with the district office of Dept of Social Development to find a way forward with these offices that fully complies with the Children's Act of SA.

 Our most recent admission is a gorgeous two and a half year old who is on chronic medication. Unfortunately his strict medical regime has not been kept to during the past two years which resulted with him being hospitalised and very poorly. It is a miracle he is still alive!  He has already improved dramatically now that he is on medication, and being loved on by our team of staff and volunteers works wonders. We will be working closely with his social worker to support his family as they face significant challenges which have resulted in this situation.

Our three-year-old girl is coming on leaps and bounds since starting school. She continues to develop mentally and physically and we really have to thank our German volunteer, Gundi, for all the one-to-one time she has been spending with her. Especially her patience with the potty training!


Our three-year-old boy has also started preschool now too and he is loving his new routine. He is fortunate enough to be at a pre-school where one of our old House Moms works so it’s nice for him to have a familiar face there.


Sports

This month we have started a new training regime whereby we get input from the mentors about how they want the sessions to go eg. They give us the specific drills, warm ups and stretches and then Jasper and Josh put that information in an order for the following week’s sessions.  So far this is working really well and it empowers the mentors to think for themselves. Attendance at the clubs has generally been good, with some clubs up while others fluctuate but we are still working with close to 200 boys and girls each week.

We have three new mentors: Niesa, Supakazi and Wezi who have been working on the netball with the girls, trying to continue the progression that Shana had made, and are fitting in well. Also Boni has recently agreed to extend his stay with us which is another blessing because the work he does with over 200 of the younger children who attend our clubs is fantastic and the extent of his knowledge regarding early childhood development is second to none.

Jasper has only one more week volunteering with us. We can’t believe how quickly the time has gone and wish he could stay longer but are very thankful for the time he has given us and how much he had dedicated to the sports programme and strimming and mowing the Village of Hope site in the mornings!!!


Rainbow Smiles

This month we’ve managed to link up with the councillors at the day hospital to find out other young people who may benefit from attending the group. We have identified a further 7 young people and we are in the process of conducting home visits to talk to the children and the families about the group and seeing if it is something they would like to be involved in.

We have also been undertaking home visits with our current children and have identified that there is so much individual need with the children we work with. One of the biggest challenges that we have seen has been regarding their education. A lot of the children we are working with are behind on their education for many different reasons and there are many children who are 16 years who have not yet graduated from primary school. This has resulted in them being unable to continue their education due to the discrepancy between the grade and their age. Without a complete education they have little prospects for the future so we are looking to help these young and are persevering trying to find a way for them to have some kind of training for the future.

Other News:
The Big Buck$ Charity Bike Ride:
Another chance to get #Active4Hope for Thembalitsha! Our annual cycle in the UK is being planned for Saturday 14th June and is beginning to take shape. It’s suitable for all ages and based around Aylesbury. Keep your eyes peeled on our facebook page for more details.


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!