a full children's unit

children enjoying the late autumn afternoon sun 

we start this blog post with some great news.....for the first time since we had the unit extended by the students from stuttgart university we have a full unit!

over the last month we have had five new admissions who join children who have been with us for some time, however whilst we are so pleased to be able to provide a stable home to these children the news of any new admission is always tinged with sadness as every child who is placed with us arrives with a story of suffering and pain. unfortunately this is so true of the three children who we have been able to help this week.

as per normal we can't go into each of their individual cases but please pray for us as we seek to provide a safe home for three little ones who have had a very troubled life so far and also their family who are obviously struggling to support them at home. we hope to be able to sort something quickly with our social workers but as always things don't always follow a quick path.

arrival of the whirlwind.....

zebra cuddling whirlwind

during the week we have experienced some very strong northwest winds which have battered the western cape, however none of the winds impacted us as much as the little whirlwind of a child who arrived yesterday for some much needed support.

this little three year old suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and is very small for his age, he has already experienced so much in his little life and comes from a challenging home situation where things such as food, electric and hot water are a premium, so you can imagine the joy on his face as he saw the toys, beds and outside play equipment that greeted him and his mother as they walked through the door of our children's unit.

it is a joy to be able to provide a home for him but we do need help in understanding his needs so please pray for this little guy and also our house moms who will have to adapt to having this whirlwind around. please also pray for his mother who we will be working with as we seek to have him placed back with her once the home situation has been stabilised.