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.

September News

This month is a cause for much celebration for us here at Village of Hope. Last week we received the news that our project is officially registered with the Department of Social Development. It has taken a very long time to establish with, which government department we should be registered to and what kind of facility we should be registered as. A process of over 4 years to be precise! Maz and her team have had lots of to-ing and fro-ing to do and red tape to wade though, but finally we have the piece of paper (laminated, scanned, copied and soon to be elegantly framed!) to prove that we are acknowledged by the government and officially allowed to be in operation as a 12-bed partial care facility.

What was ‘funny’ was that all the other social service organisations in town found out the result before we did. Apparently it had been confirmed a week previous to us knowing. Slightly back to front we think!

The only slightly element that took the shine of the news is that Tim and Maz weren’t here when we found out but we look forward to celebrating with them when they return from a break in the UK.

Children’s Unit
The unit has been nice and busy with lots of visits from some of the children’s parents. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, we’ve been able to send another little boy home to live with his mother (read the full story here) and another child’s mother, the girl who has difficulty walking, is being given her last chance by the social workers to prove that she wants her daughter back. She has to demonstrate this by coming to visit regularly and taking responsibility of caring for her daughter on those visits. We are hopeful that a reunification is possible for this little girl and her mother too but it has to be for the best intentions of the child.

Sports
This month has been rather frustrating for our sports team with so many afternoon clubs being postponed due to the intense storms we’ve been having. They are trying to make the best of the bad weather and using that time to sort out mountains of kit and prep for a sports Saturday they are planning in a few weeks. We are praying that the weather will be slightly more friendly by then as the children are really looking forward to a bit of healthy competition.

Other News:

Cycling:
On 13 September 12 cyclists in 2 different countries took on Thembalitsha’s cycle to the sea challenge. You can read more in ThembaCare Grabouw’s blog but we wanted to mention it because of the huge representation that came from our Village of Hope volunteers and friends. Shannon, Josh and Emma all completed the cycle here in South Africa covering 200km in three days (in awful weather sometimes) and our friends in the UK: Trefor. Dan and Cara Williams and Andy Gilbert completed the UK challenge which was to cycle to the sea, 100 miles in 1 day! Way to go guys!!!

Dancing:
Over the same weekend as the cycle, we were also given the opportunity to benefit from auction items sold at the annual Elgin Barn Dance fundraiser which is held here in Grabouw. Seeing as though most of the rest of the VoH team was off cycling, it was up to Emily to represent the project! Thankfully she didn’t have to dance too much and only had to speak on stage for a couple of minutes. Getting guests to bid on the items was a hard sell but the evening resulted in a haul of R5000 which is not to be sniffed at. Yee Hah!

Volunteers:
Our trusty past volunteer, Tyler Snelson, has popped back for a brief visit. Tyler is from Texas and has volunteered with us numerous times in the past. It’s always great to see people come back and reminds us of how big the Village of Hope family has become. We are sure he craftily planned is trip to coincide with National Braai Day (September 24)!!


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!

Best. Result. Ever!

Our number one goal for every child who comes to us at Village of Hope is to see them reunified with their parents. Often, that result is not always possible. Often, the child ends up with a member of their extended family, an Aunt or a Granny and sometimes we have to feed them into the foster-care system. So, on the rare occasion when we are able to place a child back with their Father or Mother our hearts do a little leap of joy! It is the Best. Result. Ever!

This week we are going to be able to do just that with a little boy who has been in our care for the last 6 months. He was referred to us because his mother had been defaulting on his ARV meds (HIV medication) to the point where he had ended up very poorly and in hospital. He couldn’t even sit up because he was so weak. Now he is a walking, talking little tinker and always entertaining us! He is particularly fond of music and loves to play the guitar with Shannon.

This little boy’s mother is only just 19. She is HIV positive herself but had kept her positive status (and her son’s) a secret because of the fear of how people around her would react. She hadn’t even told her mother. What a huge burden to bear alone! She had a job and her son was cared for by neighbours whilst she was working. She had not realised the serious consequences of defaulting on her son’s medication and because her neighbours were not aware of his status they did not know he needed any medication at all.

Whilst her little boy has been in our care, she has been to regular counselling and even felt confident enough to share her status with her family. It is clear that she really REALLY loves her son and I would go so far to say that I don’t think she would have ever considered defaulting on the meds had she realised how severe the consequences were for her son.

Her family are extremely supportive and the local social worker, along with our wonderful social worker, Emma, have concluded that it is suitable and safe for her to resume full time care of her son. So, over the past few weeks she has been coming to Village of Hope every day to learn how to care for him and administer his medication. It has been so fantastic to see Mother and Son bonding and playing together. They really do love each other and his face lights up whenever he sees her. The House Moms have been observing her closely to make sure she is doing all things necessary to care for her child and he has even been on two visits home to try his new environment out.

On Friday we will be waving goodbye to him (although I am sure we will see his cheeky face out and about in the community), confident that we’ve done our level best for this little one and excited for what lies ahead for him and his mother.

Like I said: Best. Result. Ever!

By Emily

If You Want To Go Far, Go Together

Hi-5s and pats on the back to all of us because we’ve survived our first week without Tim and Maz and without any major hiccups. Always a relief! We have a month to go before they return from the UK and our aim until then is to keep the wheels of the project on and running smoothly until then!!

However, as we waved them off at the end of August I was struck that, for once, I didn’t have the usual feeling of fear or trepidation. There was no sinking feeling or thought of ‘oh, no, what’s going to happen now!’ and I actually was quite happy for them to go! This wasn’t, contrary to what Mr and Mrs Walker might be thinking right now, because I was sick of the sight of them and needed a break (!) it was because I realised that:

1. God’s got us covered
2. We’ve survived in the past – in spite of children suddenly falling sick and having to be rushed into hospital, employees quitting, sheds being blown down in storms and numerous other 'coincidental' happenings

And importantly

3. We have a wonderful support team of long term volunteers around us to share the burden of responsibility

I can’t be thankful enough for these volunteers, each of them giving of their time and skills so generously to assist us in our mission here at Village of Hope.

With them by our side we are more than equipped!

Melissa and Barbara are keeping the Children’s unit ticking over, Emma is soldiering on (at a scary pace!) through the social work cases, Shannon is running our Rainbow Smiles club for us and providing worship sessions for the team and Josh, Sebastian and Shana have the sports clubs nailed! What a team! And it is so obvious that God has assembled them here for such a time as this. There is no way could have afforded such skilled people working here if we had to pay for them and they are serving us so graciously.

Thank you:
Barbara Wood, Emma Podmore, Josh Houltram, Melissa Kidd, Sebastian Griffith-Head, Shana Cox and Shannon Jones!!

Where in the past it would just have been a few of us trying to keep the SS Village of Hope afloat, we now have wonderful people to share the burden. Of course, it still isn’t easy. Most of us live together, on site and we have the challenge of getting along together at home AND at work. BUT it’s a unique adventure at the same time.

Some of the team have personal blogs which I’d urge you to dip into. It really opens your eyes to the life of a volunteer here.

Shana: http://shanainsouthafrica.wordpress.com/
Shannon: http://eachstepbyfaith-shannonjones.blogspot.com/

GO TEAM!

-By Emily

more birthdays!

making sure everyone is enjoying the party food!

yesterday we celebrated the third birthday of our dear little girl who has been struggling with her walking and speaking ever since she arrived with us late last year. emma and shannon did a great job of putting on the party with the kids making the table cloth and party hats, as well as playing games and barbara continued to bless us with the food which was enjoyed by all the kids, house moms and volunteers.

if you would like to find out more about this wonderful girl you can read more about her and the development she has made since she has been with us by clicking on the following links, her arrival and her with her walking frame.