December News

ThembaCare Athlone has welcomed a number of new children this month and we love getting to know them! We also seem to be in a “baby phase” with all the children under 2 years old, which keeps the caregivers very busy. One of our new little ones is a 16-month-old boy who arrived in a vulnerable state with widespread infection, and consequent developmental delay. However in less than a month we have seen a huge change. From quietly sitting on the mat he is now scooting around the playground and has become a real “chatterbox”, having long animated conversations about...well only he really knows! It is such an encouragement for the team to see how much impact a little bit of the right care makes.

This month ThembaCare says good bye to two of its volunteers. Danielle, from Germany, has been with has for 3 months and has been a valuable pair of extra hands in the playroom, helping with feeding, changing and loving our children. Zoe Lee, a professional nurse from the UK, has spent a year with ThembaCare (as well as other Thembalitsha projects) and has been invaluable in her organisation of donations, caregiver training, experience and “filling in the gaps” around ThembaCare, amongst many other things. We will miss them both and are very grateful for the time and care they brought to ThembaCare.

As Christmas approaches many people want to donate to ThembaCare but don’t know what to give, although we appreciate every donation we receive we do have some specific needs. Currently we have a specific need for the following: grass cutter, tool box, hair shaver, medium sized pots, plastic water jugs with lids, paint and brushes to repaint the wooden jungle gym, children’s bowls and spoons, baby floor/mat gym and baby donut cushions. For a list of basic supply needs please contact Amanda@thembalitsha.org.za

October News

October was a month of goodbyes at ThembaCare Athlone. The first was to our Occupational Therapist, Marilize, who has been with us for two years. Marilize’s hard work and dedication can be seen all around ThembaCare and she will be greatly missed, but we wish her all the best for her new chapter.

We also said happy goodbyes to three of our children this month. One of these goodbyes was to a very energetic and spunky little girl who came to us a year ago, for the second time. She arrived severely malnourished and there was doubt whether she’d make it, however she surprised everyone and by the time she waved goodbye last week she was a tough healthy little girl who’d become the Queen Bee of the playroom. We wish these little ones and their families’ blessings as they leave ThembaCare.

September News

Four year old Am* was referred to TCA from the hospital, as it was clear to them that her family was not giving her ARD treatment regularly. At her arrival it became clear that Am did not receive the nurturing and care from her family that every child deserves. She struggled with boundaries, had a very short attention span and referred to any bottled substance as beer. However, she so quickly adapted to the love and routine in our home and she became a little "mother" to all the babies, reprimanding them when they didn't finish their bottles and even checking that they have their bags for creche. She was also known as our own little actress and she effectively used her acting skills to steal attention from even the cutest little babies whenever visitors arrived. We all had mixed feeling when we had to say goodbye this month. Although a few tears flowed, we are happy that, after a long and challenging few months, we have found a home for her at "Home from home." We trust that her enthusiastic personality will still take her a far way.

Jaime at ThembaCare Athlone

We also said goodbye to Jaime, who volunteered with us for a month. Jaime served TCA with so much enthusiasm and love and the children will definitely miss him! We have however welcomed Daniella from Germany. She is a social work student and will be helping out at TCA until November. We wish her a warm and joyful stay in South Africa!

* Child’s name has been changed to protect her identity

August News

It’s winter in Cape Town, but the lovely weather could have fooled us all! Last week ThembaCare staff, together with two of our long-time volunteers Zoe and Sally, took our children on an outing to Greenpoint Park. The children utilized the vast green spaces, ran around bear-foot and played on the playground equipment.

We have welcomed a new volunteer to our team, Jaime, from Madrid. This month quite a few local volunteers have also applied to help out at ThembaCare and we are thankful for the extra hands.

Last month we mentioned that one of our little patients could be discharge home after Little Lambs donated a shack for the family to live in. Since then she has also received some other furniture and appliances and the family of three is now happily reunited.

July News

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million  ~Walt Streightiff

I have been marvelling at the enthusiasm and joy with which our children explore and experience life. Simple things like playing on the grass, going for a walk down the street, or reading stories easily turn into a celebration of life. Unfortunately children are not always granted these opportunities. Baby F, a 14 month old girl, arrived at ThembaCare last year with chronic malnutrition, weighing 5.4 kg (the typical weight of a 3 month old baby). She was so neglected that medical staff was not very positive about her prognosis. Today this little girl is a happy, chubby 2 year old toddler who keeps us on our toes! Although she is still slightly delayed in some of her developmental milestones, she has made up for lost years with her active personality and is running around and speaking her first words!

We are very thankful for Little Lambs who has been supporting the mother of one of our patients to build a new shack. As this mother did not have a safe home to take her little girl back to, baby A had to remain at ThembaCare, even though her health had improved. She will now be able to return to her new home with her mother and sister. A group of ladies have also volunteered to donate some household appliances for their new home. A group from Protea Hotels visited ThembaCare this month and brought boxes of much needed nappies, baby products and clothes. Thank you for helping provide continued care for little ones!

June News

We have so much to be thankful for this month! A new staff-nurse, an outing for our all children to Barnyard Farm, new homes for our babies and the chance to provide loving care for a full-family of little ones!

One of our little boys has returned home to live with his grandmother this month, after spending most of his life here at TCA. When compiling a little photo album for him to take with on discharge it was quite an emotional experience, reflecting back on how little he was when he arrived here and how he has grown so much personality over the months here at TCA. However, we are always happy when our children are provided with opportunities to return to a normal family and routine. At the same time we welcomed one of the Village of Hope boys to TCA. It is an absolute pleasure to have him with us!

Not only have we had an influx of new babies to TCA, we have also added two new registered nurses to our health team. Thandi Gwandya and Vela Valishiya joined the TCA staff this during the months of May and June respectively and we are excited about the fresh enthusiasm and passion they are already bringing to the table.

Sally Pegg, one of our long-term volunteers, together with Reddam House Tokai, arranged a fun-filled outing for our children to Barnyard Farm in Constantia. The weather was just perfect and the children had a picnic, rode on a horse, fed the chickens and experienced live on a farm for a day.

Thank you for your support. Please continue to pray for our project, trusting God for the health of our children as well as sustained energy for our staff-members.

May News

ThembaCare is almost a full-house again, after we have admitted beautiful new girls and boys to our family. The now colder weather calls for some added creativity from the care-workers to keep the children busy, happy and contained on rainy days, without the luxury of outside playtime. Four of our care-workers are currently completing a 3 month home-based care course at St. Luke's hospice and will be returning to ThembaCare at the end of the month. We are grateful for the help and support of our 2 nutrition students from Belgium, Ien and Ciebe, who are helping at ThembaCare until next month. Thank you to everyone who has donated clothes or baby items during this month! 

April News

Beauty Nomantlane Makhalima has worked as a trusted care worker for ThembaCare for 4  years. She has a special way with the children and often states proudly that all the children she has cared for have found good homes, because that is what she prays for them. This month we asked her about how she came to work at ThembaCare and what inspires her in her daily duties.

Who is Beauty Makhalima?

My name is Beauty, the mother of 5 kids, coming from Eastern Cape. My husband passed away in 1999. I am very happy, but I raised my five kids myself. My oldest child is 31 years now and my youngest child is 13 years. My oldest child works as a paramedic.

How did you come to work at ThembaCare as a care-worker?

I worked in a nutrition centre with children from 2 – 6 years for 18 years before starting at TCA. When the centre closed, I asked my friend Miriam (who also works at TCA) if she knows about any jobs. She told me about a place at TCA.

What motivates you in your job?

I feel well-equipped after working many years with children and this motivates me to do my job. I like my work a lot. I like that it is about health issues, it challenges me and I like that.

What do you enjoy most about working with the children?

While the children sit with me I enjoy it a lot. I enjoy concentrating on them, singing with them. I like to see how they develop physically and mentally.

Do you have any specific good memories from TCA?

I will always remember one specific girl that was at TCA for a long time. I met her when she was very little, a baby, always caring for her, taking her to hospital, growing her. When she was 3 years she found a foster mother. I was very, very happy, that God has heard my prayer for this little girl. But it is not only this little girl. There were many other children that found good homes.

How do you cope with the sad stories at work?

It is a difficult for me, but as I know it can’t change, I know I must accept it. I also know that I come to TCA to bring God’s Word. The Bibles teaches us how to deal with these different things.

March News

February was the month of love!... and Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard’s primary school decided to show some real love this valentine’s day by donating baby products and groceries to ThembaCare Athlone. Thank you Reddam! Peddle tissue in Maitland has chosen TCA as their charity of choice on a monthly basis. We are grateful to our sponsors!

We have also welcomed a new baby; baby L, to our home. This little baby girl is only 2 months old and although she is currently quite ill, she is full of gurgles and smiles! Boy P is 11 years old and has been with us for over a year.  Health-wise he has made a remarkable recovery and we excited to discharge him to his mom and grandmother in the near future. Please pray with us that we will find the right school for him, to suit his special needs. It is truly a delight to witness the little ones grow and develop their own unique little personalities. The children continue to often make us laugh, sometimes test our patience and constantly inspire us with their resilience and joy.

February News

The holiday-atmosphere here at ThembaCare slowly faded this week, as our children returned to crèche and patients who visited their families over Christmas returned to our hospice. We are expecting a few new admissions in the following weeks and a terminally ill one-year old baby in need of specialized palliative care is expected to arrive tomorrow. Please pray with us for this little girl and her family.

The children truly experienced some sea and sun this month and a Condor filled with excited staff members, babies and toddlers visited Strand Beach and Sea Point beach on two occasions for some swimming, sand-castles and ice-cream. The older babies played in the shallow water and our very sociable toddlers quickly made friends with the other children on the beach. They returned with sticky hands, sandy hair and very sleepy eyes!

We have welcomed Zoe to ThembaCare this week and she will spend a little of her time here each week, while her husband teaches at School of Hope next door. We are also looking forward to meeting the two occupational therapy students who will arrive here at the end of this month.

We are extremely grateful that one of our patients, a 6 year old boy who has been with us for over a year, was finally discharged into his aunt and uncle’s care. We are still awaiting foster placement for two of our toddlers and we are trusting that their stories will evolve just as beautifully.

We are blessed to witness daily how our patients grow, learning to crawl, stand and eventually run and gain the weight they need to develop into healthy, active children. Thank you to all donors and volunteers who contribute to making this possible!