Nozuko Madikane moved from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town in 1990. She has been part of the ThembaCare team since 2005. Nozuko loves working with children and for her the children have always been the highlight of her job. “At first it was very difficult. Sometimes coming in to work I wanted to cry” – seeing children terminally ill can be emotionally hard to deal with. “But you get used to it and learn how to deal with it. God helps us.” However, she stated that it was after having her own 2 children (both still under 3 years old), that she gained a new insight and understanding for the challenges the mothers of our patients face. Her compassion helps her to support not only the children, but also their parents. “Working through things take time, people need time to heal.” Nozuko has also learned a lot of skills in her time of working at TCA. “I learned a lot about working with children. These things I can also implement in other places, like with my own children.”
Nolwando Futiso became part of the TCA team in September 2012. She leaves her house and her own child at 5:30 in order to be in time for the day shift that starts at 7:00. Nolwando used to work with elderly people “who talked a lot”, she enjoys the children more, but especially has a soft spot for the little bit older children. A highlight for her is always when children learn new skills – when they learn to walk or start talking for the first time.
Mieta Arendse lives in Hanover Park and has 4 children of her own, ranging from 16 to 24 years. She has been working at TCA for 5 years. For her the children are priority. “I always prayed to work with children. I still remember the first day of my new job, I walked in here and I couldn’t believe I was going to be working with these children. According to Mieta she was blessed in that her own children was almost never sick. Now she gets to care for sick children in need of special care and she loves it. She tends to bond especially with the very sick children – “because you can feel they really need you.” This however is not always easy. “The saddest for me is when children pass away. It really affects me.” However the children also provides her with a lot of laughter. This cheers her up.
In the next weeks we will introduce you to some more of the ThembaCare family members. Thank you for your prayer and support as we continue to care for these precious children.
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