That is why an outing this month, arranged by two volunteers from Ireland, was such a great idea! We took eight little-ones on a morning outing to go visit the fish and penguins, sponsored by the Two Oceans Aquarium. They were absolutely amazed by what they saw! The gigantic crabs were a favourite and the toddlers proved to be fearless as they reached out to the glass trying to touch these 'goggas'. Outings are such an important part of caring for our children holistically and the value of taking children who have been confined in an institute and often even to their beds for long times are integral to their development. It also instantly lifts their mood! One little boy who had been miserably missing his mother since admission gave his first full-on smile as we entered the aquarium. The children were heard for days after the outing still singing "hello little fish, hello big fish" to one another.
This is also another indication of how valuable committed volunteers are to our organisation. Volunteers committing to regular visits over a period of months have a chance to bond with children, give valuable individual attention to children and support caregivers in stimulating development and help the children 'catch up' on time lost during long periods of illness.
We are proud to say that we are almost a full-house at the moment and that there has been periods over the past weeks where we have had a waiting list. One of our new admissions is a beautiful and fragile 4-month old girl, weighing 2,4 kg. We are delighted that she is now returning smiles and becoming more active. Her aunt who will be caring for her is spending time at ThembaCare, learning how to tend after her special needs and becoming more and more confident in looking after her.
