January News

It’s hard to believe that we are heading toward the end of the first month of the New Year already, but as they say “Time flies when you’re having fun” and over the last two months, TCA has been bustling with the spread of Christmas & holiday spirit and our offices overflowing with the many donations of toys, clothing, toiletries, treats & equipment for the children, indicating the wonderful generosity of our fellow communities, both far and wide.

 All the festivities started at the end of November 2013, where a wonderful group of friends came in on a Saturday afternoon to spend the afternoon with the children, giving them a Christmas party that included many wonderful treats and snacks, the decorating of a Christmas tree (as pictured, left) that involved all the bigger kids with the sounds of Christmas carols in the background & the giving of wonderfully wrapped gifts. A wonderful afternoon was had by all, as the party included the children’s parents, kids that were previously at ThembaCare, all the staff wearing Christmas hats and even the resident sister on duty wearing reindeer ears. 


Through the month of December 2013, once again, gifts and donations were given in abundance and we are extremely grateful and have to thank Rashieda, Melanie & friends for the Christmas party, Pick ‘n Pay Vangate Mall & the TLM Group for their wonderfully wrapped gifts, Craig Claasen & the New Apostolic Church for their donation of a much needed weighing scale and the prayers they have offered up, Tafelberg School, Lorraine, Gail & the Truworths Elements Team (pictured left holding one of our little one’s) & one of our volunteers Hayley & friends not only for their gifts, but also for the time they spent with the children and to Eros School, who were wonderful in including TCA in the World AIDS Day assembly and celebrations. Very informative and a reminder that we need to do our part as individuals, groups communities and a nation to help all who are infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS virus.


With no hospital appointments, the creche being closed for the school holidays and with the wonderful weather, on Thursday 19^th December 2013, an outing was organized for the four toddlers of TCA. Green Point Park being the outing destination of choice and with the accompaniment and supervision of the occupational therapist, a volunteer and a resident mom who volunteered to tag along.                                                                                                                              

With the great sunny weather, we were all dropped off in the morning, and here the children got to run around barefoot all over the demarcated park area, swinging on the swings, climbing jungle gyms and walking across the balance beams trying not fall off, being spun in a bowl while trying to sit straight, climbing on walls and through tunnels, playing with the other children in park, kicking around and running after a soccer ball and also finding fascination with a big family of ducks that were waddling past. And in between all this fun, enjoying a lunch of hotdogs, juice, fruit and a few luxuries as well.                                        

You know it is energy and a day well spent when all the toddlers fell asleep on the way back to ThembaCare.                                                                                                                                     Below are a few pictures taken in the park, to highlight some of the day.

 

Many of our children were able to go home over the festive season, spending time with their families, taking home all the wonderful gifts given for them and were welcomed back on 6^th January. ThembaCare was relatively quiet during this period but with all of them coming back, things soon returned back to normal; with the sounds of our children resonating through the building, and some wonderful changes & development can be seen.

Although January has seen 1 new admission of a tiny 5 month old baby girl, however, we are happy that 3 of our children were discharged recently, one of them a 5 year old boy who would have started Grade R with the opening of the school year. Returning to crèche is our eldest toddler who is now in the senior class as she will be turning 5 years old and starting at the same crèche is her little sister who at 2 and a half years old is in the baby class, but every morning leaves TCA with the widest smile on her face, waving and saying “bye bye” to everyone as they leave for school.                                                                                                                             

It is wonderful to see that a change in the environment, be it a short-term; such as our children going home for short periods, or be it long-term like our two sisters attending crèche, can bring out a different yet delightful aspect to our developing children.