A Big Milestone

This day has been a long time coming for ECYCC but it's finally here and testament to the hard work of everyone associated with the home, especially the founding managers Carol & Bertus. This week we finally received registration from the Department of Social Development, which authenticates ECYCC as a child and youth care centre which is operated to the highest standards. It now allows us to work hand in hand with DOSD to care for a greater number of vulnerable children (up to 24 at any one time) and give them a caring safe home, whether on a temporary basis or more permanently. 

We are so happy with this news after waiting many years for this moment. The home will continue to grow from strength to strength and we will stay one united big 'family'...

Spring News

We have some little updates and thank yous to share which affect the home our 'little ones'. 

Photo 1- this is of Chrissie and Nakwe being looked after by a volunteer while the adults made 350L of soup for the KMMC (Karoo Mighty Men Conference). Rhett Newton (Vice Chairman of the Board) donated the materials towards this cause in order for the ECYCC to have soup, curry & rice and other refreshments exchanged on a donation basis available at the camp. The soup was made at the home where Martha, Dora, Jovonne & Carol had to make the soup, veggies and meat (veggies sponsored by Wolwekop Fruit & Veg, Mr. Appelgryn and meat sponsored by Deon Schoombie, a local farmer). Craig and Jovonne Erasmus got the gas, bottles, pots and generator sponsored by individual people from the Middelburg area. 

The food and drinks were divided amongst the ECYCC and other charitable projects in the district so everyone could benefit. All together we (ECYCC) received R16 000.00 in total from donations which makes all the hard work worthwhile and provides much-needed funds for the running of the home. We were happy to feed people at the KMMC as this was a Christian Conference and a good cause all together. We thank you Rhett for your generosity and belief in us. 

Photo 2 - Veronica enjoying some outdoor activities at a recent event. Through these good Samaritans we can have the children do exciting stuff like youth camps. Without these faithful supporters we cannot do this.

Photo 3 - the children enjoying the day out on a farm with Nehemia Ministries doing some outdoor activities and song & dance. Days like this are some our happiest.

Photo 4 - Carol (home manager) and Martha (carer) attended two training courses recently which are certificated. The Fire Maker Wellbeing workshop in February 2012 focussed on self care for the carer. Then in May 2012, a Fire Maker workshop for the Creative Arts in Psycho Social Support. This is done through the Zakheni Arts Therapy Foundation, a local NGO. We are looking forward to the next workshop in July 2012.

September Newsletter

Dear all, we are coming to the end of a very cold period for all Middelburg folk, all the kids are doing well, are healthy and very happy to get into their summer gear after all this time.

The good news is that Poppie (Khazimla Haas), a 6 year old girl, arrived at the home very ill and weak one month ago, has made so much of progress that she was placed into foster care which is also a good home for her to be at. This little girl was placed here at the Centre for safe keeping under the watchful eye of Hospice, to receive some TLC in order to get better. Poppie will still be monitored by Hospice from time to time, we miss this bright little girl a lot though. Angel, Christiaan and Sinakwe are doing well - the small boys are fully potty trained by now and just wear nappies at night time. This was a very joyful breakthrough for us all.

Ashley, Hendrico and Veronica studied hard this term and we are expecting good results from them. Veronica just gave word to the social workers that she is very happy here at the Emmanuel Centre and would like to remain here, she feels safe and protected and as she put it herself, she even welcomes the rules and discipline. The social worker found that this gives her balance, stability and a sense of belonging.

Clayton is currently busy with his record exam at MHS, we pray for a successful outcome as Clayton would like to attend a Christian Finishing School in Cape Town for a period of one year. We are still looking for a sponsor concerning this.

Like always we are in need of fresh produce,etc, although we received a wonderful gift in the form of a donation from Starke Ayres in Port Elizabeth. We can now sow seeds of fresh veggies and looking forward in the next couple of months to reap our hard work and dedication. All of the bigger children will take part in this project.

Daniel Jordan, a German volunteer, spend a period of 6 weeks with us, which gave me the opportunity to have a well deserved break and to visit my family in Kwazulu Natal, Daniel "kept the fort" here at the Centre. He will be leaving for Germany tonight. We are looking forward to have Mark Nash, from England, here for a week as from 30th September. Mark is also an "old hand" and was the volunteer started out with me in May 2009. Mark
visits almost every year, please feel free to come and meet him.

I would like to wish all a very happy spring and may God bless.
Warm regards
Carol Deysel

New Photos

We have some new photos that have been shared by recent volunteers. We would like to thank Chris and Lucy (from UK) and Gen (from Canada) who have volunteered their time and effort to help with the running and improvement of the home - all their help is truly appreciated. Included in the photos is the new chicken coop that was funded and built by Chris and Lucy, so the home now has a great supply of freshly-laid free-range eggs!

In recent months we've had some new children come into our care (Thuso and young brothers Ashley and Hendrico) and we are delighted to have them as part of our family.

NPO Status Granted

We're very happy to announce Emmanuel Children's Home is now officially a non-profit organisation (NPO) in South Africa, a status granted by the NPO Directorate within the Department of Social Development (DOSD). Our new number is: 073 629 NPO.

This is a very important milestone for ECH because it now means we can formally register the home with DOSD and make provision to offer care and shelter for more children. Being an NPO helps strengthen our creditibility because we are now held in account to a public office and we can hopefully find ways of getting benefits like tax incentives and funding opportunities.

The NPO that is named 'Emmanuel Children's Home' now oversees the management and planning of everything related to the home. It operates based on principles set out in an official constitution which has signed by the following board members:

• Bertus Deysel (Chairperson)
• Thandiwe Mblane, teacher at Nonyaniso Primary School (Treasurer)
• Donald Smiles, Politician for the DA Party (Advisor)
• Stanford Calvert, Manager of Good Shepherd Hospice (Advisor)
• Zolile Gladstone Masimini, Regional Counsel Member (Advisor)
• Carol Deysel (Secretary)

We believe we have a Board which is representative of the whole Middelburg community and will ensure everything the Emmanuel Children's Home does is in the children's and community's best interests. It is our intention to work in a positive partnership with everyone in the community and the Department of Social Development, reinforcing family values and providing refuge where no other home can be found.

The Story So Far...

Who are we?
We are Carol and Bertus Deysel who have taken over the management of the children's home at 18 Smid Street in Middelberg. We have set up a completely new faith-based non-profit organisation that offers a fresh start for the care home. We are committing our lives to the simple and honest objectives of being there for the children who have no one else to turn to, to love and care for them as best we can, and to provide a safe home for the vulnerable children of Middelburg. It is our intention to work in a positive partnership with everyone in the community and the Department of Social Development, reinforcing family values and providing refuge where no other home can be found.

Our vision
Our non-profit organisation (NPO) is registered with the South African government and it has recruited a Board of Directors which will be representative of the whole Middelburg community and will ensure everything the Emmanuel Children's Home does is in the children's and community's best interests. We are developing our plans with the aim of meeting these long-term objectives:

• Improving the health and well-being of vulnerable and orphaned children in and around the community of Middelburg.
• Exist to provide safe shelter and care for children from birth to age eighteen of all backgrounds and races.
• Develop an environment for the children which is conducive to building their self-sufficiency and providing opportunities for them to positively contribute to their communities.
• Provide other social welfare programs and services that serve a need gap identified in the local communities, principally in the area of support and skills-training for families

Why we are involved
We joined the children's home as volunteers in May 2009 with a view to taking over the children's home. We felt we had to become involved so that a children's home could remain to serve the needs of the community and continue to offer vital support and services. We believe that it is our life's calling to run a care home and provide nurture for these vulnerable children as they grow up. We chose the name “Emmanuel” (God with us) to reflect our strong faith in this endeavour. We are whole-heartedly committed to serving the Middelburg community and its families for many many years to come. Whatever obstacles we face, we will work hard to overcome them using partnership, humility and love.

Our plans
The charitable trust running the children's home prior to Carol and Bertus's arrival closed down on 30th June 2009 and was no longer approved by the DOSD. 32 of the children at the home were removed and fostered in new homes, leaving us to foster 9 remaining children. In this period lots of hard work went into building a productive working relationship with the DOSD and to generate stable donation income to help with the running costs. Finally in 2014 we gain a new registration to run Emmanuel's as a DOSD approved child and youth centre - able to house and care for up to 25 children at any one time, either on a temporary or semi-permanent basis. 

Our latest plans are to:

• Expand living space and facilities to adequately accommodate 25 children to the highest standards - including separate living and bathroom facilities for boys and girls. As of March 2015 the building work to cater for this is progressing well and is aimed to be completed and furnished by the end of the year.
• Work on community programmes for expanding the social services that ECYCC can give to the local community.
• Remain a positive and active voice in the Middelburg and Eastern Cape for children's rights and community projects.

Under New Management

Carol and Bertus Deysel are the new managers of the Emmanuel Children's Home. As of 1st July 2009 they take over the running of the care home which was originally setup and supported by the Dianne Lang Foundation. They say "our honest purpose and vision is only to be there for the children, to love and care for them as best we can, and to provide a safe home for the vulnerable children of Middelburg to find refuge. We intend to continue the dedicated efforts of Dianne Lang and we commit our lives to improving the children's quality of life".

Click on the new family photo to enlarge...