Emmanuel Children's Home, Middelburg, South Africa

Emmanuel Child & Youth Care Centre (ECYCC) provides care and safe refuge for children who have been abused, neglected, abandoned and orphaned. Based in the town of Middelburg (Eastern Cape, South Africa). ECYCC is a registered NPO (non-profit organisation) in South Africa.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

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.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Warm Hearts

We would like to offer thanks to the many people who have supported us through their involvement with the home and those who have given us much needed donations. The home would not continue without such kindness. From recent months we would like to thank:
  • Principal Wagner from Middelberg High School
  • Nehemia Ministries for donations and prayers
  • PJs for food donations
  • Duvan's Dairy for milk donations
  • Van der Merwe primary school in Midros for bread donations
  • Continued help from Thinus and Jolene Buitendacht
  • Mike and Candy Ferrar for providing a vehicle
  • Ladies from the NG Church and the Gereformeerde Church for their collections
  • Werner from Middelburg Windmills
  • Ponnie and Kirsty for their individual donations
For the month of December we have two new volunteers living and working at the home: Lucy and Chris from the UK. We are very grateful for them committing to help us and the children over the Xmas period, and we look forward to sharing happy times together.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Daniel's Experience

Daniel Blom is a very special child from the Emmanuel Children's Home. Daniel wants to become a policeman someday and Bertus thought it would be a positive experience to let him spend a day at the local police station in Middelberg to help him make this dream feel real.

Daniel got to spend some time with the dog unit and see the dogs in training. He also had the chance to sit in the Commissioner's chair at his desk "talking" on his phone. Daniel reported early on duty with Anzelle van Aarde to accompany him and was welcomed by Inspector Liz McEwan.

Daniel got to witness the parade done by the student constables and he loved it very much. Daniel was also taken to the forensics department and experienced having his finger and foot prints taken which he could keep as a souvenir. Daniel signed a special document "swearing him in" as a citizen helping to prevent crime. He took lots of presents back to the home to remind him of this special day as well as the pictures and stories which were reported in the local newspaper, the Middelburg Courant. Ever since, when a police car drive past the house Daniel runs to the window to see who is going pasr. He is very proud of what he did and we all are of him.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

September Update

Our children recently attended a youth summercamp which was hosted by the Agape Church Middelburg for the children and their parents/guardians. The church runs a project where they teach the kids life-skills and they are given a book they work through with the boys and girls separately...the names of the book: "preparing your daughter for every woman's battle" and "preparing your son for every man's battle". They handle these subjects at the church's Sunday school and the youthcamp was just to continue this and give chance to pray together. They had some lovely food, including braai and potjiekos, and also there were activities such as volleyball and tug-of-war to help team-building. Thank you to Agape Church for giving our children should a lovely opportunity to enjoy themselves and grow.

In separate news, Anzelle van Aarde is a new volunteer at the home. Anzelle is an energetic young lady from the local community who is kindly offering to support us, particularly with the children's studytime. She is already having a good impact and is loved by everyone in the home.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Kind Donors

We continue to receive much-needed help from many good samaritans and we would like them offer them our thanks...
  • Agape Church, Middelburg
  • Mr Wagner from Middelburg High School
  • NG Church, Middelburg
  • Mr and Mrs Erasmus
We would also like to thank our recent volunteer Martyna who has now returned back to Canada. She was so kind and helpful and we cannot thank her enough for giving us and the children her time and effort.

In the past week we've welcomed little Willempie back into the home, a 3-year old boy who brings us light and laughter. He has sadly needed our care and we pray he is given a loving home soon. Donations like these mentioned help support us to continue running the home and allow our doors to stay open to shelter shining stars like Willempie.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Rest in Peace Jackson

Emmanuel Children's Home lost a dear friend when Jackson passed away last week. Jackson has been working at the home since it started and we will never be able to replace his contribution. His loss is especially hard for the children who have all grown up in his caring hands, felt his love and compassion, and learned from his humble example. He was always a kind listener, offering help and hard work without prompt, giving advice and reassurance in hard times, a vital and respected link to the community of Middelburg. We will never forget these gifts he gave us and he will live on through the children whose lives he touched.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Thank You!

We wish to give heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been so kind to support the Emmanuel Children's Home, ensuring that its doors can remain open and we can care for the children we hold so dear. For every dark day we've had, we've had someone come along and offer us hope through their kindness. Our list of recent donors include:

Brightsparx - WTF Creative - Minister du Toit - Marieda from Middelberg Properties - Pieter Jooste - Dieter Bucher - GM Security - Pastor & Mrs Oboyo of Divine Hope of Glory International Church - Thinus Buitendag and Jolene Jacobs-Buitendag - Francois & Arinda van Tonde - Hein & Ronel Deysel - Vicky, Nicky and Gillian at VNG - the people who donated through Mark Nash and Marlin Merholz:

Paul & Candice Nash - Adam Bruch - Melanie Hall - Kate Bonollo - David Bratt - Judith Suhleder - Pia Maurer - Georg Hoffmann - Simeon Mueller-Goette - Tilman Roers - Paco Langjahr - Heike Schacher - Elias Ordelmans - Sebastian Schacher - Jens van Rennings - Jenny Janßen - Franziska Frohs - Esther Merholz - Gabi Merholz - Nanni Post - Frank Schlebes - Hilde Schlebes - Margot Merholz - Walter Dobbek - plus the following people by surname : Maassen - Bauer-Droege - Mantau - Hoffmann - Esmann - Buszek - Mullender - Krengel

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Home Improvements

Over the last few weeks the home has been a hive of activity with a lot of work being done to improve the home's facilities and environment, and carry out much needed repairs. This has included creating a new office, cleaning carpets and mattresses, repainting the kitchen, putting new doors on the rooms, and fixing the back gate. Led by all round handyman Bertus, with the help of the volunteers and the children, the improvements are really making a difference and helping the brighten up the home. It's only the beginning for Emmanuel Children's Home and we have many other projects in the pipeline.


Mark Says Goodbye

Mark, who has been a volunteer with the children's home for the last three months said a sad goodbye to Carol, Bertus and the children last week. Everyone has been through a dramatic time together, but it's been an amazing experience to share it and feel hope growing each day. Mark was sent off by a loevly display of singing and dance from the children, which was caught on video below. A big thanks to Luke for organising and leading this touching display! Mark will continue to help Carol and Bertus from back in the UK and hopes to come to help again in the not too distant future.

We are now pleased to welcome a new volunteer, Martyna from Canada, who will continue to provide much needed assistance for helping run the home and giving care to the children.


Friday, July 24, 2009

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.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Fence Finally Finished

The new garden fence, which has been a labour of love for the two volunteers Marlin and Mark, is now finished. Using some of their fundraising to purchase the materials, the fence has been over a month in the making (finding the right screws in Middelburg means waiting!). With the ground now protected we can start planting vegetables, including cabbage, turnips and spinach so we can start to gain some food self-sufficiency and benefit from fresh organic produce. Hopefully we'll have more updates on the vegetable garden soon and some progress to show.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Goodbye Marlin & Wiebke

We sadly said goodbye to two of our volunteers yesterday: Marlin and Wiebke (both from Germany), who arrived at the home back in November 2008. We cannot thank them enough for their great work and the contribution they have made to the children's home - they will be missed very much, especially by the children.

Photo of all the recent volunteers from Germany: Wiebke, Franzi, Marlin, Christin, Simeon, Judith, Daniella (left to right)



Wednesday, July 1, 2009

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...

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

First Photo Album

Our first photo album of recent fun and games with the children can be found by clicking on this link here

Recent activities include a hike up to the hill overlooking Middelburg, making a delicious potjie on the open fire, and the children trying out different sports including tennis, football and netball. Here's a slideshow of these events...

Monday, June 29, 2009

Talented Children

Our children are very talented, particularly when it comes to singing and dancing which is the heartbeat of the home. On June 16th we held a talent show which involved the children giving some great performances which were judged by the volunteers.

The boys (Michael and American) showing their best moves...


Other videos of the talent show can be found by clicking these links:
  • Some acapella singing here
  • The winning dance routine from Aya, Kholiwe and Nomhle here

Saturday, June 27, 2009

About Middelburg

Middelburg is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, in the Great Karoo. It is surrounded by three townships: Lusaka, Kwanonzame and Midros, which are still geographically separated from the town centre by roads and the river. Middelburg is on the N10 national route which is mainly used by trucks travelling to and from Port Elizabeth.

The Middelburg population mainly depended on local factories and railway services for employment. As soon as these businesses closed down and some downsized, unemployment became rife with resultant poverty. Heads of families were compelled to go and seek employment in cities, mainly in the mines or seasonal jobs on farms. This separation also interfered with family ties and support, encouraging single parenthood and poverty. Discipline has lacked at homes, children drop out of school and illiteracy rates increase despite adequate schools.



Get Involved

How you can help:
  • Donations
  • Food sponsorship
  • Fundraising
  • Volunteer work
Please contact us on emm.childrenshome@gmail.com if you can support us in these ways, or any other assistance you think would be of use.

Emmanuel Children's Home now has a Facebook group where you become part of our community - you can join it by clicking here.