Building For The Future

More reasons to be grateful for this month - the home continues to grow and make steps to even better facilities and experiences for the children. Volunteer Petra and her friends and family have kindly donated funds for the children to take some fun and educational day-trips and to cover other needs like new clothing. They have been very generous so many thanks to them.

Also Michael Halsey has continued to make a big difference for ECYCC... he has kindly donated to the building funds that will extend one side of the house to make a second bathroom and additional bedroom, increasing our capacity and helping us to meet the standards required of by the Department of Social Development for our registration. The photo below shows the start of the work which will transform the home when completed.

If you would like to support us further with the building work (which we still do not have the full funds to complete) please get in touch with us at emm.childrenshome@gmail.com and consider donating to us on the donation link which accepts all kinds of payment. The link is here. 

Some belated thanks - a couple of months ago we said goodbye to Maria, one of our volunteers from Germany. We were all sad to see her leave, especially the children who had many fun memories with her. Thank you for your kindness Maria and good luck with everything in the future!

New Volunteers

Some more things we are grateful in recent weeks...
Firstly, we're very grateful for big donation we received: R23,200 from the company Goldee Trading 174 CC2. The contact person for the company was Hester (a local born and bred in Middelburg) and she suggested that they should donate to ECYCC this time around. Thank you so much! The funds help us to pay for important day-to-day costs essential to the running of the home: electricity, care-worker salaries, food etc.

Secondly, we would like to welcome new volunteers to the home: Petra and Maria from Germany. They have settled in really quickly and are making a great difference to the children's lives with their kindness and enthusiasm. We've very glad to have them with us! Here's some of their recent photos... 

New News

We have a mystery donor, named Kevin who supports us with a donation each month, but we're not sure from where or how, it just appears in the ECYCC bank account. We would like to say thank you to this kind man, whoever he maybe. A good samaritan it seems.

It was recently a national initiative on 18th July for people to celebrate Nelson Mandela's birthday by giving 67 minutes of community service to symbolically mark 1 minute for every year of his public service. We had these nice contributions:

• Our local Grootfontein College sent a large group to cleanup the yard, the home and repair the swings on the 18th July.
• Quintin Vlooh of Eastern Cape Security, also helped with repairs at the home.
• Middelburg Begrafnisdienste, Rhett Newton's office, delivered gift parcels to our children.
• Methodist Church ladies in Midros, also sent parcels to the children.
• Vionolia, Auxiliary Worker at ECYCC, painted their puppet house.
• ECYCC's own contribution towards the 67 minutes was to provide the sound and truck towards a substance abuse and drug abuse event held in Middelburg, which featured a local choir organized by the local DOSD Middelburg.

Thanks to everyone that took part and supported us. A really great way for people to come together and help one another.

And finally, some nice photos from our TransKaroo friends which they shared with us. Their efforts look epic! This is fundraising in the extreme.

Verena's Volunteer Experience

In August of this year, ECYCC was lucky enough to have two new faces as volunteers - Verena and Sarah from Germany. They were a joy to work with and are very grateful for their support. Verena has kindly written some words on her experience which we would like to share:

"Within my studies I did an internship from August 25th to October 6th 2012 in South Africa and, therefore I chose to volunteer at Emmanuel Child & Youth Care Centre. Thanks to Carol’s brief updates and Sarah (volunteer at that time) I did not have to be uncertain about what to expect in the centre. By beginning of August I was getting quite excited about my volunteering time. 

The first days in the centre were breathtaking. Experiencing a different culture, meeting the kids (who by the way are so amazing), working with the care workers Auntie Katie and Martha, and last but not least, meeting two people who loved their work and the kids with all one’s heart. During my first week in the centre I experienced some tiredness I have not felt before ;) I guess I just was not used to being around children all day. After the first week passed I got used to that though. 

Daily routine: During the week the children of school age went to school in one of the townships in Middelburg from 8am to 2pm. As Carol told me they went there due to the teachers giving lessons in Afrikaans and to help maintain their culture. During that time Sarah and I were looking after Nakwe and Chrissy who are the youngest boys and not yet of school age. At 4pm all the children had study time. During that time they did their school work, pursued their arts, read books etc. Starting at about 5.30pm every child took a shower and the smallest ones and Angel were bathed by either Martha or Katie. At six o’clock dinner was ready and everybody sat at the table anticipating some nicely cooked afrikaans kos. It was funny to see how much the 'big boys’ – and siblings – Ashley and Hendrico could eat! After some quality time together right after dinner the kids could watch some TV and then went to bed at 8pm. On weekends we sometimes gave them popcorn – they absolutely love it! 

Reflection: During my internship I learned so much about South African culture, the children, their difficult and sad backgrounds and of course, about myself. It was the best decision to come to Emmanuel. I got to love the children and staff and after six weeks it was really hard to go back to everyday-life in Germany. I would definitely recommend staying at Emmanuel for a longer time. After the six weeks I just got used to everything, everything got daily routine and I finally started to understand – and speak (well, barely :D) Afrikaans. The children are incredible and despite their hard backgrounds they are getting all the love they need from Carol, Bertus, Bertie, Martha and Katie and for a short time – from me."

More Progress

Thank you to all the people and organisations that have supported the Emmanuel Child & Youth Care Centre (ECYCC) in recent months. As always we are grateful for their kindness; we have more updates to report on:

The wood floor in the TV/playroom is now completed. This is a huge donation by an anonymous sponsor. We are most grateful for their generosity. It does not only look clean but gives an atmosphere of light and space.

Nienke, Youth Worker at Middelburg High School, collected and donated some much-needed items for the children. Amongst these were tin foods, cereals, soup mixes and other. We also had some children from the school come to work in our garden for a school project - it was nice to have someone help in this space!

Two German volunteers, Sarah and Verena arrived at the centre in August. We feel blessed by the talented women whom not only brought their love and care to our children but also volunteers their time and knowledge in order to help with study times. Ashley is progressing with his maths where Hendrico and Veronica developed a love for reading. Sarah will be leaving for Germany on Saturday 15 September, where Verena will stay on for another 4 weeks.

All the children are doing well, mostly looking forward to summer. Angel who is mentally challenged, had a ear and throat infection, but she is doing much better after medication. Angel attended The Ark (School for the disabled) but recently started to attend Bennie Boekwurm Play School on recommendation by the Social Worker of the ACVV. She loves her new school, especially the activities and programs they are running. 

Carol and Martha attended and completed the final application workshop for the Creative Arts in Psychosocial Support. The Fire Maker Workshops were over a period of a year and were very useful, we learnt more about ourselves and to deal with children from many different backgrounds. We will continue to have a support group over the next couple of months in order to deal with problem areas concerning the children’s psychosocial progress.

Caregivers, Martha, Katy and Carol, started a study group amongst ourselves, working through the “Amos, living and farming God’s way” handbook. The main purpose is to uphold a better life and to achieve better problem solving skills. Happy caregivers are healthy caregivers.

Our wish list for coming months consists of: 

1. new pair of school shoes for each children for the summer
2. toys and games for the playroom
3. cash towards a trip for the children for the upcoming holiday
4 a DVD player as our current one is now broken

Other much needed items for the home: Cleaning materials, bread spreads, maize meal, fresh fruit and vegetables, toiletries (soap, toothpaste, Vaseline), tea and juice will also be more than welcome. Donations in the form of cash, towards the running costs of the home will be much appreciated.

We will be happy if any kind donors can assist in any way.

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

Welcome Daniel and Illa

Welcome to latest pair of volunteers, Daniel and Illa from Germany. We are so grateful for their help and we know the children are really benefiting from them being here. There's already some big smiles in the house, especially from some of our smallest children.

Click on the image to see it bigger:

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.

Volunteering

We always in need of help from volunteers and are very grateful for their assistance, time and effort. Below is some information which help explains about volunteering at the home...

Background
Emmanuel Children's Home resides in the town of Middelburg, halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town in the province of Eastern Cape. Currently we have 18 children who are fostered with us due to no other suitable home being found for them. These children have been neglected, abused or orphaned and the house has been the only real home some of them have known for the last 5 years. You'll be coming to us in a critical period since the home has been re-registered with the Department of Social Development (DOSD) and aiming to care for up to 25 children (at any one time) who have been abused, abandoned or orphaned. There is a lot of community support to keep the children's home in Middelberg given the important service it provides for vulnerable children in this region.

Volunteer's Role
The children's home is currently operating under uncertain circumstances - great strides are being made to ensure it's bright future, but given that the home currently gets no government funding, in this interim period there will be a desperate need for private donations to keep it running from day-to-day. On top of the most important task: caring for the children on a day-to-day basis, there is also a lot of work to improve the home's facilities and environment. As a volunteer you should be prepared to pitch in with whatever tasks and activities are asked of you - this will likely include opportunities to work on the care, supervision and stimulation of the children, but also mean helping with practical tasks such as maintenance and renovation of the home, helping with cooking, cleaning and laundry, and office administration and general errands where needed. The bottom line is that we're looking for volunteers who are flexible, hard-working, positive and very friendly!

You will receive a briefing on arrival and an orientation from the Children's Home Manager who will explain what your volunteer role will entail. We can also discuss before your arrival what particular skills and interests you have (e.g. study help, social work, sports, arts etc.).

You will be working in a challenging environment, but the work is rewarding and your efforts will be contributing to a brighter future for this children's home and the vulnerable children of Middelburg.

Facilities
We have volunteer room that currently holds two volunteers at one time, with access to a bathroom with hot water showers. It is not big or great by western standards, but it is clean and neat. It is located in main building of the children's home.

You can eat the same meals that are given to the children, which are wholesome and nutritious. This is not a vegetarian diet so if you are vegetarian you have to buy and prepare you own meals. Volunteers can buy food from the local supermarkets and cook this in the kitchen outside of normal meal preparation times if they prefer.

Laundry can be done for free in our laundry room where we have a washing machine.

Please be aware that Middelberg is a small town, quite far from any major city. It has well stocked supermarkets and shops and there is basic access to internet. In your free time you should be prepared for a 'quiet life', although there things to enjoy if you like exploring the natural surrounding or getting involved in the local community life and cultures.

Requirements
To apply to volunteer with Emmanuel Children's Home we require you to fill out a volunteer application form, as well as forward on a police clearance certificate from your country of residence (to show no criminal convictions) and two letters of recommendation - we require this for every volunteer.

The application form can be viewed and copied by clicking here.

In your application form you should start what dates you would prefer to stay and work at the home. We normally ask that volunteers stay for a minimum of 3 weeks as this gives you time to bond with the children. There is no maximum length of stay within reason.

The reference letters should be a brief recommendation of your character from someone in a professional position if possible (e.g teacher, principal, manager).

Your transport to and from Middelberg is at your own expense.

Fees
Volunteers are asked to pay a fee of 300 euros (or its currency equivalent: UK£250, US$390) prior to arrival or on it. This can be a donation or something you fundraise. The fee is the same no matter how long you intend to stay -  any length of time between 3 weeks and 3 month. We are extremely grateful for the time and effort volunteers give to the home and the children, but we also need financial assistance and volunteers to demonstrate a tangible commitment to helping the organisation. By paying this fee you are helping to secure the home's continuing existence and help cover the essentials of caring for the children. If you are very eager to volunteer but can afford these fees will review applications on a case-by-case basis to give you every opportunity to assist us.

Travel
It is best to fly either to Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein or Johannesburg and get the Translux, SA Roadlink, or Intercape bus (reliable daily coach services) from there to Middelburg (Eastern Cape, not to be confused with the Middelberg in Mpumalanga). The easiest way to check bus times and book tickets is on the Computicket website, link here.We will collect you in Middelburg from the bus drop-off point. Buses coming from Port Elizabeth normally arrive at 11pm and buses coming from Johannesberg (the opposite direction) normally arrive at 1:30am.

Should you require any other information, please do not hesitate to contact us at emm.volunteer@gmail.com with your questions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.