Month: June 2021

When our school bus, donated to us in 2017 by the IQRAA Trust, was stolen from our property last October, we were devastated. Having a safe and reliable vehicle to transport our children on daily basis is one of our top priorities.

Despite having security measures in place – the vehicle was parked in a locked garage within our fully fenced property with electric gate access – thieves still managed to steal it! We opened a case with the SAPS, and the tracking company made every effort to recover the vehicle, but sadly, it has never been found.

We felt terrible having to inform the Trustees of the IQRAA Trust that the vehicle had been stolen, but it was the right thing to do. Dr Baker was so understanding. To our delight, he invited us to submit an application for funding towards the shortfall on the cost of a new vehicle.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the IQRAA Trust for their financial contribution of R75 000 towards a new school bus. Together with the insurance payout and funding from other sources, their contribution enabled us to buy a brand new school bus for our children.

We all know the importance of saving for a rainy day. But when funds are stretched to the limit, it’s just not possible.

That is why we launched the Sunshine Campaign – our rainy day emergency fund. Thank you to all those who have joined already. You are like a ray of sunshine and hope in our Home, getting us through the long, dark and dreary days of Covid-19. Your kindness helped get us through lockdowns, disruptions in schooling, financial hardship and social isolation.

If you haven’t joined yet and would still like to be a part of our Sunshine Campaign, please email nicolette@dch.org.za for more info.

Maintaining five buildings, four of which are over a hundred years old, is near impossible when you also have 74 children to take care of. There just aren’t enough hours in the day!

Thankfully we have loyal service providers who help keep our Home in tip top condition.

T/C Electrical is one such service provider. They have taken care of all our electrical maintenance requirements for the past ten years! Owner Tony Erasmus and his son Jesse, together with their team,  are kind enough to give our work priority … even over weekends and public holidays.

Their heart for children led to them offering their service, and it’s what keeps them committed to our cause.

Tony, Jesse and the T/C Electrical team – thanks for keeping our lights on, geysers full of hot water, and our children safe, by making sure our electrical connections are safe and fully operational.

Most households will understand the importance of a tumble dryer, especially in winter when the sun just doesn’t have the power to get all the clothes, bedding and towels dry quickly enough. With 74 children in our care, you can imagine what our laundry baskets look like!

So, when our tumble dryer finally packed up after many, many years of service we were distraught. The cost of getting it fixed was the same as a brand new machine … both options requiring finances we simply don’t have available.

We were so relieved when Pinnacle Human Capital Consulting contacted us to offer their support. Thanks to their generosity, we now have a brand new tumble dryer, which is already working hard to ensure the children have clean dry laundry every day.

Thank you Pinnacle Human Capital Consulting!

Lindsay Hamilton and her friend Megan Howes, an independent garden designer, have made magic happen!

When Lindsay offered to take on the landscaping of our gardens at 222 Lena Ahrens Road, never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined the beautiful garden spaces that have started to take root. For many years to come, the garden will be an oasis, where children’s imagination and play can run free.

As incredible as this gift is, Lindsay’s generosity doesn’t stop there. When Saunders House underwent a complete renovation a few years back, the budget just didn’t stretch to cover curtains. Lindsay was only to happy to add this project to her contribution. Thanks to her, the boys and girls in Saunders House can draw curtains as soon as it starts to get dark, and now feel safe and cosy at night.

Lindsay is one of those rare people who offer to serve with a humility that is inspiring; thank you so much, Lindsay!

These ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos tell their own story. At the top, brand new and modern flooring has just been installed at our Amaqhawe Care Centre playroom. And (below) an old garage has been converted in an office for our Social Workers and Child Care team. We have also been able to begin renovating one of the bathrooms in SAWAS House, and the work should be completed by July.

It’s all thanks to a generous grant from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. We optimistically submitted our proposal to the Embassy more out of desperation than the belief that funding would be granted. But, since the cost of these maintenance projects was way beyond our means, we were hopeful that at least one of the projects might be considered.

To have all three covered by this extremely generous grant was beyond our wildest dreams, and we are so grateful to this caring funder. Thank you!

Is it just me or does it feel like the days of each week are like beach sand, sifting through one’s fingers? Here we are approaching the middle of the year, a year that has been nowhere near the normal we once took for granted.

With most state schools functioning with 50% of children at a time, our programme is a buzz with children 24/7. Our child and youth care team revised the daily programme designed for last year, ensuring that our children have a daily structure that provides a healthy rhythm for them to follow.

A balance between academic work, developmental activities, and fun time is crucial to maintain an environment which is encouraging and optimistic. And let us be honest, we have all needed a dose of optimism.

As the lockdown eased, some normality returned to the children’s lives. A visit to the beach was top of the list and the children enjoyed every moment of the freedom to run wildly across the sand and jump into the waves. With the wheels of the welfare system starting to churn again, our social workers were able to draw in family so that the critical task of reunification could be re-initiated.

With the return to Level 3 restrictions as we ride the 3^rd wave, the only thing we know for certain is that nothing is certain! However, we forge ahead with faith.

Our friends and donors have been remarkable. You have not faltered in your support and we cannot begin to tell you how incredibly grateful we are.

Apart from financial support towards daily running costs, we have been fortunate to have received funding to attend to some urgent maintenance projects. We were able to also tick off some of the items on our Wish List through your kindness and generosity.

This support has uplifted us, and we are encouraged to keep our eyes on our goal; to serve and protect the vulnerable children placed in our care. We don’t know what the future holds, but we are comforted to know that we have a whole community of friends standing with us. Thank you!