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Tuesday, June 23
Uitsig Crèche Ravensmead / Noel Stanton Preschool
Uitsig Crèche Ravensmead / Noel Stanton Preschool
9 Myrtle Street and Eric Lane
Ravensmead Uitsig
Aunty Bella can be contacted for more information on 021 933 5616.
We are aiming to give each child in this preschool a jersey or track suit and the babies a cot quilt and set of sheets.
The school operates with approximately 70 children during the day (from 7am – till their mom’s fetch them 5 – 8:30pm) plus they have an aftercare at present with 17 children. Who spend their afternoons in a safe place with plenty of activities rather than unsupervised at home.
Crèche 15 BABIES
0 – 2yrs
11 Boys
4 Girls
Playschool 55 PRE-SCHOOLERS
3 – 4yrs
9 Boys
9 Girls
5 – 6 yrs
16 Boys
21 Girls
Aftercare 17 AFTER SCHOOLERS
6 – 12 yrs
11 Boys
6 Girls
87 DAILY TOTAL
These children, their parents, teachers and the community really appreciate all the support that they receive. Any contributions that you would like to make would be more than gratefully received.
Thank you.
Posted at 04:53 pm by Margie
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TOTAL COUNT TO DATE:
2030 Jerseys
1452 tracksuits
114 blankets
52 Beanies/hats
17 Sheets
and various pre-school equipment and toys
Posted at 04:18 pm by Margie
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Wednesday, June 3
Thank You to our Contributors and Helpers
Thanks to the following and all those other generous folk who leave fabric, wool, jerserys, toys etc... we really appreciate your kindness:
Our London and North Yorkshire contributers; Vungi; Lorna; Lee and Biddy; Becky and @Home; Venetia of Noordehoek and all her knitting friends; Gwen Wallendorf, 82 year old mother to Lily Alcobia and all Lily's friends; Cape Quilters Guild; Good Hope Quilters; Benni and Jenny; Holly Allen; Mary Denny and Ruth Sang and many, many others who have given their time, contributions and love... Thanks
Posted at 05:13 am by Margie
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Tuesday, June 2
The Story, How it all Began...
Most of you are well aware of the high incidence of HIV AIDS in South Africa. As a result we have a very large number of AIDS orphans and child-headed families. These children need our support, love and care. Margie Garratt and her friends wanted to make a difference, so a knitting initiative was started in 2003 delivering jerseys and tracksuits to Aids babies and impoverished children in the Western Cape.
Margie adapted a Mother Teresa knitting pattern to produce the easiest possible knitting and fitting jersey pattern, which can be adapted to fit children from a year to 10 years old. The pattern is really easy to knit. We have shared it widely in South Africa and abroad.
To date we have received and distributed 2030 jerseys, 1452 tracksuits and approximately 114 quilts/duvets to various charitable homes in the Cape; CWD (Catholic Welfare and Development) Pre-schools, Child Welfare in Hermanus, Fikelela Aids Project, Goedgedacht, Home from Home and Nazareth House Children's Home to name but a few destinations.
Various people have spied children happily playing in the grounds of these homes dressed in our jerseys. This knitting project has given joy in the most unexpected quarters; not only have clildren been warmed through this initiative but many older women have found a new purpose in life. Helping others.
Join our knitting project and donate a warm jersey to impoverished children in South Africa
For more insight and contact:
CWD : +27 (0)21 425 2095 info@cwd.org.za www.cwd.org.za
Fikelela Aids Project : + 27 (0)21 465 1557 info@fikelela.org.za www.fikelela.org.za
Goedgedacht : +27 (0)22 482 4369 goegeda@iafrica.com www.goedgedachttrust.org.za
Home from Home : +21 (0)21 761 7251 jane@homefromhome.org.za www.homefromhome.org.za
Nazareth House : +27 (0)21 461 1635 info@nazhouse.co.za
www.nazhouse.org.za
Posted at 10:04 am by Margie
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Tuesday, January 6
Recent Warm Kids Activities
Jerseys and Pyjamas donated by Warm Kids:
Warm Kids recently visited Sakhe School, Khanyisa School and Zama Zama School in the Western Cape and donated various jerseys and pyjamas. Thank you to all who continue to contribute to this initiative. We hope you will meet our jersey challenge to provide for the children at Home From Home.
The following photographs were taken at the schools. If you would like more information on these school please contact us.
  
Sakhe Schools in Cape Town; Khanyisa School in Gugulethu, Cape Town; Zama Zama School in Lower Crossroads, Cape Town
Posted at 03:07 pm by Margie
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Saturday, December 6
Basic Jersey Pattern
Please Note:
- These figures are all adjustable. For larger sizes cast on more stitches and adjust the cast on & cast off accordingly. Plus remember to adjust the length of the garment and or sleeves. Don't skimp on the sleeves! Knit 10.5 cm before you cast off for the neck.
- All knitted in double knitting wool on size 4 or 4.5 mm needles.
- Chat to your knitting shop for the best value wools and remember you can use up all those little bits left in your knitting basket, share with friends encouraging others to join the jersey drive.
- If your colours aren't fantastic be creative, if you have a favourite pattern feel free to use it! Have fun!
PLEASE PRINT FOR PERSONAL USE
Posted at 09:25 am by Margie
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Friday, December 5
Margie has committed to providing each and every child at Home From Home with pyjamas. Be a part of our initiative and make pyjamas for a child or you can donate fabric, we want to bring some cheer to these children and their house mothers this new year. Currently our list contains 6 homes with 6 children in each, their ages vary from 12 years down to as young as 2 years old. You can email us for more details or contact Home from Home directly and see how you can help.
COMPLETED PROJECT VERY HAPPY CHILDREN
We clothed 6 Homes with a total of 36 Children ranging from 2 to 15 year olds.
Luvoyo - Housemother Nomvo (3 girls and 3 boys)
Ethembeni - Housemother Mary Jane (5 girls and 1 boy)
Lukhanyo - Homemother Nicky (3 girls and 3 boys)
Luthando - Housemother Helen ( 2 girls and 4 boys)
Ekuphumleni - Housemother Nobuntu (1 girl and 5 boys)
Luxolo - Housemother - Catherine (4 girls and 2 boys)
Want to know more about Home From Home? Keep on reading...
BACKGROUND
Home from Home was established and registered in May 2005 with the aim of
providing supported and supervised community based foster care for orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children. We believe that the best place for children who are unable to live with their birth families is in a small family unit, with ideally no more than six children in it and a dedicated caregiver. By attending local schools, churches and playing with their peers in the area, these children become integrated into their community. They have a home, a family, a neighbourhood, and can grow up in as close to a normal environment as possible.
ACTVITIES
- Home from Home establishes homes for orphans and vulnerable children in areas where a need has been identified by working closely with local communities. As each community's needs are assessed and the most suitable plan drawn up, the decision is taken as to either purpose build, or to use existing houses for Home from Home to run in conjunction with community groups. Home from Home then enters into a association agreement with a local faith or community based organisation to manage the homes.
- Each Home ideally has no more than six children in it, cared for by a House Mother and supported by a part-time assistant. Home from Home trains and employs the House Mothers and offers ongoing support and supervision to ensure that each child is properly cared for. The House Mother is the registered foster mother of the children in her care and should receive a foster care grant for each child, although this can often take a great deal of time to come through (particularly if there is no birth certificate for the child). Home from Home provides funding to run the Home until foster grants come through.
- It is the aim of Home from Home to have children cared for by their own families wherever possible, or otherwise for children to be adopted or fostered into existing families. Some children will be placed in a Home from Home house on a short-term basis until the family is reunited or until extended family has been found. However, the scale of the HIV epidemic in South Africa means that many children will live in a Home from Home house long term. Children are admitted to a Home from Home house through relevant agencies, e.g. Department of Social Services, Child Welfare or other Welfare Organizations. Children are usually admitted before the age of 14, but there is no upper age limit for how long they can remain at a Home from Home.
- Home from Home works actively with community leaders, faith-based and community based organizations working in each area to ensure that the needs of each community are being addressed individually and that there is no duplication of services being offered
BENEFICIARIES
All beneficiaries of this project are children aged 0-18 who are classified as orphans or vulnerable children – having no family able to care for them or having been removed from their families following abuse or neglect. The majority of children in our care are HIV+ and all are from disadvantaged areas. Also benefiting from this project are women from the local communities in which the houses are based, who are trained and employed as House Mothers or Assistants. When building, Home from Home uses local services and labour wherever possible. Home from Home currently employs 17 members of staff, all women and the majority from previously disadvantaged communities.
To find out more contact:
HOME FROM HOME
+21 (0)21 761 7251
jane@homefromhome.org.za
www.homefromhome.org.za
Posted at 02:29 pm by Margie
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Sunday, August 24
West Coast Pre-school Visit
Children Desperately Need Basic Amenities West Coast, South Africa
The needs for West Coast preschools are:
Eikevlei - 36 preschool children
Lutzville Wes - 40 preschool children
Bo Vaalkrans - 60-80 children of which 36 preschool age children
Spoortjieskool, Koekenaap - 40 preschool children Prefab container must be moved to their land and they need to set up a community kitchen and a food garden.
Klipheuwel preschool, Nuwerus - 30 preschool children?
The following report was complied by Hedwich Tulp after completing a field trip with the CWD up the West Coast, South Africa. Margie was present and thought you would appreciate the feed back.
The ripple effects of TB, HIV/Aids, poverty and alcoholism (Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, FAS) have caused a crisis in the rural area of the Western Cape. As a result more and more babies and young children have lost traditional child-protection mechanisms. Children on farms are now among the most vulnerable people in our society. Their extreme vulnerability exposes them to a great number of social ills, which gives them a great developmental disadvantage.
On our visit to 5 preschools and one primary school in the Matzikame District (West Coast) we realized the devastating effect of alcohol abuse. Children's lives are permanently altered by alcohol (through FAS) and alcohol consumption. Unbelievably they were encouraged by their parents to drink at a young age or they themselves started drinking due to negligence, hunger and boredom. Some of these children walk bare footed to school daily just so they can have a meal and a little stimulation. Sometimes they walk home hungry and some times they can't come to school on a Monday because the only set of clothing they have is wet.
"Teachers and pre-school staff haven't learned how to deal with FAS", says CWD Early Childhood Development-coordinator Rebecca Davids who supports the 5 pre-schools in this area. "You will have to repeat things over and over for these kids, they forget easily. Patience is the key with these children. We should actually design a course to teach teachers how to deal with children with FAS", says Davids.
Many children on farms have little or no direct access to educational facilities. They have to either travel long distances to public schools or go to farm-schools set up on neighboring farms. Rebecca Davids: "When visiting a preschool in Nuwerus, one child couldn't come to preschool, because their clothes were washed and were still wet. The child didn't have other clothes, so the child stayed home."
According to Davids there is little or no access to Early Childhood Development facilities to these marginalized children. In many cases, parents are not able to afford minimal school fees (one school quoted only R70/year for school fees), clothing, food, transport therefore children drop out or the schools suffer from inadequate funds.
 
The staff at these pre-schools show a great deal of dedication and commitment, educating children in these increasingly difficult environments; where they suffer from a lack of access to basic facilities such as books and toys, basic items such as chairs, tables and most importantly food. These things are all essential for learning but none are a given at any of these centers. Where staff can, they pay for food, clothes and stationery out of their own pocket. "What do you do if children haven't had paper for a week to write on?" asks pre-school principal Corrie in Eikevlei, near the town of Klawer. These teachers carry many burdens and often need to teach more than one grade at the same time. "We have three grades in one class. And I am the principal and teacher in one", shares Bernie Martin from Klipheuwel primary school in Nuwerus.
Malnutrition is a big problem and children cannot reach their full physical, intellectual and mental potential without adequate sustenance. "We didn't have food for the 40 children today, and that means that most of the kids will only have a meal tomorrow again. Where we can, we are inventive", says a preschool teacher in Lutzville Wes. Kitchens are not guarantee and where they are available it is not a foregone conclusion that the preschool children can access the food made in these community kitchens. "The kitchen sells a meal for R1 to the poor, but if the school doesn't pay- no matter how poor they are- we don't give the children food", was the comment of one of the kitchen operators in Lutzville Wes.
"This is what happens in an area of grinding poverty", says Davids. "It's fighting for survival here."
It is clear that without greater access or upgrading of current pre-schools and schools it is unlikely that these children will have any economic growth opportunities later on in life. These schools are some of the most needy in our country. The CWD is working hard towards change and improving the quality of life and future for these farm children.
The current reality can be brought back to the days of the dop system- the system where farmers paid a portion of the workers' wages in wine or allowed workers to buy wine on credit. The system was officially abolished in 1961 but its use only declined in the nineties, and it continued thereafter in a clandestine way despite the toll on children.
Posted at 12:05 pm by Margie
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Thursday, July 17
Email to UK Jersey Donors
Pre-School Visit with the CWD
Mbekweni Paarl Region
For our pre-school visit we drove out with representatives of the CWD (Catholic Welfare and Development) to 4 pre-schools in the impoverished area of Mbekweni near Paarl, South Africa. Mfuleni village in Bluedowns is a assembly of wood and iron structures with a new section being laid out and built of solid building materials creating more permanent homes with power and running water! We handed out 64 jerseys received from UK donors at 2 of these pre-schools. A very special thank you to all who knitted the garments. Both the teachers and children were overwhelmed and quite delighted. The Headmistresses just could not believe that ladies so far away would bother to help their little pre-schools.
The pre-schools generally have approx. 60 children, ranging in age from 3 months to 5 / 6 years old. The very little ones have two helpers in one section of a shipping container and the others are in a separate room with one or two helpers (CWD is about to implement a specific training course for women who look after the very young children). In this extremely impoverished area there are generally 3 or 4 disabled children, either blind, mentally disabled, physically disabled or downs in the class. As you are possibly aware South Africa is the worlds leader in Foetal Alcohol Syndrome a tragic problem in out lying areas.
All children are given breakfast and lunch at school, as parents are often not able to provide food. Mums and Dads are encouraged to pay something, but in many cases are not able to contribute. Those children who live close by come to school regularly, those further away often cannot afford the transport fees, so miss out from time to time. CWD helps with all these problems, buying food in bulk, paying teachers salaries and giving something towards transport.
 
The pre-school above is in the process of being built with a overjoyed head teacher, Patricia, standing in the doorway of her shipping container school. The second picture is Patricia's first solid home, in the process of being built, next to her container school. A structure will connect her home to the school providing a shaded playing area for summer heat and protection from the winter rains. Her home will house the very little ones, probably about 10 children. Sadly she had just had her school broken into and has lost her precious stove and fridge, vital parts of the service she provides. The furniture consists of simply kiddies chairs and tables, a few books and puzzles in a little cupboard next to the empty kitchen. Patricia has about 50 older children and one helper. She feeds them something in the morning, probably porridge or bread and jam then a warm meal for lunch. We put jerseys on those children who were at the school and saved the rest for those who were absent. They sang for us saying thank you in three languages, can you believe it!
All the schools were delighted with our visit. If you wish to help these children with everything will be valued and appreciated.
Anyone who is interested in viewing the CWD website click this link -
Margie Garratt
Posted at 10:38 am by Margie
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Thursday, July 10
Three happy little girls from Goedgedacht
May we introduce you to the little girl in the above photograph, D, in the green striped jersey. She is a Foetal Alcohol Syndrome child. Goegedacht is not quite sure at this stage how bad D is but all three of her siblings take refuge in the Safe House which is set up on Goedgedacht farm. Mum used to be a beautiful young woman but is now terribly damaged as a result of years and years of drinking. When mum is drinking and becoming abusive with the next in a string of boyfriends the girls make use of the refuge. The Safe House mother, Regina has been trained in Home Based Care and child development, she has been a saviour to little children like this. We continue to support Goegedacht in conjuction with lots of Knitters scattered around the Western Cape.
Goedgedacht Trust is an registered charitable and educational trust which operates as an olive farm near Riebeek Castel providing employment, education and various other upliftment project in the rural communities of the Western Cape.
Goegedacht
Contact Number: +27 022 482 4369
Posted at 11:54 am by Margie
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