Welcome all to 2014, we started the year with much news already so here it comes. Please forgive us for mail glitches, we are trying to rectify the matter.
The children were blessed with a lovely Christmas party sponsored by Meadow Feeds and they all got food and a shoebox present with all sorts of stationary and goodies therein and Powertech also did the same with little red bags of goodies. These helped so much, that all we had to buy for them was uniforms and bags for the beginning of the year. We also received some electrical appliances from a Swedish Company (SSAB) that we have asked the children to use to start businesses to get pocket money from. Nearly all of them went away to their homelands for the holidays, they all arrived back here safely after taxi journeys, which can be treacherous.
We have 4 matric pupils this year amongst us. I am so proud of them! Quite a few failed (in other grades in 2013), to our disappointment, but hopefully they pass with better grades this year! The tutors do a stunning job under very difficult circumstances! One child had a baby which did not help her situation at all. If they are not co-operating with our tutoring and mentoring we cannot go on supporting them. This helps them keep boundaries in place. Our 3 major areas of input are health; education and mentoring. Anything over and above that is a blessing to them.
This year we have 33 children, one left to go to his homeland, which the family did not agree to when he arrived so he landed up going to Kwa–Zulu Natal. His twin is still with us and his 9 year old brother. The twin stays on her own in the “Hlanganani Girls Safe Shack” that we built as the family have not been good to her. With the rain we have been having, everything is muddy and wet and really difficult conditions to live in (Pit toilets and outside running water that you have to collect AND HEAT if you want warm water to put in a bucket to wash yourself.)
One of our Home Based Carers was walking home and got robbed by 4 men ( 3 with guns) of his phone and when they asked for money – he had no wallet with him so they tried to shoot him…………..God is good, the bullet skimmed the top of his head, but profuse bleeding. They then pistol whipped him twice on the back of the head and broke his skull, the CT scans look awful. He sees the Neuro-surgeon today but we think he has no brain damage and is recovering his memory. Much trauma for him and his brother but they can see the hand of God over them.
The 5 boys (between 12 and 18) that he cares for had to then begin the year by stepping up to the plate and getting their own school registrations done and uniforms. It is not a bad thing as these teenagers are each expected to mentor 1 child each as a multiplication tool for Hlanganani. We hope to get that off the ground this year.
“Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men” is the theme for this year and mentoring of how to follow Jesus, of all our Hlanganani Home Based Carers and children is a priority. The relationship between the Home Based Carers and the children has a firm foundation on which to work on.
I am at the point of handing over to the community to run this project and am walking beside them, through 2014, teaching them budgeting and accountability. For the first time this year I gave them all a budget for uniforms which they then had to buy and bring me the slips. I anxiously await the demonstration of reliability and accountability. So far it seems to be going well ……..? The training auxillary social worker has had a busy time keeping her team running but relinquishing control allows for growth in others.
Last Saturday we had the fun of emptying our cupboards of all the clothing donations, which the children loved and came to church looking so good in their new outfits! Also, donated toys gave them cuddle and play comfort . They also collected their monthly toiletries….You would have been amazed to see the taxi which took them home!!!
Thank you to all our team and supporters for the joy which these children have, in otherwise very difficult circumstances.
Hlanganani Administration
Keep praying for them. Love and blessings to you all.
Bonnie