August 2008- A Place finally!

August newsletter

A Dream Fulfilled

At last we are here and operational!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After years in Limbo we have made it. Somehow we have renovated two classrooms: one for the clinic and one for the office. Now there is a never ending flow of people bringing their problems and requests for help. Some for special needs children, for whom there is neither school placement nor the basic equipment to render them mobile. Others are trying to cope with the aftermath of rape. Most poignant are the children, abandoned to their own devises as the consequence of death or neglect.

However, we now have an agreement with the owners which will enable us to utilise the whole site for the princely sum of ZAR 1 per month. We have a project manager to oversee the design and drawings and we can now continue renovations in earnest. This relieves me of a duty which never sat comfortably. I have discovered the hard way that shouting and stamping my feet rarely advances the cause.

We need a multiplicity of skills. Some we can begin to develop ourselves. Others must rely upon government or NGOs. Sometimes we can provide no more than a ‘band aid’ approach, while we build up relationships with outside organisations which we hope will supplement our current efforts.
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Domestic Matters

Four weeks ago a social worker asked us to accommodate a 17 year old girl with a mental age of around seven years. She had been repeatedly raped by her brother and the request was for an estimated three day respite. Three days can be amazingly elastic in KZN and she is still with us.

In between events we had yet another break and enter. This was the last straw. So I have done a mad pack up and moved close to Winterton. We are now five minutes away from the new centre with electricity and reliable water, so my life has changed overnight.
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The Way Ahead

Local government departments are increasingly supportive of the centre and are slowly starting to find ways to work with us: a major breakthrough. Perhaps too much of a breakthrough as the local police now refer just about every issue short of homicide. I fear that sorting out the ‘rules of engagement’ will take some time and not a little patience.

Special needs children suffer from a severe absence of facilities. We are aiming for a monthly workshop which will involve physiotherapists from the Department of Health providing massage and remedial exercises as well as training for the mothers/carers. Hopefully the Department of Education will contribute through efforts to find places suitable for these neglected children. We have further plans for a similar day for special needs adults.

We are trying to set up extra training for the home base carers specifically in the areas of counselling and screening for conditions such as AIDS and TB. The aim is to replace the current twice monthly clinic with a five day a week service. In this connection we have just completed a two day HIV support workshop. We have also gained a social worker/counsellor on a one day per month basis: her first day is already oversubscribed.

An Australian nurse who has been working with another NGO in another town has just joined us full time and will head up the clinic and the respite (hospice) centre. This is a huge benefit, especially as she is self funded and has worked in South Africa long enough to avoid the sense of despair which can often affect the enthusiastic novice. A still further bonus is being able to work alongside another stable person.

So all in all, an amazing month. There is a renewed sense of purpose and an increased momentum which is not just limited to the present crew. The locals are becoming more interested and aware and this includes some in the white population.

Many thanks again and, as always, volunteers welcome!