Kids Club Christmas Party – 3 Dec 2010

On Friday 3 December 2010, Martin Oosthuizen of the Orphan Care Foundation, together with Hillsong Church Cape Town, held an amazing Christmas Party for over 400 Kids Club children in the Westlake Community Centre Hall. Our fieldworkers and other members of WUCT staff helped Martin and his volunteers with setting up the hall and organizing the children.

The Christmas party was a huge success. The children were entertained by Matthew Ross from the College of Magic, organized by Jenny, one of the volunteers. Each child received a beautifully packed gift with toys, stationery, toiletries and sweet treats, as well as a “Happy Meal”.

A huge thank you to Martin and his team, Joyce Meyer Ministries’ Hand of Hope, and everyone else who was involved in contributing towards this special Christmas Party, which made an enormous difference to the lives of so many children living in Westlake.

December 20, 2010 | Filed Under WUCT News | 1 Comment

Jump Maths Graduation 2010

This is the second year that the Jump Maths programme has been run in Westlake. During 2010 three classrooms at the False Bay College in Westlake were utilised for this programme. Grade 4, 5 and 6 children attended the programme a separate grade was accomodated in each classroom. On a Wednesday the school bus stops outside the college and the children come straight to “Jump”. Constantia Catholic Church supplied the children with muffins and juice every week. A committed group of adults and a wonderful group of Springfield girls arrive each week to do the tutoring. Herschel Outreach does all the photocopying and supplying of stationery for the programme.

68 children registered this year and most of them attended regularly. As the children attend at least 5 different schools in the area, the programme was tailored to meet their specific needs. The Westlake children thrived on the attention given and the satisfaction of mastering a new Maths skill.

Despite disruptions, and no teaching in the last term, the programme organisers are convinced that they have made a difference in the lives of many children living in Westlake. The Jump Math material is donated by JumpMath in Canada and the programme is managed by Dorothy Raine. The team is inspired by John Mighton’s philosophy and hope to produce many Junior Undiscovered Maths Prodigies.

On Wednesday 1 December all the children and volunteers met in the Westlake Community Hall and the children each received a certificate and a party pack. It was a very happy occasion and they are all looking forward to Jump 2011.

December 6, 2010 | Filed Under WUCT News | Leave a Comment

2010 World Aids Day at Westlake

As part of World Aids Day activities on Wednesday, 1 December 2010, we held an HIV testing event on the cul de sac outside the community centre in Westlake from 09h00 till 19h00! This was a joint effort with 3 nursing sisters from the City of Cape Town, who came in the morning to help us with the testing, and 2 nursing sisters from Dept of Health Provincial Government (Retreat Day Hospital) in the afternoon. We announced the event in the village with a loudhailer and distributed HIV information leaflets and other materials, condoms, etc to the motorists at the traffic lights.

Joyce Meyer Ministries donated Edward the Elephant books about HIV/Aids, which we handed out to the children as they climbed off the buses from school.

Altogether, it was a truly successful day, with 235 people tested! Well done, Westlake, that was an awesome response towards the Government’s campaign to have 15 million people tested.

A huge thank you to City of Cape Town Health, Dept of Health Prov Govt, the SA Police, US Consulate/PEPFAR funding (United States President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief), the Westlake clinic, Fish Hoek Sub-District Council, and Dept of Social Development for their wonderful support towards the work we are doing in Westlake.