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Emmanuel Educare Renovations
Renovations to Emmanuel Educare are well underway – thanks to the National Lottery and some individuals who have given generous financial donations towards this project. The building work should be completed in Dec 2010 and we will have wonderful facilities consisting of 6 brand new classrooms, a new kitchen and toilets for 180 children, aged 3-6 years. Emmanuel will become the feeder pre-school with Grade R classes for the new Westlake Primary School, which is currently also in the process of being built.
Indoor sports day for the elderly.
Beatrice, the facilitator of our chronic disease support groups, organised an indoor sports day in our hall on Fri 30 July ‘10. She invited Living Hope, whose Capricorn group joined us, as well as Dreyersdal Park. They all had banners, war cries, and there was much fun and laughter with vuvuzelas, etc! Dreyersdal Park won, Capricorn came 2nd and Westlake 3rd! We would like to congratulate Beatrice on organising an excellent event for the elderly, who enjoyed it so much and now want another one!
Computer Course Graduation
Saturday, 31 July ‘10, will be remembered as a memorable day for 12 students who graduated, some with flying colours, from our very first computer training course held at Westlake. Dell SA donated 14 brand new computers in April and these were put to good use when Silulo Ulutho IT, a company based in Khayelitsha, ran the 3 month intensive course which covered Microsoft Word, excel spreadsheets, emails, etc. We are so proud of them and would like to say congratulations – may this open up many exciting opportunities for them in the future.
Our latest newsletter – July 2010
Here is our latest newsletter. As you can see, there is lots going on here at the moment…..
World Cup – Our carers enjoy the fan mile!
We took the carers to the Waterfront during the World Cup and as you can see, we all had a great time walking the fan mile to the stadium! There was an awesome atmosphere, particularly as Holland were playing Cameroon at the stadium, so there was thousands of people everywhere, lots of entertainment, bands playing, AND VUVUZELAS!!!!! It was a wonderful team-building exercise and an unforgettable evening!
More World Cup celebration photos
Health March
Beatrice Matthews, our facilitator of the Chronic Disease of lifestyle support group, invited members of the Dreyersdal Park support group to join the Westlake group on a health march through Westlake village. As you can see from the photos, the weather was fabulous and they had a good time! On the way, our carers gave educational talks about TB, diabetes and other health issues.
WORLD CUP CELEBRATIONS!!!
AYOBA!! The 2010 Soccer World Cup has arrived in Westlake and, feel it, it is here!!! We are running a holiday program for the children everyday during this long holiday, together with 2 other organisations and the churches in Westlake. On average 200 children are attending, and there has been much excitement (and noise) in the hall (9-15 yr olds), as well as the Westlake Worship Centre, a church in the village, where the 5-8 year olds are having fun. We have had up to 15 volunteers helping, including our fieldworkers and 3 wonderful Dutch students, Tim, Gordon and Paulina, who have been with us for the past 5 months. (Thank you, guys, for ALL you have done for us! We will really miss you now your time with us is over).
The program has included upward soccer, a talk on safety by the SA Police, a treasure hunt, hip hop, danceathon, face painting, more soccer, netball, hoola hooping, movies, more soccer…. The children are fed at lunchtime with soup, sandwiches, fruit, juice, cakes, and lots of prizes have been handed out! A group of 6 English football supporters visited Westlake and played soccer with the children – needless to say, everyone had lots of fun – AND the children won!!!
DELL hands over computers
On Friday 9 April, Mr Stewart van Graan, the CEO of Dell SA officially handed over of 14 brand new computers for our computer room/internet café. Dave Barnes, our Manager, said that the internet café has been a dream for the past 2 years. It’s a very exciting project, a first in Westlake. It’s a gateway to employment for the people living here. Dave also said it will be a joint venture between WUCT, Dell, Silulo IT and Steenberg Estate, who, through a chain of events, introduced him to Dell. The first computer training course will start on Monday April 26 by Silulo IT, a company based in Khayelitsha. They have considerable experience in running computer courses, as well as internet cafes in various areas of Cape Town.
David Gray, Chairman of the board of WUCT, said “it will be interesting to watch the progress of the community now they have the opportunity to search for jobs. I can see this room becoming the most popular in the centre”.
After the handover, all the guests were shown around the building and all the various activities taking place at WUCT. Eleanor, the principal of Emmanuel Educare, then treated them to a scrumptious tea!
We would like to thank Dell for this incredible donation, which will change the lives of many people living in Westlake.
Tribute to Nozipho
29.11.1966 – 14.3.2010
I first met Nozipho in 2002 when Linah Jokazi asked me to go and visit a very sick woman in Westlake, who needed help. She told me her name was Nozipho and that she had TB and she was also HIV positive. She said she had 2 children in the Eastern Cape. They needed clothes and she didn’t have a job and didn’t know what to do, but she did believe in Jesus. We prayed together and she said she had hope. I told my church, St Martin’s, I had met a woman who was HIV positive and she needed our help. The church gave me food and clothes for her and her children.
I didn’t know much about HIV then, and I didn’t know anyone else who was
HIV positive. But it was because of Nozipho that I started finding out about HIV and AIDS. She told me the clinic wanted to start a support group. There were only 6 people in the support group and we decided to call it ITHEMBA for HOPE. Jenny and Alice, Bridget and Mary, all from St Martin’s, came to help in Westlake and because Nozipho wanted to learn to sew, we started a little crafts group in a garage in Westlake. More and more people wanted to come and do sewing and beadwork, and we learnt more about HIV and AIDS. At the time, people in Westlake called her MRS AIDS. But she never lost hope, and she started taking ARV’s in 2004, and her health improved. Her CD 4 count went up to 1000! We now know over 200 people who are HIV positive in Westlake.
Nozipho loved sewing and was always at the hall sewing bags, mats, traditional skirts, and umbacos.
She said to me ‘more and more people are coming to tell me they are HIV positive, and I say they must join the support group’. She loved the support group, and she was always encouraging everyone in the group. She led by example and people looked up to her. Even in the Eastern Cape when she went there, she would come back saying all the people wanted to talk to her about HIV and find out about the support group in Westlake. She was never afraid to openly disclose her status and even in hospital, she would tell people in the ward and they would come and ask her questions. I believe it would have been her wish that more people would talk about their status.
She loved children, always bringing lots of children to church every Sunday. She would bring Nothemba’s children, Kanya and Luve, Nombedesho’s child, Pinky, Rachel’s children, Lebo and Cwenga, and Inga, and all their friends! She wanted the children to know and love Jesus like she did.
She was so proud of her own 2 children, Yamkela and Kamva. She was always so excited to go and see them in the Eastern Cape, and this year they have come to live in Cape Town. We must take care of her children. They now do not have a mother or a father.
Nozipho’s name means ‘gift’, and she was a gift to us all. She was an inspiration to us, a shining light, always smiling, always had hope – in Jesus. She loved coming to church. A lot of people here at St Martin’s prayed for her. She had courage to fight HIV – with faith and trust and always hope in the Lord.
Nozipho, Somdala, sister in Christ and a special friend of mine. A woman of God. We will miss you, Nozipho, here at St Martin’s, and at Westlake.
And to the family, I say Yoxolo Inkosi ibe nawe. (May the peace of Jesus be with you).
This was a tribute read at Nozipho’s memorial service at St Martin’s Church, Bergvliet, on Thursday 25 March 2010 by Di Forrester. Read Nozipho’s story here.