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Christmas Greetings from the WUCT Team
The team at WUCT wish all our friends and supporters a very Blessed Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.
Our latest newsletter has been published and is available online. Please click here to read it.
Bracelets from Willow Creek Church, Chicago.
The children at Willow Creek Church, Chicago, USA, kindly made beaded bracelets for children in South Africa – we handed them out as Christmas gifts to the children of Emmanuel Educare pre-school, as well as to other Westlake children, before term closed for the year. We would like to thank the Willow Creek children for this kind gesture towards our underprivileged children, which brought much joy to them at this Christmas time.
Phillippi Trust Facilitator training
Whilst all the various activities were going on last week, Phillippi Trust ran a one-week support group facilitator training course at our premises. 21 people attended, including 5 of our staff (3 of our fieldworkers - Bonita, Natalie and Nokuthula, a home based carer – Zoe, and a Patient Advocate who monitors ARV adherence – Joseph).
Some people came from as far as Khayelitsha. Phillippi Trust run excellent accredited courses all over Cape Town.
Kids Club Christmas Party
On Friday 2 Dec ’11, the Orphan Care Foundation (OCF) held their annual Kids Club Christmas Party for 400 children in our hall. There was an awesome team of volunteers, including our fieldworkers and 2 from our home based care team, who assisted Martin and Christiane from OCF. The children were entertained by a guitarist, a magician, and children who did a dance and nativity play on the stage. Each child was given a party packet, a hot dog and fruit juice. The volunteers were treated to KFC and cake!
Congratulations, and a big thank you to Martin and team for organising a hugely successful Christmas party for our Westlake children!
Westlake children entertain guests
In the afternoon of World Aids Day (1 Dec ’11), 40 of our Westlake children entertained their grannies, foster mothers, aunties and the Westlake Women in Action with a fashion show, dancing, singing and poems about HIV/Aids. Afterwards, refreshments were served and everyone received a small gift. Hillsong Church produced the most delicious cup cakes, which were such a special treat for everyone to enjoy!
Our Involvement in World Aids Day Activities 2011
World Aids Day (1 December) was very busy this year as we were involved with 3 different activities – in the morning, there was HIV testing at our centre, which was organized by the Westlake Development Foundation and TB/HIV Care. Our fieldworkers assisted with this event. In the afternoon, our ovc’s did a fashion show at a special tea for the women of Westlake. (Click here for more).
We also attended the MSAT South event at CAFDA in Retreat. Living Hope did HIV testing and the crowd was entertained by a band, dancing and singing organized by the various NPO’s who took part.
MSAT is a Multi Sectoral Action Team – a City of Cape Town (Health Directorate) initiative to get all the NPO’s doing HIV/Aids work in our area (Southern sub-district) to network on a regular basis, so as to avoid duplication taking place. Through our MSAT we can access the Global Aids funding for our skills development and job creation projects. There are other MSAT’s all over the City – Western, Eastern, Northern, Central, etc.
MSAT South has a membership of about 12 NPO’s, including CAFDA, OASIS (youth work), Think Twice (involved in training leaders to do peer education), OIL (peer education in the schools), Living Hope (home based care, HIV testing, support groups), Compassion in Action (home based care), CCFRD (HIV education to refugees), CBS (Christian Benevolent Society - HIV prevention activities in the Steenberg area), SA Homeless Street Soccer (HIV prevention activities through soccer), Lighthouse (HIV education in the Grassy Park area) and Westlake United Church Trust.
There was a long queue of people waiting to get tested, thanks to the Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille’s exciting new campaign. They recently announced that anyone who gets tested can enter a competition and win one of 5 R10 000 prizes, and the top prize of R50 000! Needless to say, everyone was very eager to get tested!!
We were very proud of our new banner which stood at our table displaying our products. We handed out Joyce Meyer booklets to everyone and the crowd was delighted to receive them. We also handed out Edward the Elephant books about HIV/Aids to the children.
Farewell to Evelyn of Home Based Care
On 30 Nov, we bid a sad farewell to Evelyn Dumesweni, our first home based carer who has been with us since we started the program in 2006. Evy has decided to retire and settle down at her home with her husband in the Eastern Cape. We gave her a little party with KFC for lunch, and a farewell gift. We will miss her and wish her God’s richest blessings for the future.
We hope to visit her one day – in the meantime, her daughter Neliswa, is now working as a carer in our team and so fortunately we still have another Dumesweni with us!
HIV Awareness/Health march in Westlake
On Tuesday 29 November, about 80-100 women from Westlake Village took part in a health march to create HIV awareness and distribute leaflets in the community to encourage everyone to get tested on World Aids Day (1 December 2011). The theme for this year is Getting to Zero – zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, zero stigma, zero Aids related deaths. The marchers had a police escort with 3 police vans, and they stopped on the way to pray for the community via one of the police van’s loudhailers! When they got back to the community hall, a team from a drug awareness organisation gave a presentation with a very powerful message about alcohol and drug abuse. The Grade R children from our Emmanuel Educare pre-school entertained the crowd with a beautiful worship dance. Everyone enjoyed hot dogs and oranges afterwards. It was a huge success. Well done, Beatrice and Veronica, for organising another successful community event!
2011 Graduation, Prize-Giving & Nativity Play
Emmanuel Educare held their annual Prize Giving & Nativity Play on Saturday 26 November. 69 Grade R children graduated, and 5 children from each the 5 classes from Grade 0 to Grade R were awarded prizes for Improved Performance, Perseverance, etc.
Graduates were presented with certificates by Col. June Cilliers (Chairperson of the Governing Body) and Mrs Penny East, DA Candidate for the Ward that includes Westlake. Lesley Pearson from the Western Cape Education Department presented the prizes.
The event was exceptionally well attended, and although it was at times difficult to hear the children above the noise, the concert went off very well. Reddam House Preparatory made a beautiful backdrop for the stage and this greatly enhanced the overall production. Thanks to Emma Staines who provided the straw, our supporters such as Woolworths and Flowers for Africa, who provided flowers, and all those who attended and supported the learners in their major event of the year.
Many more pictures on our facebook page, just click here.
Cadiz cheque handover
On Friday 11 November, staff from Cadiz Asset Management visited Emmanuel Educare to present a cheque to the school. Emmanuel Educare was selected as one of the beneficiaries for funds raised at the Cadiz Steenberg Classic Golf day. Other beneficiaries includes TEARS (the animal rescue group) and the Steenberg Golf Caddies. Mrs Lawrence, Principal of Emmanuel Educare, was overwhelmed by the generosity of Cadiz, and looks forward to using some of the funds to develop a second playground for the school and creating an atrium area in a courtyard area to be used as a staff room.
For more photographs of the golf event, click here.
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- Jamie McGregor and Eleanor Lawrence receiving the cheque from members of Cadiz Asset Management
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- The area that Emmanuel Educare intends developing as a playground for the Grade R classes
