April Newsletter 2013

APRIL EDITION OF OUR NEWSLETTER ENJOY READING OUR SECOND EDITION FOR 2013.

Sobonana friends!

Today we celebrated the time of two of our volunteers and the joy they each brought to the children and mama’s at Sibongile. It is always hard to say goodbye as when you work at Sibongile you really do become part of the family, so instead we say sobonana meaning ‘see you soon’. Paulina worked with us for 6 months and she came from Germany with such a heart and a smile for the children, we will never forget her infectious personality. She worked in the day care centre helping to teach and care for the children as well as helping wherever necessary. Her skills in guitar playing and love for singing brought a lot of fun and music for our children.

Our dear friend Kathrin also returns to Germany today but we know for sure we will see her again as this is already her second time at Sibongile. She will complete her studies in business administration next year but we hope for a speedy return to Africa as she leaves her heart here with us. Kathrin has been managing and coordinating all of the applications, screening and preparation process in Germany for the previous and current teams of volunteers that have come to Sibongile. During her 3 months here she has been supporting in the administration department as well as enjoying time with the children and writing applications for future funding for Sibongile.

We wish them both all the best and want to express our appreciation for their time, love and support to all of us at Sibongile. 

Newsletter Jan 2013

Sibongile news Jan 2013

October news!

Sibongile Shoutout Oktober 2012Here you can find all the news from Sibongile, enjoy reading! Sibongile Shout Out October 2012

Storytime!

The day care centre is alive with the sound of reading this morning as visitors from Khayelitsha Library come to share a storytime with the children. With laughter and a lot of excitement books and storytime is just another way in which the growing number of children at the day care centre are learning and developing. We have recently been building connections with the library and the friendly people working there so that we can benefit from borrowing books and resources that will interest the children. We hope to be able to take the children out to the library very soon so that they can experience it for themselves.

Happy Womans Day!

We had a very happy Woman’s day on Thurs 9th July celebrating the wonderful mummas of Sibongile. Everyone came to work in traditional dress and we shared food and gave encouraging words to all the ladies to uplift and encourage them. The day also included a prize draw for each of the houses in which 2 mummas received stamps to use in the local supermarket as well as a local dance group who entertained us with traditional dancing.

Sibongile shout out July 2012

All the news from Sibongile from May-July 2012
http://sibongile.org/downloads/en/Sibongile_newsletter_July_2012_E.pdf

Busy Day Care

This morning, the children finish their breakfast and begin school time where the mummas welcome them with a song and encourage the children to say hello to to each other. Sounds can be heard from the office of the children saying in chorus “no”, “noooooo” as teacher Rebecca asks “is this your nose?” “Is this your nose?” The children love it when she points to the wrong body part and then they scream and laugh when she eventually finds her nose.

We have some extra help in the office this morning as Morgan sneaks from the classroom and is very happy sitting at the desk, until one of the mummas comes to find him!

Emihle and her friend are using their new standing frames and are doing very well. This is a really good position for them to build up the strength in their muscles.

Lily and teacher Onwaba are busy enjoying a storytime together and Occupational Therapist volunteer Kelsey from VA Corps works with another child.

Back to the office for the pile of paperwork that is waiting for me, but I must sneak out every so often to enjoy a hug or two from the children as well as capture these moments on camera.

Enjoy your day, Blessings from Sibongile x

Community Workshop

Saturday at Sibongile saw physiotherapists Johan and Becky host the first workshop in our new all purpose space. The day care centre has been open for less then 3 months and already we have had lots of positive response from the community who are willing to learn and recieve support in caring for their children. The workshop was attended by parents of children attending the day care centre as well as other parents from the community who have a disabled child.  The theme of the day was positioning for children with cerebral palsy. Conversations and advice was given with practical demonstrations about good positions for sitting, resting, feeding and using buggies, as well as useful things around the home such as blankets and pillows that can help make the child more comfortable. People were really engaged and asked lots of questions and they were all invited to stay for lunch after the training so the day was a success. The Sibongile team will be continuing with the second half of the workshop next Saturday.

Day Care Under the Sea!

Over the last few weeks the children at the day care centre have been following a programme of exciting activities learning about life under the sea. Ranging from constructing a giant mural of a boat on the wall, to colouring and painting pictures of star fish and dolphins, the children have explored this theme as part of their school curriculum. The teachers have been helping the children to gain an awareness of sea life through books and pictures. To finish off this topic the 16 children attending day care as well as carers and volunteers visited the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town on Friday. We are so thankful to our skilled planner and organiser Mrs Sara Stackhouse for working out all the details for the trip and to the aquarium for granting us the fully subsidised visit, with free places for our children and carers, without these people the trip would have not been possible. This was also the first time for most of the children to experience sea life on this scale and to join in with other activities such as a puppet show. The day was enjoyed by all, maybe it was even the Mumma’s who had the most fun! You can see us all here in our group picture.