Support 80 abandoned children in Cape Town

December is a time for festivities fun and laughter. We were blessed with many visitors and even Santa came on a special day to visit the children. The centre has been painted by volunteers and looks bright and cheerful

We started the new year with great excitement.. 15 children have started a new grade, ten children are going to preschool and the others stay at home and learn to become toddlers!

Fikelela is a place of love and laughter, we are also appreciattive of our volunteers who come and assist the older chidlren with special skills and with their homework.

The last few months we have seen exciting developments in the lives of the children at Fikelela! With improvements in funding we now have trained child care workers on at every day shift. One girl who had passed Grade R twice and was on the way to failing Grade one, came back with 100%!! Imagine her excitement and pride and the pride of the carers.

We have been giving the children extra stimulation when they come home from school . This quarter, the children learnt about all the creatures in the ocean, the beach, weather, seaweed, and more. They enjoyed doing different crafts that assisted their fine motor skills and language development whilst exploring the underwater world. At the end of the term we had a visit to the Aquarium and the children got to see, touch and explore some of the creatures they had learnt about. With eyes wide open and a buzz in the air it was a huge success.

On the 18th of July the people of South Africa celebrated Mandela day.

So did the little people at Fikelela! We had over 150 people who came to volunteer their  67 minutes in honour of this great man. The people of Cape town really came out in their numbers to show their support for our little centre. We were overwhlemed with the love that we expereinced!

While the  children partied, the volunteers cleaned, scrubbed, gardened, painted and mended.!

The chldren also learned new songs, had fun dancing and had a wonderful day.

we were also grateful for the wonderful donations of food, toys and clothes to keep our kids warm through the winter!

At Fikelela the last few months have been about restoration and improving the centre. From renovating our equipment, improving programs to ensuring we are energy efficient. 

We participated in a energy audit with half the staff participating in the day. It included training on why energy and water saving is important and practical hands on activities where the staff got to measure our usage of electricity and water throughout the centre. Staff got their hands dirty as the measured buckets of water as they flushed the toilet and had fun learning about how much each appliance uses in electricity. Everyone learnt so much and the greatest outcome is that we not only are we now saving money, we are more energy and water efficient creating a healthier environment and future for our children. 

A time of giving, a time of love, a time of joy.  For most Christmas is a wonderful time of year and for the Fikelela Family it was no different. The sounds of giggling children, the looks of absolute excitement as they unwrapped gifts, the pitter patter of little feet running around as they play with their new toys. The children at Fikelela discovered that Christmas is a time for celebrating and giving, but more than that, they learnt that they were loved by more than just the mammas in the home, but that Jesus loves them and made them special. This Christmas, for many the first, they learnt that they are not forgotten, but loved and valued.

As the new year rolled in we have seen many of our children grow and we are seeing our children develop in leaps and bounds. Babies becoming walking toddlers and this year we were excited to start the year by sending 14 children to school and 10 to preschool. 24 bags packed, Lunch boxes lined up on the counter, 100s of books covered, uniforms ironed, 48shoes polished  - day one was a big success. The children loved their new schools, and we have already seen them grow and learn! We are excited and expectant for lives to be transformed in 2014.