Education Programme – Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) support project - Mgababa Centre spreads its beautiful wings…

The Keiskamma Trust is responsible for three after care OVC centres, in Hamburg, Lovers Twist and Mgababa. Both the Hamburg and Lovers Twist centres are well established and providing valuable support structures and care to pre-school and primary school children in their feeder areas.

The progress at the Mgababa after care and nursery centre has been very exciting. Until a short while ago the centre was little more than a daily feeding scheme. The building has been completely repaired and equipped thanks to funding from the Douglas Murray Trust, new carers have been employed and the number of children benefitting from the services provided has almost doubled. The finishing touches have excited the whole community – a series of wonderful murals painted by a talented young man from the area (Xabiso Tokota).

At the beginning of 2010, the Mgababa community approached the Trust to set up a nursery for children from the age of 1 to 3 years. The Mgababa community is very poor with serious social and health problems. There are numerous small children on ARV’s whose families are unable to feed them adequately enough to support their treatment regimes.

A funding application was submitted to 25:40 who agreed to fund the set-up costs for the nursery and three month’s running costs which will be reviewed each quarter. Carers were recruited and the nursery started operating in April. It now has 27 children attending regularly. A community volunteer has joined the staff as two carers are overstretched caring for so many small children. The after-care staff also assist with the cooking and caring in the mornings.

Post by Colette Tilley

OVC - Celebrating Christmas!

Once more, this year, Christmas was duly celebrated with the children of Hamburg. Organized by Coleen Driessel and Elnor Leach, the event took place on the 18th of December at the Town Hall .

Both current and former members of the Trust’s staff collaborated to make this event a success. Games were organized by Nokuphiwa Gedze and Derek Oxlee while waiting for Father Christmas. Enormous cakes were sponsored by Elnor Leach and distributed by Natalie Renou and Jackie Downs. About 100 children had great fun, while waiting for Father Christmas who came on his donkey cart to deliver the Christmas presents: dolls sponsored by the Good Gifts charity in the UK and stationery and toys sponsored by Elnor Leach. The dolls – boy dolls for boys and girl dolls for girls – were made by the Keiskamma Art Project’s doll makers. Good Gifts sponsored a total of 455 dolls. The remainder of the dolls will be distributed in the crèches and the Keiskamma Trust OVC Aftercare centres when schools re-open in January 2010.

We thank Coleen Driessel, Colette Tilley, Derek Oxlee, Elnor Leach and her family, Jackie Downs, Natalie Renou, Nokuphiwa Gedze, the Keiskamma Art Project and Good Gifts.