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On behalf of Judy Lawrence who sends rugs teddies etc. to the Pietermaritzburg babies in South Africa we would like to say a big thank you to all those in the Machine knitters of S.A. Inc. who spent long hours knitting, making many teddies etc.
Judy is sending a container as soon as the paperwork will allow. This container is for the children who live up in the Mountains and it is just starting to snow up there so all these rugs will be well appreciated. We thank you for your continued support of this project .
Margaret Murray
Dear Judy,
It has been such an age that I wrote to you that I cannot even remember when it was or what I told you. So, if it is repetition please bear with me. It is an old age syndrome!!
We moved into our own beautiful new Centre in April last year when it was very much a building site but we couldn't wait any longer!! We did live with a lot of banging and building but we are now 2/3 of the way through the first phase! We have the most beautiful offices and each of the projects have their own room. We have a very smart board room for meetings. The front of our buildings have a wonderful spreading shade tree. We actually have 5 hectares of land and we are slowly getting the grounds organized and gardens established.
The Centre has 5 buildings and a huge factory which were already here. They had been ruins for 15 years so we had to stretch our imaginations to see the vision it has become! We were given a wonderful donation from the company who paid for the renovation of some of our buildings. We were part of their good works. It was great as we could renovate our buildings well and it sure shows. As we will have a Step Down Hospice and all that is involved with this, we have a wide veranda all along the front which looks onto the beautiful Greytown hills. It is such peaceful place but we still don't have the Step Down completed. We need a special floor and we are waiting for the funding to come in for this.
The one cottage has been completed as a place of safety for abused and neglected children. It is a sad reflection of our Umvoti that we need such a facility but it is vital to keep children safe until the Department of Social Welfare can assess the case and place the child in a suitable home. For the last years, since your first container I have stored zillions of things that came from you. It has been like Pandora's box as I could not remember what was in the boxes etc. We had some local ladies come to set us our Place of Safety and put many of the goodies from Australia to use at last! The rooms look so happy and cheerful as they have your beautiful rugs and such -- bringing cheer to the children's rooms.
The rest of the Australian goods are now in the Hospice store room waiting for the patients to come to the step down. I have sorted out the crocheted knee rugs to use when the patients come to sit on the veranda , drinking in the sunlight, the peace-ful view and the cleansing of their souls as it is such a beautiful place to get better. Today I opened a box and found a whole lot of nurses scissors! There is a surprise in every container.
So you can see we have all been very busy with your bounty and you have been in my thoughts so much. You have played such a big part in our development and we re-ally want you to know of the huge impact your dedication has been for us at Umvoti Aids Centre
Thanks again for everything,
--Joan
We are sending lots of goods to Drakensburg , Creighton , and Greytown
Here is some information from Deb Rowe whom we are now supporting:
Creighton Sunflower Health Education and Life Projects is a registered non-profit organization and it happily encompasses a number of diverse social development programs. They are based in a rural area of KZN where poverty and disease are sadly facets of daily life. The needs in the area are immeasurable.
Winter has hit hard this year and your blankets have offered incredible relief - the added bonus is the colour that they bring. The rural landscape is stark and dusty at this time and after dropping the blankets warmth and colour abound.
We have delivered the first 130 blankets to the following organisation: Firstly, Sibongakonke which is a community-based organisation in the Hlabeni area. Mrs Octavia Nguni heads up the Organisation.
They serve the many child-headed households and great number of orphans in the area. Hlabeni is one of the poorest areas in our District
We work closely with Octavia and her team and share our resources whenever possible. Lots of the children who attend our S'khumbuzo Zulu Memorial Disability Clinic come from the Hlabeni area. Secondly with our friends at Sinomhawu AIDS Project from Riverside and lastly with the members of the Isibani Sezwe Centocow Pre-School Association.
There are 38 members of the Association and they all do incredible work with the most limited resources - I am happy to report that we are in the process of developing the Association in a number of ways. You would love the children and the women who teach them.
Our Sunflower Project assists survivors of gender violence; another very sad reality of life here. We strive to give each survivor a Sunflower Pack (for adults) or a Butterfly Pack (for our children). The idea behind the lovely little bags is to offer comfort and serve the immediate practical needs of our survivors. They contain replacement underwear - the original underwear is surrendered for evidence ( it is a very sad fact that many of our children only possess one pair of panties) - soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, a face cloth, body cream, a little snack, a notebook - into which important information can be written, such as the police case number and a vital 'comfort doll'. your 'dilly bags' will be ideal for this project
Everyone should know that without the support that you give us we would not be able to continue with this work ...SO thank You! and please Know that all you do does make a difference to the lives of those in Sth Africa ...
Judy , Ruth Jean , Kathleen
HELP FOR AIDS ORPHANS IN SOUTH AFRICA
With
your help Judy Laurence from Gawler can bring warmth and cheer to many
South African orphans enduring unimaginable conditions
 CLICK HERE
for her Duduza Comfort Doll pattern. She likes to hand these dolls to
village children with a small gift, so they all get the same size gift.
Other sizes are very welcome as they are used for other children. Make a
difference to someone else's life.
Other items badly needed are
Blankets, sleeping bags, quilts, linen: Walking shoes of all sizes, rubber boots: Garden tools, shovels, rakes, hoes, water cans: Play equipment: Sewing machines especially manual ones: Stationery, colour pencils, pens, rulers, sharpeners, rubbers: Soap: Toys, knitted dolls, Sewing goods (threads, buttons, needles, pins , lace): Cooking pots pf any size : Bibles: Spectacles
ALL BASIC MEDICAL (Bedpans, dressings, crutches, walking sticks, wheel chairs, surgical gloves)
None of these goods have to be new!
Contact Margaret Murray Ph 08 8522 1160
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