Moira Finneberg travelled to Christel House and Morning Star in October/November 2007 to hand over the dontation cheques and to look at the progress that has been made. Read her account of her experiences and the wonderful work being done by the two charities.
The Morning Star visit took place in Welkom, SA and the Christel House visit in CapeTown, SA.
London-Paris Cycle Tour sponsorship money of £16,500. This is the amount presented to each of the charities we support. Fantastic!
A brief synopsis of how some of the money you raised is being used. Morning Star provides quality of life for the HIV/Aids infected children and Christel House gives their children a chance to become caring and contributing members of society. On behalf of all the people I met, I would like to give sincere thanks to you because the money really has made a difference to many, many lives.
Welkom. Free State, South Africa
Morning Star Children’s Centre – what a fantastic job they do, not only for the HIV/Aids infected children but for the community as a whole.
Their ‘combi’ vans are recognised throughout the townships as they do the rounds to pick up the children to transport them to school. The little ones arrive first then the older children who attend school.
The care and commitment from all the staff is something to behold. These children love coming to Morning Star. I saw many grateful grandparents, siblings and yes one or two parents also, collect their children at the end of the day.
Morning Star gives these children a chance in life. It may be brief for some but there are those who with ARV’s (anti retroviral drugs) are continuing their education elsewhere. The numbers are small but growing and this is so encouraging.
The medication, good nutrition and loving care within Morning Star do make a tremendous difference but outside the biggest problem facing HIV/Aids infected children is the stigma attached to this disease. Many parents or relatives of the children are in denial and as a result children die through neglect. Some children leave Morning Star Centre having gained weight and looking in good health. Within months they are stick thin from lack of drugs and proper food. How heartbreaking that is for Joan Adams, founder of Morning Star and her staff. Luckily for Joan, all her staff are committed Christians and they gain great strength from their faith.
The need for help is so enormous, that it could become overwhelming but Joan has met the challenge yet again by raising funds for a second centre in Kutlwanong. This is where the London Paris Cycle Tour sponsorship will be used to buy a ‘combi’ for the new centre. It will be delivered in February and have the London-Paris logo on it. This will enable more children to be transported to Kutlwanong doubling their numbers. The original building is small but has been able to house up to 15 children for a year. A light and airy schoolroom has been built and the kitchen is soon to be extended also. The second Morning Star Children’s Centre is managed very ably by Holy Gate with three staff.
Western Province, South Africa
Christel House International, Cape Town – one of five centres in the world. It was my second visit to this outstanding school which educates 500 children and gives them hope and the means for a better future. Four Core Values are at the heart of Christel House – RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, INDEPENDENCE and INTEGRITY. Christel House believes that young adults who demonstrate these universal values will become valued employees, caring parents and productive members of society.
It looks like any other school with very happy, noisy children in the play ground. There is a very big difference though as all these children come from homes that are below the poverty line, way below.
Some parents are drug addicts or alcoholics and many are abusing their children. There are many challenges facing these children on a daily basis before they reach the school gates. Some parents are unemployed and cannot get a job but they do want their children to have a chance. They are given a chance at Christel House with its motto “Break the Cycle of Poverty”.
Sven and I attended a special VIP day where many sponsors were entertained by superb performances from the children. They presented, played music, danced and sang their hearts out. Everyone was wowed and there were a few happy tears shed I can tell you!
We had hoped that Anthony Burnett-Scott of Team Ashurst, the winner of the Fund Raisers jersey for the second year running, would be able to attend also but work commitments prevented this.
We visited the new school site in Ottery for the ‘Ground Breaking’ Ceremony with Christel de Haan, the founder of Christel House and Helen Zille, Mayor of Cape Town. Both of these woman are warm and inspirational and it was a joy to listen to their speeches. This is a R30 million undertaking and will allow all the children to be in the same school complex and provide much needed space for more children.
In the evening at Pam Golding’s head office, a beautiful house in Bishopscourt, we had a wonderful dinner. It was here that Sven presented a cheque from London Paris Cycle Tour. Sven received such heartfelt thanks from Christel de Haan and all I can say is that every penny we raised will be put to good use. Well done and thank you to everyone for all your efforts.