March 17, 2017

Meet Thabo

March 17, 2017

Meet Thabo, the newest member of our Pulane Children’s Centre family.

Part of welcoming a child to PCC is giving him or her a Team Hope Shoebox, this one coming from County Wicklow. For several of our residents, including Thabo, their Team Hope box is the first gift of their lives.

Looking at him, there is little evidence that he is 2-years-old. Physically and developmentally he appears closer to 1-year-old. Thabo’s mother brought him to us a few weeks ago at the urging of community members who saw that she was not capable of caring for the child. The mother is mentally unwell and would often forget to feed the child, take him with her when she left the house, and administer medication for a chronic medical condition. We were happy to be able to offer help.

Mr. Thabo, as our local ladies call him, is adjusting to his new surroundings. He spends the mornings with our small group of preschoolers. For now, he just sits, hands in lap, observing with a melancholy gaze. He hasn’t had a chance to learn how to play with toys or other children until now, and he isn’t sure about it yet. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t interact. He doesn’t smile. (We aren’t sure he knows how). He simply observes.

We aren’t sure what to expect from Thabo as he grows—what effect two years of neglect will have on his physical, mental, and emotional development. But we do know what Thabo can expect from his new PCC family: unconditional love, consistent medical care, solid nutrition, and the doting care of 65 brothers and sisters.

It is interesting to note that the name Thabo means “joy”. Our prayer is that he grows into his name during his time with us. We pray that he learns to smile and laugh. And we pray that his life will be a testimony that our God brings a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:3

Mr Thabo in the middle. The same age as the Aggie on his right.

We are going to have to work on how to smile!

Grant Strugnell

March 5, 2017

March 2017

Grant Strugnell

March 5, 2017

Through the month of February we were lucky enough to have Emily's mom visiting Pulane. Later in the month her stepdad also joined us. It was great for us to show them what we do at PCC, and what day-to-day life is like. After a few days they adapted to no showers, occasional worms in the water, and other rural treats. They had a great time and were able to apply their unique gifts and talents to productive projects around PCC.

Showing them what we do here reminded me that it's a question we often get. What exactly do we do here? I thought I would share a few of the projects that we have been working on and how these benefit the long-term operation of PCC.

Accounting:

Financial oversight and bridging the gap between our sponsors and the staff at Pulane is something that takes up much of our 'admin' time.

One of the biggest responsibilities we have is to keep a good handle on the accounts. It is vital for those who donate money to know where it is going and that it is being well-managed. During the last month we upgraded our accounting system to Quickbooks. It is turning out to be an easier and more effective way to monitor expenses and donations. .

Reporting

Another big project is developing a more structured reporting system as a way for our local staff to assess the status of PCC happenings and facilities. This is useful for us to see what they recognize as needs, and to give them a way address those.

By completing monthly reports, we are starting to get a better idea of what the main ongoing needs are and how we can plan for them.

In addition to this, we have started an iPad-based system of updating and checking each child's information. This system allows us to compile information like the general health and behavior of each child. We plan to do this quarterly in order to figure out trends. What is great about the system is that we can easily pick up which children need something extra, be it in terms of health care, schooling, psychological, or general behavior. These systems are all something we have set up so that the staff can keep them running for the long term.

We often get questions about the make up of the children here and I thought we would share some interesting stats about PCC (Right) that have come in with the first round of reporting.

Some of the Choir gilrs singing for Emily's parents

One of the little girls enjoying the Choir singing for Emily's Parents.

Jane playing with her best friend Aggie.

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FKT project

I've excitedly been working on a little fundraising idea that I hope to roll-out before the end of March. I am planning a running route to the top of the highest peak in our area. The idea to set this up as an FKT (Fastest Known Time) route, and invite runners to come and give it a shot, for a suggested donation to PCC. I need to work on a few more aspects of it, and when ready all the info will be in the website for anyone interested in visiting and giving it a go!

Other news

This month a new child joined us. He has a mother from the village close by, but the chief and her neighbors asked her to bring the child to us. The mother is mentally unwell and she was not able to care for the child well. He is 2 years old but looks like he is half that. He is malnourished and will need to be well looked after to get him healthy and on the right track. We are so glad to help in cases like this.

Our car 'Schwampy' swimming his way through the river.

Just like South Africa, we have received an abundance of rain, and the land is loving it!

Keep a lookout on our Instagram and Facebook pages for more news, fundraising requests and pictures. Thanks as always for your support,

Emily, Grant and Jane.

Grant Strugnell

January 31, 2017

February 2017

Grant Strugnell

January 31, 2017

The year began quietly at PCC with over half the children spending some time at their home villages with relatives. Midway through the month, all that changed with excited children arriving home and getting ready for a new school year.

The school uniform shopping went well, as you may well note from the size of the receipt we got from the local PEP store. Each child was able to start the year with new shoes, a uniform and a bag.

Vova and Ntate Khosana smiling after a good bandage change

The Pulane valley is green and bright after lots of rain, and the fruit trees on our property are providing some special treats for the children.

Vova, after his foot surgery last year, continues to walk a tough road to recovery. Two of his toes, as well as part of the outside of his foot were amputated, leaving a very large wound. This wound, due to its size and how deep it goes, is taking a long time to heal. We are grateful to Emily's mom, Deb, for taking lead on dressing changes, as well as communicating with wound specialists in the USA and getting the best advice we can. We are happy to report improvement, slowly but surely.

Sad news form a personal side of things, our wonderful dog Hannah passed away a week ago. Hannah was Emily's dog who started life with her back in the USA. After we got married Hannah followed and lived the last few years of her life in Africa. She especially had a great few months running free, chasing donkeys and rabbits in Lesotho. We will miss her daily, especially on our walks through the mountains where she would accompany us. She was a lovely, loyal dog and we were blessed to have her in our lives. It brings a tear to our eyes when Jane asks for her at night for a goodnight kiss.

A visitor who stopped in for a night at the end of last year has gone on to raise money for PCC in a very unique way. Wayne, from the USA, is a hard core geocacher (www.geocaching.com) and during January he set out on a power trail to find as many caches as he could. He raised support for each cache found and has pledged that money to PCC. We are so grateful for kind ideas like this that benefit the Centre, and are fun for the people involved. Thanks to Wayne and his gang of geocachers in Port Elizabeth and in the USA for the support.

In addition, we are grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Centre. Your donations, prayers and support go a long way in keeping things here running. Thank you so much.

Have a wonderful month,

Love Emily, Grant and Jane