Dear Mr Mason,

Firstly, I would like to say thank you as without the support of the Bukeley Evans HMC Scholarship Fund, I would not have raised the funds required to currently be fulfilling my year overseas with Project Trust.

I thought I would get in touch to give you an update of what I have been up to since arriving in South Africa last September.

I was placed by Project at Helen Bishop Home in Kimberley. This is a city, in the middle of the *desert and temperatures reach the 40s, which can be quite a difficult climate to work in. Though, I could not imagine being anywhere else. The residents of the home range between 7 months and 33 years, all of whom have a severe disability (mainly cereal palsy or spina bifida). Most of the children are orphaned, or have been placed here through the courts, but there are around 10 who still have a family presence in their lives. I feel the work I am doing is more beneficial for both the children and myself than I would ever have expected.

My work day starts at 7am, every Monday – Friday. I feed around 3/4 children each morning, and the same again at lunch. At first, this was a big challenge as there is varying abilities amongst each individual, so a lot of patience and care is required. That said, now the care giving aspect of the volunteering I do, is one of my favourites. This side also includes daily toothbrushing and some personal care throughout the day. The bulk of my day is made up of 3 sessions. Usually consisting of; 1 in the classroom where I work one to one with a child on basic skills, this ranges from working on hand grip and eye movement to numbers/colours; another session takes place in the “snoozel room”, which is designed to stimulate senses with a variety of textures, sounds and lights; the third session rotates daily between taking children to the garden, hydrobaths or on the therapy horse.

The Home is relatively well funded, and the facilities are excellent versus what one may of expected. Though, Helen Bishop is very understaffed and there are almost 60 children (only around 12 of whom can independently move themselves around), meaning time for one to one development and support is very low. As a volunteer, my role really focuses on giving the children attention that they wouldn’t ordinarily receive. My three fellow volunteers and I are responsible for making sure each and every resident gets the time and opportunity to progress that they deserve.

I can pin point two stand out moments in my year so far. Firstly, I have been working with a 2 year old boy who when I arrived was known for looking very grumpy, all the time. His disability seemed to impact his ability to communicate in any way, bar crying. I have spent countless sessions in the snoozel room with this boy, and have noticed massive progress, as have other members of staff. Now, he smiles and seems to recognise people better than ever before, this could be due to his own personal development, though without the extra attention I have been able to facilitate, staff do not believe he would have come as far as he has in this time. Another highlight has to be working with a 14 year old boy on writing his name. When I arrived, he was not attending school (only 8 of the children here do), due to an operation and within the first couple of months he has practiced endlessly and now has overcome this struggle. This boy has also started attending school again, which is a massive opportunity to explore further his capabilities.

My role here at Helen Bishop is that of a teacher, career, friend and sibling to these children. I feel living on site means we are an extra layer of support, at all times. Whilst also giving me the chance to really understand what it is like for the residents, and how aspects of the health and care systems here in South Africa work. The positive impact the work we are doing here is really endless, as every win no matter how small, is actually a massive one. For these children, what seem like the most simple of tasks/movements/skills to most are the ones we are here to help develop and thrive, and in reality this support can be life changing.

I would like to thank you once again for your generosity, and for aiding me to gain this invaluable life experience. I cannot put into words how rewarding my time so far has been, and I am sure it will continue to be.

Regards,

Mia Noquet