Risk Benefit Solutions Easter Party

For the last two years, one of our most loyal supporters, Risk Benefit Solutions, has given an Easter party to the children in the Shelter. Apart from the fun of searching for Easter eggs – and of course eating them – the children have been entertained and fascinated by the likes of a very tall clown and a magician.
Easter 2006

Blankets bright and beautiful

For a long time, the children in the crèche had been sleeping under well-used, dull blankets after lunch. That was until Karin Volbrecht fromTam Tam Trading chose the Saartjie Baartman Centre, together with another organisation, as beneficiaries of generous gifts. The Saartjie Baartman Shelter was given 100 new blankets, many of which soon brightened up the children’s sleep times. Many thanks to Tam Tam Trading.

Risk Benefit Solutions beach party

The children who come with their mothers to the Saartjie Baartman Shelter towards the end of the year often face the long summer holidays with little access to family and friends. Fortunately, there are a number of people and organisations who offer their time to ensure that the children enjoy their share of outings and parties.

Risk Benefit Solutions, an insurance company, organised an outing to the beach which was looked forward to with much excitement and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Isibindi painting project

Isibindi meaning “courage”, is the social-investment programme of FusionDesign, a corporate-identity consultancy. This project was initiated “when it became clear to us [FusionDesign] that many organisations are teaching crafts but cannot follow this up by exposing the hopeful crafters to a nurturing, inspiring visual environment. We knew we could provide such an environment.” The isibindi staff ran a Christmas painting project with the children in the Shelter, with some of the paintings being used as Christmas cards by clients of FusionDesign. The children were also able to do paintings for their mothers. Once again, this was an enjoyable time for the children.

Freek Robinson, SABCTV 2’s Focus and a Christmas party

On 14 December 2005, well-known television presenter Freek Robinson came to the Saartjie Baartman Centre with his TV crew to film a programme for his weekly TV 2 slot, Focus, which was aired on Sunday 18 December 2005. More importantly for the children though, was the party he organised, not just for the Saartjie Baartman children, but for the children at the other shelters in Cape Town as well. There were clowns to entertain, a jumping castle to use up the energy provided by the candy-floss and cooldrink, and of course, Father Christmas (who arrived in an ambulance with sirens blazing) to hand out the presents.

A volunteer’s gifts

Kristin Fleschner, an American student who spent some time volunteering at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, went back home and organised an amazing collection of gifts for the Shelter from her family and friends. There were toys, books, DVDs and other materials for the crèche, disposable nappies for the babies, and clothes for the women. We’d really like to thank Kristin for her enormous generosity.