2025 Wolgarston Link for Life Team
In
February 2025 a team of students from Wolgarston High School in Penkridge,
Staffordshire will be visiting communities in South Africa supported by Link for
Life’s partner charity Hands at Work in Africa (https://handsatwork.org )
The
students have been busy raising funds and preparing for their visit for several
months and it is the sixth visit to Hands at Work which the school has undertaken
via Link for Life Project. For the first time the team will include a member of
staff, Paula Kerr from Chasetown Community School where pupils have already been
busy raising funds for the children in the communities which the team will visit. The team’s leadership is completed by experienced
Link for Life team members Molly Jones and Tony Guest.
|
Cooking
at the Care Point in Mafambisa is hard work and takes a while |
|
Fun and
games at the Care point in Mafambisa in during the 2023 visit |
The
team hope to encourage and support the volunteer care workers and lend a hand
with preparing and cooking food as well as spend time playing with the children
 |
Cooking at the Care Point in Mafambisa is hard work and takes a while
 |
Fun and games at the Care point in Mafambisa in during the 2023 visit
Alongside time at the Care Point the team will accompany the volunteer care workers as they visit the homes where the children live to encourage those who look after them at home. Often the care giver at home is an older relative, e.g. a grandmother (locally affectionately called a ‘Gogo’), who may have their own struggles and needs. In some cases the children may live in a child headed household, with the oldest child needing to take on huge responsibility.
Hands at Work in Africa (work in eight countries in Africa and only work in
communities where there are no other charities involved. They seek to care for the most vulnerable and
challenge local communities and churches to care for those in need and speak up
for those without at voice.
Their
remarkable work to transform communities is bringing about lasting change for vulnerable
children by focusing on the three essential services: Food Security, Education
and Health
Whilst
in South Africa the Link for Life team will be able to reflect on the unjust systems
which and community breakdown which lead to people being in such need. When they return, they will be supported as
they reintegrate into their UK lives and be encouraged to raise funds for Hands
at Work and speak up for the remarkable and courageous people they will have
met.
You
can follow the 2025 Wolgarston Link for Life visit via their blog (https://link4lifeproject.blogspot.com
) and also via X (formerly Twitter) @WolgarstonSA and @link4liferw. To find out
more about Hands at Work in Africa go to (https://handsatwork.org
) . Please pray for the team, asking
that they will be a help, encouragement and blessing to all they meet and for
safety in travel.
Richard
Westwood February 2025