Thursday 29 August - Msholozi

Our team meets with Charles and Siza

  Msholozi

After a day to settle in at Mercy Air we joined a team from the Africa School of Missions to help.at a local community clinic in the informal settlement of Msholozi.  Many of the people who live here are undocumented - perhaps their birth was snot registered by their parents or maybe they are refugees from Mozambique, Swaziland or Zimbabwe. Thw community has a feel of temporary existence, but it is growing in size and numbers at a rapid pace.

There is no health provision Msholozi and only one school ( fora population of about 80,0000 people)

We arrived at the clinic at 8am and there was already a queue of about 30 people waiting to be seen..  We helped to set up the large amount of medical equipment and we were then introduced to Elle-Marie who was instrumental in setting up the clinic, and she told us about  a clear sense that she felt that God wanted there to be provision for the people who live in Msholozi.  It is a remarkable story, and well worth hearing.

We then met Charles, a local community volunteer who visits people.and in their homes and links them up to the clinic and the remarkable Volunteer run school for undocumented children. We went to visit the school together an on.thw way he told us about some of the problems which exist for those who live in Msholozi. At thw school (held above and behind a disused shop) we met the volunteer headteacher, Siza.   we had chance to visit lessons where children who may never be  allowed to take South African exams were being taught by caring volunteers in calm and ordered classes. It was a moving experience to see such people refusing to accept that 'nothing can be done.'   

Some of the homes in Msholozi

We walked back to the clinic and played with the children whose parents were waiting to be seen. Simple games and colouring activities were well received and we all enjoyed rhe delight which they showed.

Bubbles seem popular today

Meanwhile, all the Africa School of Missions team were busy seeing the patients who were waiting. Their work was caring, thorough and attentive.

We said our goodbyes and left at around 1pm. The nursing  staff continueduntil after 4pm without a break. Our afternoon involved packing donated clothes for some of the neediest in Msholozi and after a final team meeting we enjoyed a BBQ (Braii) with Paul.and Cathy Middleton and Nigel and Erin Trainor who had hosted us at Mercy Air

As our last full day in South Africa draws to a close we agreed that we have so.much to give thanks for- and feel privileged to have been able to meet the many remarkable people we have in our time here.  our job now moves with us back to the UK to speak up for those who have no voice.

A final day in Share - Monday 26 August

Foot washing - as Jesus did for his followers

Our day on Monday 26^th involved a long drive to the community of Share  - more than 3 hours on a mixture of tar and dirt roads – stopping to pick up provisions for the community lunch which the dedicated volunteer care workers cook every day for the 72 children they support and care for.

Hand and nail treatment - with a treasured fabric purse being held tightly

We knew it was going to be a poignant day as this would very likely be the last Link for Life Team to visit the care point in Share… but this was for the best of reasons.
Hands at Work in Africa have been partners with Share for over seven years and the first Link for Life Teams to visit did so in 2012.  Following on from this a team has visited every year since then and we have tried to encourage everyone we know to partner with Hands at Work to give every month to contribute to the cost of the care and food which the volunteer care workers give.  This partnership with Hands at Work and Share as been a important part of Link for Life’s work since then.  But, despite ups and downs, over the years things have grown and moved forward and now the Community Based Organisation in Share was ready to stand and continue without the support of Hands at Work.  This is a process which Hands at Work call ‘graduating’ a community. 
It is a huge step for the community which shows what a journey that Hands of Work have helped Share to travel.   Hands at Work have helped the volunteer care workers as they have undertaken training and as they have got formal identity documents for the vulnerable children they care for (meaning they are entitled to go to state schools).
With resilient structures and finance management in place the care workers have now  been offered support from the South African government and from another local social care charity.  Hands at Work have helped the care volunteers grow and become more sustainable… in 2012 the care point was an open fire under a tree.   Now there is a building, with cooking shelter, toilet, a fresh water supply and a growing number of supportive care workers.  The graduation is a story of success and development
On this visit to Share we had the privilege of being part of the early stages of this ‘graduation’ process.  Even though it is a good thing to do, it is still tinged with sadness as it is the end of one level of relationships in order to make space for new ones.  So we arrived in Share  with mixed emotions; pleased to see the volunteer care workers and children, but also sad as this was probably the last visit of this kind that Share would receive from Link for Life.
After greeting the care workers we joined together in worship and delighted to hear the beautiful singing and dancing which we have come to experience with them. After this we shared a Bible reading and words of encouragement which led into some ‘appreciation time’ where we presented gifts and gave the care workers a treat day.

Some of the Care Workers show off their new fabric purses
outside the care point in Share

The gifts included cards from Link for Life visitors from previous years and some beautiful hand made fabric purses, individually embroidered with the name of each of the care workers.  These had been made by the ‘Crafts, Cuppa and Chat’ group at St Anne’s Church in Chasetown. Inside the purses were some  hand cream and nail polish from friends and supporters in the UK, as well as a photo of each care worker and a photo of the member of the Crafts, Cuppa and Chat group.  Members of our team gave out these gifts to each of the care workers and they were delighted with them, taking time to open and close the press stud closure and feel the decorated finish which each purse had.  It was such a privilege to do this link job –really being something of a link for life across the miles.
After the gift giving each of the care workers who wanted it had the opportunity to have a hand massage, nail varnish and foot washing. Some of the care workers took the opportunity offered to be prayed for by members of the team and each team member had a role in this thanksgiving and celebration day.

Fun with balloons for the children in Share

Before too long the children started to arrive at the care point and along with the care workers we played with them, but as we did we realised that, whilst we were made very welcome, we were not needed to be the leaders of team games and interactions… the care workers were doing it and we were no longer needed in the way we might have been even a year ago. 

It was such a huge privilege to be there on a day like this, when we could see how, over the years, Hands at Work in Africa have nurtured the volunteer care workers to the point where they are able to stand by themselves as a caring community group.  
The Hands at Work model works! Transforming the lives of the most vulnerable children … and it was so good to see this process approaching  a major milestone in Share.

We said some sorrowful farewells to the care workers and the children before we left to drive back to the Hands at Work hub.  A long journey lay ahead of us, but we have been so privileged to have been able to help Hands at Work to support Share on an even longer but life giving journey.

Friday 23 August - A day in the community of Zwelisha

Friday began with a ‘going deeper’ prayer meeting led by Levi and his wife which introduced the idea of being strong and courageous whilst also following God’s plan for you and ‘going’  (meaning how Hands at Work is aiming not to be static and only based at its hub in South Africa, but rather spreading it work throughout other areas of great need in Africa). It was just the inspiration we needed to get us through the tiring day ahead in Zwelisha.

After the meeting, we left, ready and raring to go for 9:30am and enjoyed a vibrant bus journey, including background information on the community and its links to Hands At Work. We arrived full of energy and excitement at 10:30am whilst the care workers were already feeding the young children with their breakfast as the majority of the children were under 10 and did not attend school. We were immediately dragged away to play with the delighted children, joining in with their made up games. Until around 12 noon we played with them, chatting to the care workers and learning new names and stories. We all gathered together from this moment in one of the communal buildings to get to know the care workers better and break the ice with some fun games and properly introducing one another. There were six care workers there in total looking after fifty children. We sat for about an hour, learning names and talking to develop our relationships for the day. Many of the children at the care point did not have ID documents (Birth Certificate)  and as a result they have recently been disallowed from attending school, even though they have been attending up to a few months ago. This has put more pressure on the care workers as the children often come to the care point early and need managing.   It also means that, at present, the children affected have no means of regular structured education, which in turn brings stigma and reduced life opportunities as they grow older.

At 1:15pm we set off for three different home visits in three different groups, each with one care worker, one hands at Work team member and at least two members of our link for life team. One of the visits was to a house around a 15 minute walk away from the care point. Two out of the four children of the household attended the care point; but in the last couple of days, they had not been seen, hence our visit. When we arrived, there was no-one around. Around 5 minutes after our arrival, the mother of the children appeared. Lisa* was alone in the house and did not know where her children were. We were briefly introduced, although she did not seem interested. It was evident that she was uncomfortable and did not want to speak to June* (the care worker) despite her best efforts. After a 20 minute sparse conversation about how her children had been “playing” and so had not been to the care point, as well as various other reasons regarding her disappearances over weekends, June* decided to end the home visit with a concluding prayer. As we ventured back to the care point we ran into a lady who Lisa had claimed to have been looking after her children whilst she was away; only to discover this was not true. We later found that the majority of the information we had been given regarding her children’s situation was false due to her own alcohol misuse. The children were therefore left for long periods of time (days) alone with no food or source of care. The care workers were having to bathe the children at the care point as their mother was not doing this.  This only goes to show how broken the community around Zwelisha is. 

Following our home visit, we brought the children back to the care point and proceeded to play with them and give them our attention until dinner was served at about 15:00pm. We helped to serve the food to the children (in age order) and support the care workers in any way we could before leaving the care point at about 16:00pm after a very action packed day that left us all exhausted! Despite us being worn out we were thoroughly honoured to have visited that community and meet the fabulous care workers that serve on a daily basis with love and kindness.

*name changed

The care point in Zwelisha

A team photo with the hard working care volunteers -
Outside the fibreglass 'igloo' which they cook in

Time for play on the recently installed play tyres

Thursday 22 August - Our final day in Mafambisa

It was great to be back in Mafambisa today for our third and final day with the care workers and children. We set to work chopping vegetables and cleaning out the pap pot from the day before, with Richard even making up a siSwati song for the purpose!

There was a full complement of care workers there today, so we got to meet Alzeira and Emma as well as reconnecting with Ma Rose, Virginia and Nomthlebu. In a circle together we sang songs, prayed and shared together our assessment of our own energy levels. It was uplifting to hear the care workers report that their energy levels were high, aided by our being there to provide encouragement and support.

The remarkable volunteer care workers of Mafambisa at the new cooking point

We had designated home visits of the children to make today. Yasmine and Trudie joined Prudence from Hands at Work and Ma Nxyebo in setting off to visit the home of Truth*, a five year old girl who uses the Mafambisa care point. Truth was due at the care point yesterday but did not show up, so the purpose to find out why she did not attend and to see how both she and the family are doing. 

However, just as the visit team was set to leave the care point for the home visit, Truth rounded the corner and appeared at the care point gate. It was a delight to see her back there, but the Hands team decided nonetheless that her family would benefit from a visit to see how they are.

Hand in hand with Truth, the team set off for her family home which is over a mile and a half from the care point. It was 28 degrees today in the mid-day sun, meaning that, by the time we reached her home on the far edge of Mafambisa, Truth had already walked at least three miles that day, only half of the journey under adult supervision.

Truth’s family live in a shack. Truth’s mother, grandmother and aunts warmly welcomed us to join them and their children in the shade outside their home. They are refugees from Mozambique, which means that none of them has official papers and therefore no access to government subsistence or electricity, nor education for any of the children. Their income is from ad hoc piece work, which means that some days they have food to eat and some days they do not.

Truth has a close relationship with her paternal grandmother, but her father is not in her life – an all too common tale for the children in this community. Today the family had had a delivery of water, but some days the truck does not come and then they have to rely upon collecting water from the local stream for drinking, cooking and washing. Truth’s mother explained that Truth was absent from the care point yesterday as she and her siblings all had seasonal colds, for which they had received medicine from the clinic.

When they learned that we had travelled from the UK to be there with Hands at Work and with them, Truth’s aunty said that it was “a blessing” to have us visit them. The blessing was ours, for we could see the power of the Hands at Work mission in operation before our eyes. Without the care point in Mafambisa, Truth may not have eaten today, and may not eat tomorrow. Hands at Work is dedicated to serving the most vulnerable and Truth certainly in this group.  

 *Names changed for anonymity

Some of the children show off their cards which were made
for them by students from Wolgarston High School in Penkridge

Wednesday 21st August - Our Second Day in Mafambisa

After a short lie in this morning, we woke up to a birthday breakfast cooked by the team for my birthday. We arrived at Mafambisa at around 10:00am and got involved with preparations of the vegetables for the meal (which was beetroot, pap and chicken feet). After that, we did a few songs and prayers and then split into two groups ready for our home visit. The children living at the house that I visited were living with their grandma because their dad had died and their mom walked out on them five years ago, abandoning her children and forcing the grandma to look after them. I was surprised at despite the fact that the grandma was left in an awful situation, she never once spoke badly about the mother of the children and although she didn’t know if the mother of the children was still alive, she still refused to move house just in case the mother decided to return. She said that if the mother of the children wanted to come home, the grandma would always be waiting at the family home where she left.

After our home visits, we returned to find that all the children had arrived at the care point after their day at school. We all stood in a circle, sang some songs and everyone sang happy birthday to my and one of the teenagers from the care point who was also turning 17 at the same time. After this, we helped serve meals to all the children and we got started on helping the children to paint the netball posts. Although it started well, it soon turned into a bit of mayhem when some of the children wanted to have a paint fight!    The care workers at Mafambisa work so hard… there were just three courageous women there today – cooking for more than 60 children.  It is amazing that they keep going,   We will be back at Mafambisa tomorrow for our last day with them on this visit, so we hope it will be a special time for all the children and the care workers too.

Libby Newman 

Some of the members of the dream team outside Mafambisa care point

Cooking Africa Style

Daisy has a hair appointment with a friend

Tasty food

Sophie has language lessons in Siswati

Tuesday, 20th August, 2019- A day in the community of Share

Children gather to receive their hot meal at the care point in Share,
(After hand washing!)

At the end of our Tuesday , as a team we discussed how it had gone. We each had our own unique experience  of our time  at Hands At Work’s Share (pronounced. ‘Shah-ray) care point, but there were two themes that emerged from the day: Chemistry and Love.

Share is blessed with a good number of care workers. The community is very well established and it was clear for all of us to see that the Hands At Work ‘building block’ of healthy leadership is in full flow. Among the care workers there was a palpable sense of trust, camaraderie and love. Part of their welcome to us was to share their time of prayer, praise and worship before the children arrived. With the use of simple rhythmic naming games, the worlds between us melted away and we were just one group of people laughing at ourselves and, with kindliness, one another.

The care workers’ bond is solid and strong. The chemistry and love in their interaction was given voice with their worship and movement in their dance - watch a vdie clip

here https://www.flickr.com/photos/115621215@N07/48586803771/in/album-72157710162619462/

This strong team of women trust one another, encourage one another and care for one another. This foundation of co-carer chemistry and love overflows into the care for the children. Here at Share the care workers initiate games with the children, involving them all in the joy of play. In so doing, they show the children that they are loved, that they matter, and that they belong to a wider family.

Libby helping to stir the pap (maize meal)

Love is in abundance at Share. As a centre of care, they will soon be able to stand on their own two feet. It is a huge success story. Meanwhile, Hands at Work has much more work to do elsewhere in serving the needs of care, health and security needs of the most vulnerable.

There was a poignant reminder today as to why our being here still matters. Out at play, a twelve year old girl got chatting to a member of our team. “Do you like black people?”, came the sudden question from her. The team member was taken aback but continued to tell her, ‘Yes! Of course!’ and to  assure her that she is loved. It was deeply upsetting to imagine that the girl had to question such a thing. Yet we understand why that question is still there. We are here to show love. Skin colour should not matter. But we know from history and politics that it has mattered so much here and clearly still does. We are here to do many things, but most importantly to love – and to show it.

Monday 19th Aug – Mafambisa Day 1

Some views of the newly built and painted care point at Mafambisa

After an early start we took part in a Monday morning meeting at the Hands at Work Hub with the Hands community. This consisted of hearing any notices, taking part in worship and spending time around the village to take time to think about the children and careworkers that we were due to visit and to say a prayer for them. Shortly followed our departure to Mafambisa, which was a new experience for most of the team. Upon arrival we saw the careworkers already preparing the meal for the children due to come later on in the day. We were greeted by careworker, Lily*, who was greatly amused by our failed attempts to speak Siswati. A couple of the team got asked to help prepare some of the vegetables; we chopped some onions and grated some carrots. Meanwhile, a few children arrived at the carepoint and quickly seemed keen to interact with us. We sat for a while under a tree where one of the children was fascinated by Daisy’

s hair bobbles and her bracelet; he would transfer the bobbles back and forth between each of our wrists… he absolutely loved it! A little while later, some more children arrived at the carepoint and were eager to ask our names and get us involved in some games. A couple of us joined in a netball and a football game, which quickly became very competitive! Towards the end of our time at the community, we helped the careworkers serve the food to the children in age order. It was lovely to see the older children making sure that the younger ones had a meal first. After all of the children had eaten, we got offered a meal ourselves which we all enjoyed and were grateful for. Once we had finished our meal, we said our goodbyes (for now!) and that we were excited to see them again on Wednesday. All in all, it was a lovely day and we all enjoyed visiting Mafambisa for the first time. We are all now fed and showered and getting ready for bed, preparing for a long day visiting Share tomorrow!

*name changed

Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th August 2019

 Saturday - 17th August 2019

Today we got an amazing opportunity to learn more about The Aparthied by visiting the museum in Johannesburg. Knowing the commuinities that we were going to be visiting, we thought it was important to understand more about their history before meeting them.
The museum was fascinating, there was so much information to take in, we definitely needed some time to let it all sink in. The things that stood out for us were:

• How much involvement the British had from the very beginning
• The brutality of the police that were enforcing the laws
• The sheer impact that Mandela had amongst the people, this was shown by just how many people turned out for his 90th birthday sporting tshirts with his prisoner number 46664
• Reading all the pesonal stories about what was happening at the time and their own involvement in it.
• That the non-violent protests included people of all races and how together they had come up with a song called toyi-toyi that was meant to encourage them and give them energy to keep going.

 After an infomration packed 3 hours it was time for a rest at SunRock GuestHouse. We were treated to a delicious dinner and a very (Yasmine) good nights sleep ready for our long day of travelling tonmorrow.







Sunday - 18th August 2019
We arrived at the Hands hub after a long day of travelling to a very warm welcome from some of the Hands family, Hannah, Brie, Jill and a few others. After unloading our luggage into our rooms we met our host Hannah for a brief introduction to the Hub and our programme for the week. This was swifly followed by an orientation given by Jill around the village and Kitchen.It was great to get to know how the hands community live together and what our part in sharing community responsibilities will look like. A delicious dinner of pizza and veg and a good nights sleep was the plan for the rest of the evening.

2019 Penkridge Community Team get set for South Africa

A small but committed group of people from the Penkridge area will be heading for South Africa on 16 August  to visit our charity partners Hands at Work in Africa (www.handsatwork.org)  and Mercy Air (www.mercyair.org) .

On the team we have (left to right)  Trudie, Richard, Libby, Daisy, Claire, Yasmine and Sophie

This is the place to find out about and follow their visit and you can also catch up with them and the remarkable people they will visit on Twitter (@link4liferw) and also on Facebook (search Link for Life Project) and Instagram (#linkforlife).


If you would like to pray for them and the people whilst they are on the visit you can download a prayer and information sheet here .  We'd be very grateful if you feel able to support us like this.

Whilst in South Africa they will visit the communities of Mafambisa, Share and Zwelisha  all of which are supported by Hands at Work, where orphaned and vulnerable children are cared for by remarkable care volunteers.  They will also visit the work of Mercy Air and some of the community projects which they are involved with.  Mercy Air fly good and people to remote parts of southern Africa but are also involved with care projects closer to their base in White River.

Also travelling with the team is Sam Westwood (not pictured) who will spend all his time with Mercy Air finding out about their medical and community health work.  The team will join him in the second week of their visit.
Thanks for your interest and if you want to know more  please visit the websites shown above of Hands at Work and Mercy Air

On behalf of all the team - thanks for your interest and prayers and we look forward to giving you more info soon. Richard Westwood