Matthew 18:10 "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.."

Fantasyland Dance Show
Our school going kids reaped the reward of their hard work and dedication in learning to dance with Dance Academy this year by taking part in the dance show called Fantasyland. They looked fabulous with their makeup, glitz and glamour and had the time of their lives! They absolutely loved the stage and taking part in this event. Thanks to Kim van der Merwe for this awesome opportunity in allowing our kids to learn and thrive through dance!

Celebrations as Alpha and Omega Turn Three
Our twins, Alpha and Omega, turned 3 years in December and were treated to a special party with cake and gifts from the Zululand BWA. Birthday parties are a treat and joy for all kids (old and young) and ours are no different; they revel in being the centre of attention and thoroughly enjoy the festivities of the moment. Thanks for making our kids birthdays so joyous and for building memories they will cherish.

Our Holiday Program for the Year End Break
The many weeks of our summer holiday were jam packed with activities to keep the kids active both mentally and physically. These pics speak of some of the fun that was had.

Swimming at the Empangeni Town Pool
The heat is on! Thanks to the help of volunteers, Liana and Ivan, our kids enjoyed a lovely fun-in-the-sun-day at the local municipal pool.

Giving new meaning to body painting…
Creativity at its best! Sarah and Pauline gave the kids paint and a huge piece of paper and let them go wild. Needless to say the kids had a blast and made an “artistic mess”.

Colourful Specs…
What an amazing job the kids made of their glasses. Aren’t they clever? Thanks Hinke for this imaginative activity!

Releasing some energy…
The kids enjoy taking walks around our awesome property. We are truly blessed to have our home situated at Solid Ground Church with grounds so wide and beautiful. We live in the countryside yet are close enough to town for all other needs like shopping, schoolling and medical care.

St Lucia Outing
A day trip to St Lucia with Ivan, Liana and the Oxley Family was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

Fun at Home

Carols by Candlelight

Christmas Day
Our kids were blessed enormously by the imitative “Santa Show Boxes” with the most generous gift boxes for Christmas. They received clothing, toiletries, sweets and toys. Wow, the sponsors pulled out all stops to make bless the kids. Thanks for caring and spoiling so many less fortunate kids in this way. May you in turn receive blessings from our Heavenly Father who sees and knows what you do in secret.

Thanks once again to everyone who played a part in our lives in 2015. Without the support of the community, both locally and internationally, together with the input and help of volunteers, we would not achieve the level of love and care that we do in our home. You are all amazing and we appreciate you more than words will ever express. May 2016 be a year of abundance for you and you families. By abundance I mean love, joy, peace, giving and receiving. Warm regards Loressa and the iKhaya team

Isaiah 9:6, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Birthday Celebrations for twins!
Ryan and Rihanah celebrated their 7th birthday on 7 November. Thanks once again to the Zululand BWA and their generous sponsors who make these celebrations possible. Both children were delighted with their gifts, a doll house for Rihanah and a guitar for Ryan. Parties are a treat that all kids enjoy. Thanks for making wonderful memories with us!

Ryan decorated his own cupcakes to share with his friends at school. Thanks to our volunteers for overseeing this and making it a day he will treasure!

Clothes from Keri’s Playgroup
Thank you Keri Rottcher and all the moms who donated clothing to iKhaya. What a huge collection it was. We kept the clothing for our age groups and passed on the older kids and adult clothing to Musawenkhosi, another home for children in the Empangeni area. Thanks for being a blessing to us and others in need.

ECS Graduation and Prize Giving 2015

Our three Grade R kids blew us away with pride! We came home with 2 of the 4 book prizes awarded to the class of 2015. Nomonde for Overall Diligence and Asanda for Overall Improvement. They put on a great drum performance and played perfectly in beat. Well done Ryan, Asanda and Nomonde on your awesome achievements!

Days of our Lives…

Our lives are made full with all that goes on in our home. The kids are a treat every day and we have the joy and privilege of sharing special moments with them and doing life together. We leave “work” daily with our love tanks brimming! I have a daily entourage of helpers to carry goods to and from the car, umpteen “office visitors” showing off their art, dress up outfits or face paint while others just need time quality time. I even received flowers from my Ryan!

Timothy Award
The Empangeni Christian School awards the Timothy Award to a child for good behavior for 2 weeks and is related to Timothy in the bible who honoured God when he was very young.

Jabu in grade 3 was our proud winner this month. Well done my girl you make us so happy and proud! We love you lots!

New Bunk for The Girls
What delight was written all over Samke’s face when she saw the bunk bed where her single bed once stood. Thanks to everyone who contributes to our home. All donations of clothing, meals, groceries, furniture and funding are gratefully received and make what we do at iKhaya possible. You are sowing with us into the lives of these kids and this will have a lasting impact on who they become one day and how they will integrate into society as adults.

Thank you for choosing to be a part of our calling to care for the most vulnerable children of our country. Together we make a difference.

Christmas Festivities!
Father Christmas came a month early to iKhaya. Some kids were rather shy, other skeptical and others charmed by his presence. The ladies of the Zululand BWA pulled off a grand event and blessed our kiddies with new church clothes, toys and a lovely party. Great fun was had by all. Without the sponsors this celebration would not be possible. Thank you to all who sponsored presents, 5 ways Spar for the cake, Sean from Mackies for sweet bags, icecreams from Oliver from Ola, Beverley Lotter for the gift labels and Thula Mnkwanazi from Business Partners for lucky packets and being our special Father Christmas.
The grade R kids were so excited to tell their class that Father Christmas had been and shared their news with glee. A shocked classmate responded with “What it was Christmas yesterday!?”…shame he thought he’d somehow missed it all!

Thank you for being a part of our lives. Whether it’s your time, gifts, prayers or just loving our kids we appreciate the role you play.

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas and loads of happy memories of time with your loved ones over the festive season.

With Love and regards
Loressa Neale
Coordinator

John 21 verse 16 “Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep.” 

Hinke de Wal, Netherlands 

We are so priviledged to have Hinke volunteer at iKhaya. She recently completed her schooling and lives with her family on a farm in the Netherlands, where she has her own business stabling and caring for horses. In this way she saved to pay her own way to come to us for 3 months before she embarks on her tertiary studies. 

Hinke has dived right in and is spending valuable time with the kids doing school readiness games and other educational exercises with them. One on one time is irreplaceable in terms of the kids overall development, including emotional upliftment, confidence building and language stimulation. 

We pray that God would touch your heart and stir up a desire to make a change in our world through this volunteer experience with us. 

St Catherine’s School, Save the Rhino Day 

Sarah and Pauline accompanied a few of the kids to the annual fundraiser at St Catherine’s School in Empangeni this year. It was a fun filled morning that included a colour fest, rhino nail art and many food and refreshment stalls. There’s nothing greater than having fun while raising funds for a great cause. Everyone’s colourful appearance is proof enough! 

Nomonde the Grade R Baker! 

Nomonde was the proudest baker ever! She assisted in making her own “baker baker” treats together with Pauline and Sarah. Thanks ladies for your input into the kids’ lives. Teaching them daily life skills is something no one will ever take away from them. You empower them by allowing them to be a part of “life” and they will be well rounded young adults one day! 

Fun, Fun, Fun

Our kids enjoy lots of fun both in and outdoors using our awesome facilities. Daily activities include playing on the jungle gyms, jumping on the trampoline, digging in the sandpit, riding bikes, kicking balls or simply creating fun using a wheelbarrow. Learning need not be boring or simply in a classroom. Children thrive and develop through play and making it fun is even better. 

Ola, Empangeni 

Thank you Ola for treating our kids to loads of fun, gifts and icecreams. Outings like this make the kids lives a little more normal and without which they would lead intitutionalised lives. Thanks for making life full for them! Great fun was enjoyed by all. 

Gift from a friend 

The sheer delight says more than words could express.

What a surprise Jabu had to receive a package in the post all the way from Canada. Thank you to all our friends, both past and current, for remembering the kids is special ways.

Holiday Program 

Some much needed rest and time of refreshing was needed by both the school kids and staff after the end of the 3rd school term. The kids enjoyed an outing to the beach and loads of arts and crafts to keep them busy and out of mischief.

Birthday Bash! 

Njabulo had his 5th birthday on the 30 October and Alwande turned 7 on the 31st. This of course called for a celebration! Our kids enjoyed cake and the birthday kiddies each received a gift which makes them feel important and loved. Thanks once again to the BWA Zululand for making this possible. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our news and for your ongoing support, love and care. 

With Love 

Loressa Neale 

Coordinator 

“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:4-5

German Volunteers arrive with great delight!

It was just like the anticipation of Christmas to young children as we awaited the arrival of Pauline and Sarah from Germany on 1st September. My daughters, Bryce and Kaylee, were delighted to tag along to Richards Bay airport to meet them for the very first time. We made our way home to iKhaya where house-mom and dad, Ellen and Honest, awaited our arrival with a much appreciated hot meal for supper. Despite being completely exhausted from 24 hours on the go, the young ladies agreed to join us at one of our Solid Ground Church Home Groups before settling in for a good night’s rest in their new-home-to-be for the next 11 months! Welcome and all the best girls. May this time be one you will remember fondly and may your hearts always be changed and burdened to help the less fortunate!

Empangeni Christian Scool, Grade R welcomes Spring!

Celebrating Spring at ECS along with our Grade R kiddies was great fun! We decided to join in the festivities in support of our kids by dressing up to the theme of Cowboys and Cowgirls. The teachers pulled out all the stops to make the morning tea fun and entertaining for us all. The kids amazed us with some great line dancing and the parents attempted to participate much to everyone’s amusement!

Cupcakes 4 Kids with Cancer

Thank you Alice and team for treating us to the most beautiful and yummy cupcakes! 

It was great to hear that you raised funds again for kids with cancer and we thank you for caring for others in this way!

The BIG 1 year old, Nothando!	Splish Splash!
Thank you BWA Zululand for joining us and spoiling Thando for her 1st birthday. She was overwhelmed by the attention and really knew that the party was all about her!	Summer has arrived early! September is Spring yet we are having heat waves of up to +-40 degrees here in Zululand. Definitely time to enjoy some water… the kids had an absolute blast!

What child does not love a tractor?

The neighboring farm has a “gandaganda” that passes by our boundary fence regularly and it causes great delight… especially for the boys. So when he passed by pulling a trailer there was no stopping Nishi! She was quick to organize a ride for the kids which they just loved! 

Volunteer Involvement

Our kids lead full and busy lives. Often it’s owed to the involvement of volunteers who play a part in organizing activities, running school readiness programs, arranging outings and so on. Our kids love the attention and thrive on their love and quality time. A few school kids showed their appreciation by making pictures for Bheki. Bronwyn organized a restaurant evening at the Solid Ground Church Coffee Shop. What a great evening and fun the kids had. Thanks to all our volunteers who so lovingly get involved and invest into the lives of our kiddies.

Days of our lives…

Just look at our adorable kids! Growing and developing daily, Pascal started sitting this month at the age of 5 months. He is so chuffed with himself and we are too proud of him. Little Alpha found the biggest hat he could and almost disappeared in it! I just love how the older kids help the younger ones. It made my heart happy to see Alwande being a big sister to Nothando as she just “graduated” from the high chair to a kids’ seat and needs watching and guidance so she does not fall off.

Thank you for taking the time to read our news and for your ongoing support, love and care.

Greeting from all at iKhaya
Loressa Neale
Coordinator