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Level 2 - Coming out of hibernation?
by James Sleigh
Last week I was fortunate to be able to get away for a few days for a mountain biking trip through the Overberg, Karoo and Garden Route with a couple of friends. One of the highlights was cycling down the Swartberg pass, covered in thick snow which had fallen the day before we rode it.
While we were on our trip, South Africa moved from lockdown level 3 to lockdown level 2. And, at the same time, the days warmed and it felt like the country started to make the transition from winter to spring.
I strongly felt this analogy: as the country starts opening up, it is as if people are coming out of hibernation, cautious, hungry, excited, slightly timid.
While South Africa is now relaxing controls, we are still experiencing high rates of infection of COVID-19 in the country. We have decided to take a very cautious approach in the opening up of Camphill, and are not ready to open to visitors yet. We feel quite strongly that now, more than ever, is the time to be vigilant against infection, when many are dropping their guard. We are really proud that we have remained COVID free, and are striving to keep it that way.
This time of lockdown has been for many, a long journey of solitude, patience, and change. Many people have been separated from their families and have had to form new skills and associations with those around them, and we have noticed many new skills develop with our residents and staff, over this period.
Perhaps one of the greatest learnings and gifts we can receive and give from this time, would be to be aware of the changes that people have gone through - when we see people again to listen to them as though we have met them for the first time. When we hear each person as if we are meeting them for the first time, we give them the space to share their newly developed competencies and skills, and create an opportunity to develop a fresh perspective of them. This is one of the greatest gifts we can give to those we care for.
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Best way to stay in touch
by James Sleigh
Over the last 55 years, hundreds of people have in some or other way, been touched by Camphill. I receive many emails each month (and I enjoy receiving them, so please keep them coming) of how much people enjoy reading our newsletter, and how some pictures and stories trigger memories of their experiences and times here. We enjoy this feedback, and if any of our readers would like to write a memory to be shared in the newsletter, this would be most welcome.
For those of you who would like more regular updates, we have become more active on Instagram and Facebook, and post pictures, happenings and daily life stories here.
To join us on Facebook, look for @CamphillVillageWestCoast
To follow us on Instagram look for @camphillwestcoast
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Camphill Spring Celebrations
by Lisé Muller
Spring has sprung at Camphill Village and we have been amazed by the colourful world that has bloomed around us. Carpets of White Cape Daises stretch as far as the eye can see and have brought much joy to our residents. Last week Grange’s residents spent some quality time outside enjoying the fresh air and beauty around them and Helen decorated her winter beanie with a crown of white flowers transforming it into a stunning happy spring hat.
Baby goats have arrived and what a joy they are. Connor was pictured yesterday walking the little goats. The smallest was tucked safely into his tog bag and the older kid skipped alongside calling out to us all in a joyful high-pitched bleat.
Despite the persistent cold weather, spring is bravely pushing forward and every day at Camphill we are greeted with new life and new adventures to share with old friends.
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And the proud new owners are ...
by Janine Strumpher
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Last month, we ran a competition to see who would become the proud owners of three new bicycles that were donated to us.
It was a very difficult decision as each letter was worthy of the prize. But we had to make the tough decision and after reading the letters and voting, the three Qubeka bicycles went to Alex, David K, and Ricus.
They were called to make a presentation and to read out their letters, not knowing they were the proud new owners. I could feel the anticipation in the air and when announced the absolute joy and excitement.
Tess Derrick-Sleigh, who assists our marketing team with social media, compiled this video from the pictures we took of the prize giving - https://photos.app.goo.gl/DBsMc74FHmFc5X5x5
Thank you again Dimension Data for making these dreams come true.
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Marketing Team Brushing up on Skills
by Carine Human
The marketing team spent one of their meeting sessions workshopping the basics of photography. James, being an avid and very knowledgeable photographer, shared advice on skills and what to consider when taking pictures. We learnt about light, angles, grids, apertures and depth of field etc.
We had good fun and laughter in learning in an experiential fashion. We all look forward to try and try again, increasing our photography skills to contribute even more aesthetically to what we try to convey in our monthly reports.
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Aloe House
by Carine Human, Euritah Juru & Francinah Mahlomuza
Aloe house, in which eight residents live, has been one of the long running houses in Camphill Village. Everyone has their own duties to contribute to everyday family life. Euritah is one of the Aloe shields that protects and takes care of all eight aloe flowers.
The Aloe plant is known for its spiritual uplifting, protecting and energetic effect. This goes hand-in-hand with the characters of all our Aloe residents, who beautify the house with their abilities to live and work together as a family. Residents share their lives, contributing to daily routines where they help each other to make sure house duties are done. House duties include: preparing for supper, cleaning the house, washing up dishes, fetching dairy and bakery products for the house. Besides house duties, residents have activities that they enjoy doing outside the house, such as sports, art creativities, drumming and baking. As well as their daily hobbies, they have their particular jobs such as working in the bakery, dairy, cosmetics, garden and the farm.
These are our Aloe residents and their contributions to the village:
Anna-Maria – helps with decoration for Camphill events. She works in the houses and fetches milk for the house.
Leentjie – milks the cows and some days works at the bakery.
Paul and Gerard – work at the bakery.
Kevin – works on the farm.
Barbara and Angela – help the cooks daily as part of the domestic team.
Jan – helps in the house and particularly enjoys food and recipes.
Aloe house is always a treat to visit and it’s heart-warming to see how each resident can be themselves and is enjoyed, cared for and embraced for who they are. Euritah has a wonderful, warm approach, which everyone appreciates, and is much loved by her residents. During the initial lockdown, the residents, along with our OT, Nina, painted pot plants and made their house lovely outside. Great team work all in all!
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More Blessings
by Janine Strumpher
In my inbox I found the following words from Debbie:
“Marriott International would like to assist with a donation of items such as food, toiletries and blankets during this time. Our overall budget is limited, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the hospitality industry been affected in a large way, however we would still like to support as many organisations as we can over this time, even if only in a small way. I thought of Camphill Village..."
It touched me deeply as even in times of adversity people reach out and want to help. We are very grateful for the 40 blankets, 14 ladies jeggings, 7 men’s denims and 11 warm winter tops you donated and it warms our hearts and beds. Thank you Debbie and Marriott International for this lovely gesture! Everyone is loving their new clothes and soft blankies.
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Granadilla Eats – Online Farmers Market
by Lise Muller
Granadilla Eats is a young, dynamic company that has morphed and changed to meet the demands of the more conscious consumer. They are an online farmers’ market and we are over the moon to have our products stocked on their website.
Granadilla Eats brings small business products and local produce to people in Cape Town. They are extremely proud to say that since they started this business at the beginning of lockdown they now have over 100 small scale suppliers and 700+ grocery items on their website, varying from fresh produce to dairy and eggs.
For the next month Granadilla Eats invites all the Camphill community and supporters to shop on their website and receive R100 off their first order by using the code: CAMPHILL100 at checkout. (Valid in September on all first orders over R400)
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Women in Sport
by Max
I personally believe that true champions are not those who win trophies and medals - they are those who have the guts to step up or stand up and do things like no one will ever imagine.
I'm talking about those of our female residents who stood up and said, “yes I can do soccer, why not”.
When Leentjie and Jessica came to training years ago, the question was asked, "are you sure?" Their reply was simple, "I am no different from them". Then I knew that they came to raise the bar, pushing boundaries to show there are no differences in sport. It stirred in me the phrase, "wathint abafazi wathint IMBOKODO (you strike the woman, you strike the Rock)".
In this month of August - Women's month, we salute those imbokodo's (women) who showed us that there are no differences in sport. They have firmly taken their place in our soccer team. We are proud of you!
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 Thembi Francinah Mahlomuza - Junior Residential Social Worker at Camphill Village, West Coast
by Carine Human & Francinah Mahlomuza
We are pleased to announce the joining of a new staff member this month. Francinah, whom many of you may have already met, is now officially part of the Health and Wellbeing team, as Junior Residential Social Worker at Camphill Village West Coast. Francinah is well known to the staff and residents as she did her Social Work 4th year practical placement with us last year. She expressed interest in a longer term commitment within Camphill and returned in January this year as a volunteer. Right through lockdown she lived in a Group Home and worked as a carer/volunteer as well as assisting the Social Work office where needed.
Francinah lights up a room with her smile and friendly demeanour. She has been going the extra mile and has become an integral part of our team and the bigger Camphill family. I’ve asked Francinah if she would kindly share her story, as she truly is a very inspirational young woman.
My life story began when I was still a young girl dreaming of how I will want to live my life before and after finishing school/university. The love I have for people, being around people, working with people (especially kids and adults with special needs) made me realize that studying Social work would be the great idea.
I grew up in a small village and a family of seven people (2 siblings, 3 cousins, my ouma and my mom) and my mom was the only person working (the bread winner). We did not have everything we needed but we were able to go to bed with our stomach full and we were a family that supported each other a lot in everything. We did not have everything that some of our friends had but we had LOVE. Our family knew how to love, encourage, how to live with other people and lastly how to treat others with respect, the very way you would love them to treat you back. My mother was a hard worker and everyday encouraged us that hard work pays off and told us, in everything you do, know its good primary reason why you are doing it, then stick to it until you reach the goal.
After I received all the awards I got from school and community programmes I have participated in, I realised that I am a strong woman ready to conquer the world, a woman that can do more and get to the life I have been dreaming of. The life of being a qualified Social Worker; helping those in need. It has been my interest to render Social work services to clients with special needs. I am especially sensitive to the needs of disadvantaged people in particular, having sharpened patient-centered care skills. Bringing an ability to identify the genuine needs of clients and to develop practical care plans for them, my all-time wish is to enable clients to meet their needs and develop to their full potential. I am thrilled at the prospect of offering my talents and enthusiasm to Camphill Village West Coast.
I needed to work very hard to be where I am today (Camphill Village, West Coast) and I am still growing and eager to learn more and contribute as much value, knowledge and social work skills as I can in Camphill Village. As I am growing and gaining additional experience, I would also like to see myself as an expert on my job description. My family, my friends, Social Workers, my hard work and life obstacles I have managed to pass through are always motivational and give me the power to believe that I can do this.
I am a LIVING TESTIMONY; a newly qualified SOCIAL WORKER that has been exposed to different Social Work fields. Throughout my years studying Social Work and serving as a Social Work Intern, I have provided social work services to clients of various demographics and backgrounds. I have also rendered services to diverse groups of children, adults with special needs, families, and communities. As an adept Social Work Intern, I have a well-rounded background in research and refined talents in community assistance and treatment program guidance, which grew me to being as professional as I am today.
I would most importantly like to thank the Camphill for trusting me with this important position and offering me this opportunity to work for this exciting and loving organisation. I am very happy and looking forward to work with the organisation for a year and provide my gained knowledge and social work intervention skills in accordance with the ethical code of the profession.
Welcome to the team, Francinah! May you enjoy wonderful opportunity and embrace every challenge with passion, courage and confidence in yourself, your professional skills and your ability to make a difference!
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Rare Flowers
by Nina Oberzaucher
Every day at Camphill we have the opportunity of witnessing the presence and development our very own beautiful rare flowers. Our female residents who live with intellectual disabilities are just like rare flowers. They need careful nurturing in order for them to be seen in their full splendour. Like aloes, they can just survive, or they can bloom beautifully, depending on specific health and support, and the context in which they live.
Women with intellectual disabilities have to deal with the same natural conditions of being a woman in addition to physical and mental health conditions. Their social needs are just the same.
Yet, there are barriers they encounter that not every other woman would. One of them is their access to services that help them overcome their unique challenges. The challenges related to their individual needs and desires and their abilities to communicate them, and their environment to be responsive to their need.
In their environment, there needs to be an awareness and understanding of the specific needs these flowers have. This requires a constant attitude of curiosity and mental separation from what we think we know about these flowers versus what there is to learn.
When it comes to her health, she needs to be able to communicate what is troubling and how and where her body feels. She needs to be brought out into the world softly, gently, to be able to show and say what her need is. Only then, under the conditions of a match between environment and the flower, is when we will see her bloom. The environment still needs to be favourable for this to occur. If the environment is at haste and unfavourable, she cannot bloom.
When a rare flower is discovered, she wants study, observation and a focused attitude to be understood. She is not just another flower, no. She may seem so at first glance. With study and observation, you will find the right questions. Yet, ask in the wrong place and you will find misguidance. If we do not study, we shall never see the detail.
A developing flower needs gentle nurturing. We might see the bud as she is getting ready, and may not know which flower she is. We may pass judgment, but too early, for we may not know what she will be. Let us not deny sunshine, time and patience, until she blooms, for we know not which blossom and how beautiful she will be.
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Growing Together
by Janine Strumpher
Thank you Foods & Trees for Africa who have delivered two loads of seedlings for our garden. These have been planted with the love and care of our garden team under the guidance of Shaun, and we have harvested and enjoyed the “fruits” of your generosity. Thank you Thando, we are looking forward to a wonderful relationship with all of you.
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From the Kitchen
by Lise Muller
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries using Camphill Quark
Who doesn’t adore cheesecake? For those of us that need to find a low calorie option to shed some of that lockdown weight gain, these low calorie, Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries are the perfect solution!
The Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries are soooo easy to make, and there’s no waiting around for them to set like you would with a normal cheesecake! You could even have some fun and play around with flavours by using a different kind of biscuit. Bourbons, custard creams, ginger nuts – you don’t even need a whole biscuit.
This recipe is suitable for vegetarian diets and can be made suitable for gluten free diets by swapping out Digestive biscuits for a gluten free option. We are using our Camphill Quark in this recipe which is a high protein, fat free, fresh soft cheese that has a similar creamy texture to sour cream and a mild tangy taste. It is very versatile, and you can use it in sweet or savoury dishes, which makes it an ideal choice for anyone trying to follow a healthier diet.
INGREDIENTS
12 strawberries
60 g Camphill Quark
12 g Camphill Crème Fraiche
25 g granulated sweetener
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ digestive biscuit (light) crushed
METHOD
- Remove the tops of the strawberries.
- Using a small sharp knife cut out a cone shape inside the middle of each strawberry - you want a small hole in the middle.
- Mix together the quark, cream cheese, sweetener and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Fill a small freezer bag with the cream cheese mixture. Make sure you get all the mixture in one corner.
- Seal the bag and cut the corner. The hole should be quite small so you can pipe inside the strawberries.
- Squeeze the filling into each strawberry and sprinkle with digestive crumbs.
- Keep them in the fridge until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
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Thank Yous
by Janine Strumpher
Hein – TV
Hillary – 30 meters of fencing
Keith – CDs, videos and pillows
A huge thank you for all the support, support financially, in kind and emotionally.
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View our previous newsletters
If you would like to view some of our previous newsletters... CLICK HERE
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Sponsor a Resident
by Janine Strumpher
We have embarked on a drive to find a sponsor for each resident who has no family or financial means. Without Camphill Village they would be on the streets where people with special needs are often victims of abuse and manipulation and at risk even within their own families and/or communities.
And without financial assistance we cannot continue providing this place of safety.
Living at Camphill Village West Coast gives people with intellectual disability the chance to live a full, creative and fulfilled life, to develop their abilities and contribute to their community. The life that we take for granted, is for many a gift. However we can only do this when financial support is found for the individuals.
If you can help, or know of Individuals or Companies we can approach please contact Janine Strumpher on 021 571 8600 or e-mail fundraiser@camphill.org.za
Take a break from your busy day and watch this beautiful slideshow about life at Camphill - https://youtu.be/B3BQ8PmMZuY
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How to Donate
by Janine Strumpher
Our PayPal account is now in operation; there are now three ways to donate cash to Camphill Village West Coast.
- We now have a Payfast account if you'd like to donate in ZAR - Click Here
- And a PayPal account for donations in USD or Euros - Click Here
- EFT – Camphill Village Standard Bank Malmesbury Acc: 082 399 204 Branch: 050507 Swift: SBZA ZA JJ
- Foreign donations can be made through a NPO in your country and a tax certificate can be issued, please contact Janine to discuss for more info.
NB! Your donation is TAX DEDUCTIBLE, we would like to thank everybody that supports Camphill, remember without your support we cannot continue the work we do. We provide a safe normal life for people living with intellectual disability.
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My School Card
Support Camphill Village with a MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card.
Every time you shop at Woolworths, Engen, Flight Centre, Loot, Bidvest Waltons, Alltech Netstar and Power 24 a percentage of the amount goes to your MySchool beneficiaries.
If you don’t already have a card the application form is available on our website here. http://www.camphill.org.za/my-school-card
If you already have a card, update your profile to include Camphill Village West Coast as one of your beneficiaries. https://www.myschool.co.za/supporter/update/
You can have up to three beneficiaries per card, so can support us at the same time as your school or other favourite charity.
Thank you – every little bit makes a difference!
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Please click the Facebook link below to hear about weekly updates happening at the Village and you can also follow us on Twitter
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