The Big Walk

On Friday, 22 October the Durban beachfront was transformed when 250 LexisNexis staff members and 80 I Care staff and children walked from uShaka to Berea Rovers Club to raise money for the children in our care. The initiative forms part of the 'LexisNexis Cares' Day which takes place every year. The day was a great success, raising in excess of R55,000.00 for I Care. The money is to be used towards the building of a sports facility and for other maintenance projects, all aimed at improving the lives of street children and enabling them to look forward to a better future than they could expect by living on the streets.

Thank you, LexisNexis.

A Special Treat

During the September holidays Amanzimtoti Round Table treated seven of our 'aftercare' boys to a trip to Johannesburg. These boys have been successfully reunited with their families and attend schools in the Durban area. Qaphela, in picture, wrote to thank the Round Tablers for a wonderful holiday. Below is his letter to I Care.

"Dear Madam,
I write this letter to thank you for a lovely holiday which my friends and I enjoyed in Johannesburg.
It was our first time in Johannesburg. We enjoyed a lot of activities like touching cubs, feeding the giraffe, seeing different kinds of fossils, going on a horseride, seeing kinds of birds like the biggest owl, the vultures, the toucans, the Macaws and the parrot. The diffrent (sic) kinds of game also amazed us.
Thank you very much I Care and Round Table for your hospitality and good accommodation. Thank you a lot for a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Yours faithfully,
Qaphela Mkhwanazi."

It is obvious from this letter that the boys' visit to the Johannesburg Zoo made the biggest impression.

Umhlanga Rotary

Rotary Umhlanga visited Umuzi at the end of last month. Rotary International are sponsoring the rehabilitation programme for one year and the local Rotarians were keen to see how I Care works to help street children. The visitors were Barry Dobson, Nettie Howard, Clive Hull, Dave Prece and Rob Hay. They were all most impressed with the project, especially work done in the classroom and will return to Umuzi on Sunday, October 24 to present the boys with gifts and T-shirts.

Johannesburg

We are currently negotiating the purchase of the Scout Hall in Brixton, Johannesburg to serve as a 'drop-in' centre and regional office for I Care in Gauteng. This has been made possible by a generous donation from Australia and the merger of Thembulethu Ministries from Melville Union Church.

New volunteers

Over the last few days we have welcomed four new volunteers into our organisation. Three young ladies have joined us from the Netherlands through an organisation called Be More and the other is here on an internship through her university in Germany.

Christie, Marloes, Niesje and Lisa will be based at various centres within the I Care project, each choosing where they feel their expertise is best suited.

We look forward to having these girls assisting with the boys and helping staff members and thank them all for their interest in I Care.

Welcome, ladies, to the I Care family.

There is a difference!

We at I Care feel it important that the public are made aware of the difference between children who beg on the streets and actual street children. There are many beggers at street corners who have a home, a family and who attend school but, when school is out, at week-ends and during school holidays, go out onto the street, hands outstretched, begging for money.

Then there are the actual street children who, through no fault of their own, finr themselves without a home, no family and who don't attend school. These are street children that I Care can help by giving them food, clothing, shelter and a chance in life.

If you are confronted by these children please direct them to our Hope Centre in Stamford Hill Road, opposite the Post Office, in Greyville, Durban. I Care will then be able to help the genuine street chilren.

Lexis Nexis

We are very grateful to Lexis Nexis, the Business Research Solution people, for choosing I Care as their Social Responsibility project for the year. Their staff are committed to raising funds for us by holding an Awareness Walk for which they have been asked to obtain sponsorships for I Care boys. This walk is to take place on October 22 and will start from uShaka, move along the Durban beach front to Berea Rovers Club behind Kings Park Stadium.

Watch this space for pictures and news!

Mrs. D.C. Bain

Our week was saddened with the death, on Wednesday, 29 September, of Mrs. Bain, aged 91. Mrs. Bain was the devoted mother of our chairman, Denise Cochrane, son Peter and daughter, Lyn and adored grandmother to many grandchildren. She will be remembered with love. We know that she is now at peace with our Lord .

Mrs. Bain's Memorial Service is to be held at Immanuel Christian Church in Somerset Park, Umhlanga on Thursday, 7 October at 11 .00.