Zonnebloem College Estate
I’m learning the purpose of organizations on the campus of Zonnebloem College Estate where I volunteer in Cape Town. In addition to the Shine Centre and two primary schools, there’s a foster home, crèche, and buildings housing offices for religious, political, and spiritual organizations. In the morning I’m at The Shine Centre facility teaching reading and writing. Some afternoons, I also volunteer at Zonnebloem Cottage Foster Home.
First African School
Established in 1858 by the Anglican Church, Zonnebloem school was the first African School on South Africa’s Cape Peninsula. Then Governor of the Cape Colony – Sir George Grey – saw the school as a way to educate the sons of African chiefs and expose them to the world of the British. During his lifetime Sir Grey was a soldier, explorer, writer, Governor of South Australia, and both Governor and Premier of New Zealand.
Robert Gray
Robert Gray was the first Anglican Bishop of Cape Town. He supported the Zonnebloem School and hoped some of the African students would become missionaries. In addition to basic subjects, the school taught students potential trades, like carpentry, tailoring, bricklaying, and printing.
Fikelela AIDs Project
In May 2009, the Fikelela AIDs Project in partnership with Home from Home (see May 22 blog post) established the Zonnebloem Cottage Foster Home on the grounds of Zonnebloem Estate. Some of the organizations with offices near the orphanage include the South African Faith and Family Institute (SAFFI), the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), and the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative. The Interfaith Initiative includes members from the Islam, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sufi, Bahai, and African Traditional faiths. IJR’s mission is “cultivating the potential for reconciliation and socio-economic justice in Africa through partnerships and carefully constructed interventions”.
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“Fikelela means ‘reach out’ in Xhosa and is the HIV&AIDS outreach programme of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town.” http://www.fikelela.org.za
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The children at the foster home range in age from 5 to 13 years. At present there are 6 children living in the cottage:
• Omari – 13
• JJ – 11
• Marlin – 9
• Viola – 7
• Gurshwyn – 6
• Jackie – 5
Omari and JJ and Gurshwyn and Marlin are brothers. I spent a few hours with the children on Tuesday, helping them with their homework and organizing games we can play together when they get home from school. Of course I’ll be giving them lots of hugs, love, and attention – they’re all very sweet. Little Jackie attends a crèche (preschool), and the other children attend regular primary school on Zonnebloem College Estate premises.
Another volunteer, Rebecca, will be returning to her home in Germany soon. We’re planning a farewell party for her. She loves the children and is fantastic helping them with their homework and reading. They’ll miss her!
As I spend more time at the foster home, I’ll write about it in the blog. Emmie and Raymond Adams are the house-mother and father. They live in the foster home and care for the children.