Progress Report - 16.06.2008
Progress Report - 15.03.2008
Progress Report - 26.06.2006
Progress Report - 20.09.2005
Progress Report - 09.02.2005
Progress Report - 16.06.2008
I visited the village with Megan Caminsky representing a large prospective donor The Victor Daitz Trust. They appeared to be very favourably disposed to Rehoboth and appear likely to fund at least a couple of new houses when land is purchased for a new village.
Village Completion
The village is now essentially complete. It is housing a full complement of 44 kids and 11 foster-mothers in 11 houses. Other infrastructure recently completed was a Clinic, Sports Field and Guest Accommodation - this is a potential revenue-raiser as it can accommodate groups of 10 and more.
Future Plans
The successful completion of the village has attracted growing sponsorship from various organizations and greater government assistance. In addition the blueprint has now been established for a far easier rollout of further villages than was the case with the first. The Trust is now committed to constructing further villages and is close to securing land near Pennington - about 100 kilometres from Port Shepstone. It is also intending to construct a “halfway-house”. This will accommodate kids when they reach the age of 16 and leave the village. It is now likely that the kids will live substantially longer than originally envisaged because of the advent of anti-retroviral drugs.
Visit of Alfons and family to Sydney and associated function
We are very excited that Alfons and Yvonne, the managers of the Rehoboth village, will in August be visiting Sydney with their 2 children. We will be holding a function on Tuesday 19 August at the Cammeray Golf Club in their honour so please leave this date open.
Geoff Mymin
Progress Report - 15.03.2008
The health of the kids is remarkable given their medical condition. This is clearly due to the quality of the care they are receiving, both emotional and medical, and the family environment in which they grow up. The two who were the first arrivals , Lebo and Londiwe, are now around 9 years old. They have come through a variety of illnesses but are happy , well-adjusted kids. Others have tragically passed away, generally because they were critically ill on arrival.
Houses and Kids
Two further houses have been completed and another is underway. This will leave 2 more to achieve the intended final number of 11. At present a full compliment of 32 kids are being accommodated in the 8 available houses.
Clinic
The clinic has now been completed. This has resulted in a significant reduction in waiting time at the Murchison Hospital. Yvonne’s nursing skills are now being well utilised.
Swimming Pool
A donation was received to build a swimming pool. A further donation funded a solar heater enabling swimming to occur year-round.
Sports Field
A Sydney donor, David Paradise, and his family have funded the construction of a sports field. The land has been flattened in preparation.
Geoff Mymin
Progress Report - 26.06.2006
Please read the comprehensive report on Rehoboth by one of our principle donors – Jonathon Trollip. Jonathon was visiting the village for the first time with two of his children, and his report provides a vivid picture of the deep emotions felt by him on finally viewing the product of his enormous energy and enthusiasm.
I visited Rehoboth with Lynne Perl at the end of April. Developments post Jonathon’s report are as follows:
Kids
There is currently a full complement of 24 children in the existing 6 houses.
Houses
An area has been pegged for the building of another 4 houses. Construction is to start shortly.
Purchase of vehicle
A substantial donation was received by Rehoboth for the purchase of a Toyota van to be used principally for transporting the kids to school. A portion of this donation came from Boomerang post the Yesterday premiere, but the bulk came from donors organized by the Trollip family. We congratulate them on another excellent fundraising effort.
Purchase of adjoining land
The intended purchase of the neighbouring property alluded to in the report unfortunately fell through during negotiations.
Consruction of clinic
The clinic is almost complete. This will be a major time-saver for Yvonne (a qualified nurse) as the large queues at Murchison Hospital will be avoided.
Foster parent day
An information day for prospective foster parents was held on the day of our visit. About 20 prospective applicants were there. It was most impressive. The quality of foster-parents is probably the key to the success of Rehoboth, and is particularly critical now as we expect a further 16 kids to move in during the next 12 -18 months as the houses are completed.
Geoff Mymin
Progress Report - 20.09.2005
I visited Rehoboth on 28 July 2005 and was fortunate to be invited to open 3 new houses on behalf of Boomerang and and donors Jonathon and Liz Trollip. This proved to be a very moving ceremony watched by about 25 people including members of the Rehoboth Board, the Social Welfare Department, Coca-Cola (part-sponsors of one house) and other local identities.
Rehoboth has continued to progress well since our last report.
Houses
There are now 6 houses offering capacity for 24 kids. Currently Rehoboth has “shelter” status and as such can only house 20 kids. It it is however close to satisfying the requirements to be a “Childrens Home” which will enable it to move towards its final goal of accommodation for 48.The grant from the Social Welfare Department will increase markedly when this occurs.
Kids
Eight kids have arrived in recent months. They have come in varying state’s of ill-health, all with tragic familial circumstances (for more information on these kids please go to the Rehoboth Website ). Sadly 2 have died in recent weeks leaving 18 kids now in residence.
Anti-Retrovirals
Seven of the kids are on these drugs. The difference in their states of health since initiation is remarkable. Owing to strict adherence and monitoring there have been no visible side-effects. This is different to the general community because of poor adherence to the drugs and the relatively complex method of administering them.
Future Income Streams
250 macadamia trees have been planted Although the gestation period is a long 6 years, these high-value crops will then provide significant income. Of more immediate relevance is the successful operation of a tipper truck which is likely to have a payback of just over a year. Indeed such is its success that sponsorship is being sought for a second truck.
Foster Parents
The quality of the foster parents is very high. This is probably the most critical and vital element in Rehoboth’s success. Each house functions as a mini family with kids of varying ages. When the parent goes on leave (5 days a month) the replacement carer is usually the same person so as to provide security and familiarity for the kids. Thankfully all the Foster-Parents have agreed to take tests and are HIV-negative.
Mentoring
A system is being instituted whereby families in the community will take in kids on occasional weekends. This will provide an important education for life outside the Rehoboth community.
Forthcoming Function
We have been fortunate to be offered the premiere of the movie ‘Yesterday” on October 18 at Parliament House. An invitation can be viewed elsewhere on the website.
Geoff Mymin
Progress Report - 09.02.2005
I visited Rehoboth on the 28th December 2004. Satisfactory progress continues. The health and development of the kids is very pleasing as are the plans for maintainable income to fund operating expenditure. A summary of these and other points arising from my visit follows.
Kids
There are currently 13 kids ranging from 2 to 9 years old. Three are at school at the nearby village of Murchison. Currently there is no vacant space but 7 more kids are expected in March/April once the 2 new houses are complete. The health of the children varies according to their condition on arrival. It is clear that those who have been there the longest tend to be healthier, both physically and emotionally.
Five of the kids are on anti-retroviral drugs (ARV’s).These are administered orally twice daily by Yvonne – a qualified nurse. As yet no side-effects have occurred. The Rehoboth were the first in the region to receive ARV’s, and are clearly at an advantage to the broader community, who will struggle to administer the drugs correctly and timeously.
Change from Foster Home to Children’s Home
The paperwork is currently being done. It will be very beneficial as the grant per kid rises from R500 to R1200 per month. Permission has been granted for 20 kids - a further application will be required once there are more kids. This will also prevent Foster Parents leaving with a kid (improbable but legal at present).
Future Income Streams
High value crops are being considered such as macadamias and various fruits. Importantly, sponsorship is being sought to fund the acquisition of a forklift machine (about R400,000) – an operator has been found and indications are that the payback will be less than 2 years.
“Jabulani” sponsorships of individual kids are growing abroad and it is hoped that a similar scheme will occur in Australia if a charitable trust can be established.
Expansion
Two further houses are scheduled to be completed by the April making a total of five. Although funding has been obtained for a further 5 houses, it was decided to build these gradually as and when operating expenditure is adequately funded and further grants from government secured.
The strategy remains to have 10 houses , the existing unit for volunteers and a hospice. However the arrival of ARV’s has reduced the need for a hospice and may be used to house kids, giving a final capacity of 52 kids.
Staff
A new couple –the Smiths- will be joining Alfons and Yvonne in a paid capacity shortly. Their cost will be shared with the nearby Margate Place of Safety. One of the couple is a clinical psychologist cum social worker. She will help in dealing with the overloaded government social welfare department, and will be invaluable in promoting the kids emotional development. Clearly this couple will be more important to Rehoboth as the village expands.
Foster Parents
Of the 4 current foster parents , only 2 have agreed to take Aids tests (both HIV Negative). This is of concern as the implication is that the other 2 are both HIV Positive , which has serious implications for the kids under their care. These people are putting their lives at risk given the availability of ARV’s.
Geoff Mymin
Progress Report - 20.10.2004
It has been an active 12 months for Boomerang. The premiere of the film “Amandla” late in 2003 was hosted, attended by the director Lee Hirsch who flew from New York especially for the occasion. A full house enjoyed the superb movie and after-party at the Chauvel cinema in Paddington and around $20,000 was raised from the occasion.
A successful exhibition entitled “Metropolis” was conducted by artist Lionel Wishart in Marrickville. He generously donated the proceeds to Boomerang.
A South African author and political activist, Margaret Brink, held a book-launch at Glebe books. She similarly donated the entire proceeds to Boomerang.
Finally the Trollip Family continued to be active fundraisers. The proceeds of presents from an 80th birthday in London, a sponsored walk in Central Park, New York, and a barmitzvah also in New York, all raised substantial funds for Rehoboth.
Visits to Rehoboth
Ken Davis and Geoff Mymin have visited the Rehoboth village during the past 12 months. These visits play a key role in Boomerang’s close monitoring of the expenditure of donated funds.
Forthcoming Functions
We are intending to hold a function in March, probably at Parliament House. Date and nature of the event will be firmed up shortly.
Rehoboth News
Rehoboth maintain a website, and news on the project can easily be obtained by visiting www.rehoboth.org.za.
Building Progress
Three houses have now been completed as have a guest unit for volunteers; a crèche which is used by both Rehoboth and neighbouring kids; upgrading of the electrical grid: and overall infrastructure.
A major coup was an offer from the local government to fund a further 6 houses. The construction of two of these is currently underway.
Children
There are currently twelve children in the three houses and three foster parents. Ultimately the goal is to have twelve houses with four kids and one foster parent in each house.
Nelly and Elisha HIV Negative
Two of the Rehoboth children, Nelly and Elisha, both recently tested HIV negative. Although both born from an HIV positive mother, neither became HIV infected. This necessitated the difficult process of removing them from the village and finding a secure home for them elsewhere so that Rehoboth could continue its role in providing refuge for HIV infected children.
Arrival of Nhlakanipho and Thabane
Both arrived in July 2004. Nhlakanipho’s mother died of Aids in May this year. Thabane was on the terminal care list at the hospice, and before that he had been neglected by his extended family and almost died several times. He had lost most of his eyesight and was very unstable because of meningitis. Since arriving at Rehoboth he has started walking, talking and attending the crèche. His health remains very weak but it is hoped that he will soon receive ARV treatment.
Rollout of ARV Drugs
The rollout of ARV (antiretroviral) drugs from nearby Murchison Hospital has already started. Although there are 45,000 HIV positive patients in the area of the hospital alone, the children of Rehoboth are fortunate that they will be granted first priority as Rehoboth has the experience and a good monitoring system in place, which are critical factors for the ARV programme to be successful.
ARV drugs have already been used to treat infected Foster mothers at Rehoboth. Tragically one died recently, which was heartbreaking for the kids because of the close bond which had developed.
Jabulani Sponsorships
Rehoboth has set up a child sponsorship program through the UK, and sponsors can get more involved in the lives of a specific child. Details are on the Rehoboth website.
Birthday Donations to Boomerang
Donors have used special occasions such as birthday parties to donate to Boomerang. Anyone interested in donating in this way (possibly in lieu of presents) should please contact Geoff Mymin on 02-93888151.
Geoff Mymin
Progress Report - 20.4.2004
I visited Rehoboth in December, 2003, My 3rd visit to the village.
There has been excellent progress during the past year. The major developments are outlined below.
Infrastructure
Three units have now been completed. Each house is intended to house 4 kids and a foster-parent. The cost of each house has been reduced from R160,000 to R120,000 as a porch, which was in the first house, has been dispensed with.
The building of a crèche has recently finished. Aside from providing facilities for the Rehoboth kids, the crèche is also to be used by kids from surrounding areas who have been neglected by their parents.
A guest unit has been renovated. This is for the use of volunteers. There are 3 volunteers currently with Rehoboth: one from the UK is there for 6 months to help develop the crèche; 2 others are nurses from Holland who are helping out with medical and supervisory responsibilities.
Servants quarters, currently unused, are to be rebuilt and used as residential accommodation. The goal is to raise revenue.
The electricity grid has been upgraded and the entire village now has an electrified security fence.
The South African Government views Rehoboth as a reference sight for future developments. It has agreed to finance a further 7 units, This will essentially complete Rehoboth’s accommodation requirements. It is hoped that these will be completed within the next 12-18 months. An area has been levelled and building is expected to start within weeks.
Children
Rehoboth is at full capacity with 12 kids currently in residence. Some are at a school nearby and others are babies. Their states of health vary greatly but it is clear that the environment has had a very positive effect on their general well-being.
It is worth quoting from the Rehoboth website to enlarge upon the health difficulties faced by these kids:
“On the 9th of January 2004 Rehoboth received a small premature baby girl named Sisipho. She was 2 ½ moths old and weighed 2.4kg.Her mother died 2 weeks after giving birth to her as she was in the final stages of Aids; she was only 20 years old.
“ Joshua had us in suspense at the beginning of January as he suddenly got very ill and had to be hospitalised for a week with severe pneumonia in both lungs.”
“Nangomso has good and bad days, this is a symptom of HIV, and suggests that he might be entering the final stage when he will develop full-blown Aids and open to any infection that will bring his all too short life to a close.”
Free Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARVD’S)
The roll-out of ARVD’s from the Government has progressed strongly in the Western Cape and Gauteng -less so in Kwazulu-Natal where Rehoboth is situated. In addition it is not yet certain to what extent these drugs will be made available to infants as its side-effects are not yet clear. The current indication is kids with a CD 4 (white blood cell) count under 300 will receive the drug. Around 500 is normal while below 100 is generally terminal.
The rollout of ARVD’S is of more immediate relevance to Rehoboth’s staff. Already one of the foster-mother’s has been diagnosed with Aids and domestic worker has died of the disease. It is inevitable that Rehoboth will be confronted with increasing instances of Aids infections-there is a pervasive fear of confronting the disease because the fear of knowing is far greater than the thought of treatment.
Funding from the Government
Aside from their assistance with housing the Government has committed to outlay R500 per child per month. It appears that finally the large funds accumulated to fight aids are being disbursed, not least due to the pressure being exerted by Nelson Mandela and others. The worldwide publicity gained from the “46664” concert in Cape Town is a good illustration.
Boomerang’s Contribution
Boomerang has now held 3 functions, the most recent being the highly successful premiere of the film “Amandla”. In total R801,000 (about A$170,000) has been transferred to Rehoboth and a further sum of A$30,000 is on balance to be transferred when required. The money has been spent on house construction, renovation of the crèche and guest units, and the upgrading of the electricity grid.
Included in the above is A$80,000 which has been raised by Jon and Liz Trollip from family and friends. We extend heartfelt thanks and congratulations to Jon and Liz for this gargantuan fundraising effort. Indeed we would like to thank all our donors for their magnificent support in 2003.
Future Functions
Rehoboth should be growing exponentially this year and the goal of a village housing 50 HIV-infected orphans is in sight. Demand from Rehoboth for funds will be high during this period, and Boomerang intends to hold a function in the 2nd half of the year to assist. We will again look to support from our regular contributors.
Geoff Mymin
Progress Report - 26.9.2003
Dear Boomerang Project Supporter,
The Boomerang Project and the organization which it currently supports, Rehoboth have achieved a number of important milestones since our last Progress Report on the 19th August 2002.
Fundraising
On April 10 2003 a fundraiser was held at the Seymour Theatre in Sydney featuring the famous satirist and aids-activist from South Africa, Pieter-Dirk Uys.Around 550 people attended and the evening ended up raising $58,000 for Rehoboth.
A couple,Liz and Jon Trollip,who attended the function, were inspired by what they heard and undertook to raise funds from their family and friends. They committed to raise sufficient funds to build and furnish 2 units for Rehoboth at a cost of $35000 each. To date they have funded one unit already-a remarkable achievement.
Forthcoming Functions
On October 30 the gala premiere of the film “Amandla” will be hosted at the Chauvel Cinema in Sydney. On November 14 well-known local artist Lionel Wishart will be holding an exhibition in Sydney. All the proceeds will go to Boomerang.
Rehoboth
Rehoboth is building a foster village for HIV-Positive orphans in Murchison in South Africa’s Kwazulu-Natal province. This is a grass roots project with a vision of housing 40-50 kids in 10 houses together with a foster-parent in each house.
Rehoboth has grown exponentially since Boomerang first became involved in November 2001.Initially there were 2 kids living with the with the Director and his wife in their house.A further 2 units and a staff unit have since been built and a 3rd is almost complete.This has enabled the Directors-Alfons and Yvonne van Galien- to take on a further 6 kids and 2 foster mothers(see picture gallery).There have also been substantial enhancement of facilities on the property with the current project being the establishment of a crèche. Several local farmers have expressed an interest in sending their kids to the crèche, providing an extra source of revenue for Rehoboth.
Importantly, the project has now gained the approval of the Social Welfare Department. Previous problems in admitting new kids(despite the massive shortage of facilities for aids orphans) have now been overcome. Funds are finally being released by Government and the Social Welfare Department has committed to provide a monthly grant of R490 per child. This annual grant should provide the ongoing recurrent funding required to ensure the Project’s long term sustainability.
Visits to Rehoboth
Members of Boomerang have made 3 visits to Rehoboth since our last report. Geoff Mymin is due to go again in November 2003.This ensures that the highest level of accountability is maintained. Note that 97.5% of each dollar donated goes directly to Rehoboth.
We look forward to welcoming you to “Amandla” on October 30.
Kind regards,
Geoff Mymin
(on behalf of the committee of the Boomerang Project).
Progress Report - 19.8.2002
Dear Boomerang Project supporter
This letter is addressed to all those who came to our "Aids for Africa" evening in November last year, and to those who were unable to be there but made a donation instead.We raised over $50,000 on that memorable night The purpose of this letter is to report back on how those funds are being used.
As you may remember,the funds were being donated to an organization known as "Rehoboth",whose goal is to build a village for aids orphans on a smallholding near Port Shepstone in Natal,South Africa.This is the area worst affected by the aids pandemic which is sweeping the country.
I visited the property recently.As can be seen from the attached pictures,it is situated in very beautiful countryside,complete with dam,borehole,walking paths and forest.Up to this point,funding received elsewhere(predominantly from the Dutch and British governments)has been directed towards establishing the infrastructure for the project and renovating and enlarging the existing property.The funds raised from Boomerang are providing for the establishment of a house which will be the first of approximately 8 to be built.It is close to completion.Ultimately we expect about 50 kids to be housed on the property together with a number of house parents.
The of these is pictured with the 2 children on the property-Lebo and Londiwe.When these children were fostered from the nearby Murchison Hospital there chances of surviving longer than a year,statistically,were minimal.Now,as indicated by the pictures,they are making excellent progress.This has been achieved by the love and support of the initiators of the project-Johan and Nell-and the house-parents,together with the appropriate medication.While their condition is fragile and life-span indeterminate,it is indisputable that their lives have been immeasurably enhanced by moving to the Rehoboth house.They are intended to be the model for the kids to follow.
I met a member of the board of Rehoboth who is a senior physician at the Murchison Hospital.He confirmed that the change in the kids since moving to the Rehoboth site was immense.If this is an example of what can be achieved in the future,I came away very encouraged by the integrity of the project and the personnel involved. The intimidating nature of the aids problem in this region was underlined by Dr. Norman SwanÕs presntation on our fundraising evening.My visit to the area and the Murchison Hospital in particular-where 90% of the patients have aids related diseases-confirmed to me the great need for a project such as is provided by Rehoboth.Longer term the weakening in the stance of the South African government towards the provision of retroviral medication provides some grounds for encouragement.
We intend to visit our project at least twice a year to satisfy ourselves that our funds are being used optimally.A report will be provided annually. We expect to hold another function early in 2003 and look forward to your continuing support.To avoid the cost of a further mailout would you mind returning your email address to geoffo@bigpond.net.au.
Best regards,
Geoff Mymin
(on behalf of Di Singer,Ken Davis and the remainder of the committee of the Boomerang Project).
