CHEEZA’S STORY A LONE CRY FOR HELP.
Sick and Forgotten by family and friends. Cheeza was the first one I met when I arrived at the Home. A lovely six-year-old but very tiny and very thin. It was love at first sight for both of us. He was joyful and happy but very sick!Cheeza Thamsanqa Sixaba was born on the 6th of April 2000. His mother died of Aids when he was small. No one in his family had the means or the heart to care for him. He was in and out of hospital for most of his life.
Everybody loved him – the caregivers, the other children, the men from Round Table and us from Family Restoration Services.
Cheeza was treated at the local clinic for TB. I became very concerned as his condition deteriorated. He was tired, would not eat and slept on my lap when I visited. After three days and a lot of red tape Cheeza was admitted to the Dora Nginza hospital. He stayed there for ten days and the nurses adored him. I cried when I visited him. He waited for us to come, myself and Sophie, Pierre and Duncan from Round Table. The mothers of all the other children were staying for hours with their little ones while Cheeza was lying alone in the corner. He smiled when we arrived. He enjoyed the chocolates and bananas.
Cheeza’s condition improved and he was discharged on the 7th of July 2006. His caregivers received intensive training for the application of anti-retroviral medicines and Cheeza started with the medication at the beginning of August. In spite of all the treatment and care Cheeza died on 28 August 2006.
The last weeks he had to sleep on a mattress on the floor in a transit house that was very cold.
He will be remembered by his cheerfulness and perseverance. He never complained.
Cheeza was a lovely boy and I wanted to see him running, playing and riding a bicycle, but he died before he could really live.While Cheeza’s life was short and full of hardship, we hope that his memory can live on and help to improve the lives of other children in a similar situation. The Thamsanqa Homes project, described overleaf, is named after Cheeza and aims to provide care and nurturing for children like Cheeza.
We desperately need your support to make a difference in these children’s lives.
A project of Family Restoration Services
A project where broken, neglected, abused and orphaned children are loved, cared for, nurtured and protected. A place where children laugh, play and have fun!
Four foster care homes, called the Thamsanqa homes, are being developed by Family Restoration Services in Motherwell, Port Elizabeth. The plan is to add more homes and more children as soon as these four homes are functioning satisfactorily.
At the moment 12 children are living in a small 2-bedroomed house that the Salvation Army kindly made available when the children were put out of a house that a community member made available to them. Accommodating these 12 children in two foster homes is our main aim. We want them to be safe, secure, nurtured and loved. The foster mothers will be screened and trained. They will be enabled to nurture, care and protect the children
The children will be accommodated in adequately furnished three bed-roomed homes situated near schools, clinics, and churches.
Simultaneously the other two houses will be bought, furbished and children placed in them. Children are waiting to be placed. In these 4 houses 24 children will be placed and cared for.
There is a big need for many more similar homes in Port Elizabeth and surrounding areas. For this project to grow and develop financial support is needed.
Our goal is to provide orphaned, abandoned, neglected and HIV/AIDS affected and infected children with homes filled with love and laughter. We want to take it further and support these children until they are ready to enter the open labour market being well qualified.
The project currently receives a great deal of support from Round Table No. 8, Port Elizabeth and recently staff from Edcon (Edgars and Jet Stores) has joined us and decided to support the project for a year - giving to the children.
Bank details:
Account Name: Family Restoration Services Type: Cheque.
Bank: ABSA
Account No: 406 202 3098 Branch: 632005 (Newton Park)