A visit to the autism school

On Friday, Candice and I headed off to the Boland School for Autism to see how we may be of service. To be honest, I went in with an inflated ego. I have some good years of autism experience under my belt as an SLP in the USA and I am half way through my behavior analyst classes. Candice is an OT and just top notch in all things OT (in my humble opinion). Together, us, as a self-proclaimed dream team could go in and give many suggestions and drop off our supplies that many of you graciously donated. Piece of cake.

One of the teachers, Jaco, picked us up at our guesthouse and briefed us on the way. I had been to the school before in 2010 to paint it so I was a little familiar with the children and the school site. They rent a few rooms from a church so the school is housed within the church building. Now, we immediately loved Jaco. He has this bubbly personality and you know immediately that you'd never grow tired of working with him. You can also see how much he loves his job as he describes the school and the children.

Friday is a slow and easy day at the school so we arrived just as the children were finishing a baking project with another teacher, Joey. When the children finished baking and eating lunch, they went outside to play which gave us a chance to sit down and speak with Joey + Jaco and in turn begin to think through our suggestions.

These teachers are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I was humbled by the sheer emotion that exudes as they describe each child. I was almost devoured by love, if you could imagine it being so tangible. They love their jobs. The children love them. You can see it. You can feel it.

[insert repetitive sounds of glass shattering as my ego fell into a million pieces]

As I listened and watched their interactions with each other and the children, I wanted to shrink down in my seat with feelings of inadequacy. I was humbled.

I hope that we will be able to help them with some practical suggestions. Many of the suggestions could require manpower that they just do not have right now. We will go back next week to meet with the school psychologist and debrief a bit. 

Here's the other bit of it. Much of what I saw that was needed does not require some fancy degree or extra letters behind your name or even a trip out here to do something. It just requires donations. 

I have looked up their website in the past year several times and have seen "fundraisers." We were also invited to one next week for the children's concert. I thought to myself, "this is a lot of fundraisers." Now, if you are accustomed to doing fundraisers, you know they are not fun. They are stressful and they take time away from your life when they are due. Imagine doing them OFTEN because your school depends on it? Then, when you think about the reality of it, imagine doing them because your salary depends on it?!?! For me, I need security of knowing that my paycheck is coming. I need to know that I have supplies to use to do the best I can with my job. I have the luxury of depending on parents to purchase most needed or dire supplies. Not here. The school is not yet government funded so they rely on donations to pay teachers and provide what is needed for the school. The children are able to come there at a lower rate than other places. Many cannot afford private schools and even government schools have years-long waiting lists. 

I just looked at all the lovely little faces in the school and imagined them not having anywhere to go. Tuition is R600 per month which to us at the moment is ~$70. Many families barely have that and they surely do not have more than that to go elsewhere. 

The school needs our help!

For those that donated supplies, the teachers were very grateful. Please know that just an item or two here and there brought so much appreciation.  When was the last time YOU were stoked over glue??! 

We are hoping to do more while we are here. If we get any additional financial donations while we are here, then we are going to buy some supplies. We noticed that there are a few rooms that have yet to have blinds placed. This area can get HOT in the summer so I know the children must barely be able to stand being in the class with no air conditioning, the heat, and the sun in their eyes (remember that some children with autism have certain sensitivities anyway). We would love to make sure that blinds are purchased to cover those windows. 

Thank you for what you have done so far for this school and please let me know if you have any additional questions or would like to assist. THIS is a great place to put your bucks.

Here are some pictures from the day:

 a couple of the windows that need blinds

 the "orange room" [1 of 2 classrooms]

 the "blue room" [below]

 a volunteer comes in during the week, bringing her own supplies, and makes crafts with the kids

This small area is where they do their baking -- all of the children were squeezed in to participate

 Joey, Candice, Danielle, Jaco

 computer room [I do not think this room is up and working yet]

 things we don't always think of : we donate large items like printers which is GREAT but then we forget that it costs $$ to purchase cartridges...

 again, large items that still require supplies such as dry erase markers (which we brought) and the sheets

If you wanna help, donate to my gofundme account here.

For more information on the school, you can visit the website.

Grateful,
Danielle

Off to South Africa AGAIN! How can you help, you ask?

So, to answer so many of your yearly question: “Will you be going back to South Africa this year?” 

YES!

I’m so excited to be returning to the small town of Paarl that stole my heart back in 2007. This year will be much different than previous years for a variety of reasons. For one, this will be the first time, I will serve an ALL SOUTH AFRICAN team! All of the American missionaries have now returned home, which was the original plan and major contributing reason of why I fell in love with this organization. I’ll really miss seeing their faces but I know a new adventure and friendships wait. I’m excited to see all of the familiar faces that cross my mind on a daily basis.

I’ll be in the area for two weeks. I’m unsure of what service projects in which I’ll be involved. I’m planning to visit Boland, the autism school that we brought supplies for and painted in 2010. To see pictures from that day, click here. Per the director, it is continuing to grow and thrive, but the needs continue. Although in true Africa-style, it could change---but I plan to do some training of staff on various topics including communication, behavior management, and PECS.I am so unbelievably beyond excited for this opportunity.

A friend will be joining me for a week of the journey and will serve alongside me. I’m excited to share my “home” with her.

The other question you usually ask: How can you help?

Well, there are a few specific ways:

Pray for me/us. Message me for specifics.

Donate financially. Many of the requested supplies will be bought “over there” due to their currently known needs this year. We also want to bless them and give them a financial donate to meet ongoing needs. The recipient organizations are: Bowy House (a home for children affected by HIV/AIDS), Miqlat (the organization that I serve yearly—this money will be used in the areas that have the most needs in that community), and Boland Autism School. Please click on the names of the organizations for more information.

My budget for the trip is: $3000. Ouch.  It isn’t that much in the grand scheme but it is in the midst of paying off debt (remember, the debt payoff goal of December 2013?). I know I need to be there this year so $3000 cannot be an obstacle--an easy goal if 300 people skipped ~2 lattes per week, if 120 people gave $25, etc. When I think of it that way, it is too doable to forgo, especially when I recall the needs that can be met.

Donate any needed supplies – if I get a list of items that can be brought to them. As of now, there are no specifics for the children’s home but I am trying to solicit needs and draft one.  For those of you with children who have used PECS as a mode of communication, I am taking used PECS books. If you no longer need yours or know a group of parents (autism list or support group?) who may be able to help, please let me know. I created a flyer that can be circulated.

Thank you for all of your words of encouragement and support this year and in years past. Your support to make these trips happen has undoubtedly made me a bigger person, a better person, and has shaped me in more ways than I can ever convey.

Sincerely,

Danielle

My niche in South Africa

On Friday August 13, we took part in a project that is very close to my heart. I learned about Boland School for Autism when I returned from South Africa in November 2009. I always joked that if an Autism school opened, I’d be back immediately…for good. The school needed some assistance and reached out to Monte Christo as I was already asking if there was something we could do for them while I was there so a divine appointment was soon made and they wound up on our agenda.

From the US side, I collected so many donations through parents at work. Every year, the parents from my work, Cornerstone Therapies, are generous enough to bring anything I’m taking that year for donation. This year was the same as always, with many parents soliciting information about donations, before I even posted the needs. It has become a “yearly” project for many—including parents who no longer come to Cornerstone. Plus, this year it was close to their hearts as well. The majority of my clients fall somewhere on the Autism Spectrum Disorder and in CA we are lucky enough to have therapy services funded through Regional Center at no charge to the parents. This year, parents brought school and art supplies for Boland including paint, crayons, construction paper, scissors, play-do, and wind-up toys (+ a lot of other things).

Boland School is new so government funding does not yet exist. The school, including the teacher’s salary, runs on donations. They now meet in rooms in a church in Paarl. I met the teacher, Alicia, a few days before the team went to the school. The greatest need was for the 2 classrooms to be painted so we met at a local paint store to pick out the colors together.

When we drove up to the school, I was filled with excitement. This was my “niche.” Three of the four enrolled children were on site (one was out sick) and greeted us at the gate. One of the boys, the “social butterfly and ham,” took me to the first room. My eyes immediately filled with tears at the size and look of the rooms. We had our work cut out for us! Two of the church’s rooms are used as classrooms– the “blue” class and the “orange” class which were a drab neutral shade with run down wood furniture in the rooms serving as dividers which divided each class into 2 sections. Each section was for a different purpose—work, exercise, eating, etc.

The team quickly began working on the blue room. I recalled how Alicia really wanted some bulletin boards for teaching and posting visual schedules so a couple of us headed to a local office store in search of those. We found the perfect boards in differing sizes, and the store gave us a discount on them. When we returned, the blue room was finished and we began the orange room. We finished about 5pm and headed out tired but satisfied.

We were lucky enough to have Luba serving with us on this day. Many of you know Luba from previous trips. For those who don’t, Luba is a former MCM staff member that I initially met in 2007 and look forward to catching up with every year I’m back. He has an amazing heart and unbelievable insights to share.

On a final note: The school has a website with a wish list of items, including those we took with us. They also need funding for another teacher. Please visit: http://www.bolandautism.org.za/wishlist for more information on how you may be able to help.

Here are some pictures from the day: (sorry, the pix got all out of order during the upload)


lunch break -- we tried McDonald's -- its the same grease all the way over there!


painting the orange room


painting the blue room


the orange room BEFORE


the blue room BEFORE



orange class AFTER


blue class AFTER



some of the donations from the parents at Cornerstone




We replaced the worn out backpack hooks with this cute ones


Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in Afrikaans. I teach this system to some of my kids at work!


Luba