Bizweni Centre for Children with Disabilities

Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming the ladies from the Probus Club for a tour of the Centre. They even got a special treat—a sneak peek at the children's first concert rehearsal! At the end of their visit, they surprised us with a generous donation. Thank you, ladies, for your visit and kindness. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Class 5 had loads of fun when they hosted their 'Teddy Bear Clinic'.

We are calling today 'Thankful Thursday'.
We would like to thank the Gordon's Bay Yacht Club and everyone who participated in 'Shane's Gaul Regatta' last Sunday. The Yacht Club kindly chose the Centre as the race beneficiary and donated an amazing R5000!
Romana and Shane are great friends of Bizweni Centre, so it was extra special to be invited to this event which was in Shane's name.
Thank you Gordon's Bay Yacht Club for the generous donation and for allowing us to share the magic of the Centre with you.
Romana Kellnerova

This Women's Day, we celebrate and honour the tireless work of moms, carers, NGOs, and every woman who supports people with disabilities. We acknowledge and appreciate your courage, as well as the daily love and compassion you give.
Happy Women's Day.

We had such a lovely morning thanks to Hirsch's. Shadhna, Mariska and Shane breathed life into the Centre when they arrived with a coffee machine and inverter and treated our staff to delicious cappuccinos. Their compact inverter saved the day by powering the coffee machine until every staff member had enjoyed their free coffee. What a wonderful way to make our staff feel special! Thank you Hirsch's. You made our day. 🥰

This morning we were given the incredible opportunity to speak on Helderberg FM 93.6! During our time there, we spoke with presenter Marilize du Plessis about the programmes and services we provide, and promoted our upcoming High Tea.

It’s not too late to book your ticket! You don’t want to miss the runway show featuring designs by Lilly Lacock, Dasha van Niekerk and Caylin Halford and a presentation by Janine Wilson from My Style Addict, an internationally certified image consultant and corporate stylist.

Tickets are only R180 each, which includes lovely sweet and savoury treats, juice, tea and coffee. Book on Whats App 073 499 3004 or [email protected]

We are extremely grateful for this opportunity to reach a broader audience and raise awareness about the work we do. Tune in to Helderberg FM every Tuesday at 11.10am to learn more about what we do, hear inspiring stories, and find out how you can make a difference in the lives of our children.

We look forward to sharing more of our journey with you on the airwaves!
6

August is here! It's not too late to book your ticket to our High Tea. Treat yourself and bring a friend...it is Women's Month after all. ☺

Thank you Alexander Forbes for the lovely donation of winter warmers and shoes. Our children who wear ankle-foot orthoses always need comfortable shoes, so we will definitely put those to good use. We appreciate your kindness.

On Monday Class 4 took a trip out to Canettevallei lavender farm. It was a big hit with the children! They discovered plants used for soap oils, immersed themselves in delightful fragrances, picked lavender, enjoyed a picnic, and played with the friendly dogs there. A big thank you to Ingrid de Waal for accommodating us. The children were bubbling with excitement and had such a wonderful day.

Canettevallei Lavender

Celebrate Women's month with us. Grab a ticket to our High Tea on the 17th of August, dress to impress, enjoy the runway show and learn more about what we do at the Centre. It's going to be fun!
Tickets R180 each, book on 073 4993004 or [email protected]
See you there!

Today we had a special visit from the Helderberg Rotary and Rotary-E Clubs. For Mandela Day, they made up treat packs for our children and spent time in each class participating in activities. We had a great time! Thank you all for the goodies and for spending quality time with us. It was a memorable Mandela Day for sure.

If you want to make a difference this Mandela Day, 18th July, here are a couple of ways you can help our children. Donations of warm clothing, gloves, scarves, beanies, towels, toiletries, underwear & nappies (ages 2-18) are always appreciated. You could make a once off donation, or sign up to our Support a Child programme for R300 a month and receive updates on a child at the Centre.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. WhatsApp 0734993004.
Thank you for thinking of our children🥰

Thank You Sue Swart for making this colourful rainbow of bean bags. We appreciate you thinking about our children and for sewing these with love. You made our day.🥰

Here's something to look forward to! Help us celebrate Women's Month by coming to our High Tea. This year the theme is Fashion. There will be a runway show featuring designs by Lilly Lacock and other talented local designers. We would love to see you there.
Book tickets, R180 each, by WhatsApp 073 499 3004 or email [email protected].

Last week, Vicky our Centre Manager had the privilege of attending the Masana wa Afrika's celebration launch. Masana wa Afrika supports 113 community-based organisations in 13 countries dedicated to improving the lives of children in Africa.
We are extremely grateful to be chosen as one of their grantees. The ongoing funding and support we’ve received from Masana wa Afrika has played a big role in the growth of our Centre. We have been able to build on our programmes and services, increase therapeutic interventions for the children and strengthen our support for the families and caregivers.
Thank you Masana wa Afrika. You truly are bringing the warmth of the sun to African children.
Masana wa Afrika

Meet Masana wa Afrika! A new Dose of Hope for African Children A new non-profit is bringing hope to African children and their families across challenges they face! Meet Masana wa Afrika:

Congratulations to our champion Garric Townsend for running the Comrades Marathon yesterday. Garric has raised almost R10,000 to support our children. HOW AMAZING!! Thank you Garric for being such a superstar. We appreciate you!

This friendly face belongs to Garric Townsend. Garric is our latest champion, challenging himself and raising funds for our children. On the 9th of June, he will run the Comrades Marathon - he's calling this year his 'comeback' because he last ran this race 20 years ago!
Show your support for Garric and our children by clicking below:
https://www.givengain.com/project/garric-raising-funds-for-bizweni-centre-for-children-with-disabilities-78762
Go Garric! We are all behind you!
Helena Garric

We love our friendship with Haven Art Cafe. When our Teaching Garden grows an abundance of peppermint or spinach, Class 4 harvests the plants and gifts them to the cafe.
If you pop in there you will see some of our teenager's candles and soaps proudly displayed on the counter. The money from these items will go back to buying more ingredients to keep this programme going. How exciting!
p.s Haven's coffee is delicious.

Thank you Helderberg Rotary Anns and Beaumont Primary School for choosing the Bizweni Centre as a beneficiary of your recent Jersey Drive. Your kindness will keep our kids warm and cosy this winter. Your support means the world to us!

Thank you Helderberg Rotary Anns and Beaumont Primary School for choosing the Bizweni Centre as a beneficiary of your recent Jersey Drive. Your kindness will keep our kids warm and cosy this winter. Your support means the world to us!
Beaumont Primary School

Today is TSC Global Awareness Day. What is TSC?

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a rare genetic condition that affects around 1 million people worldwide.

A person is born with TSC, meaning that the condition is not something that a person can develop over time. However, problems from TSC might not be obvious until later in life.

TSC causes non-cancerous growths to develop in different organs around the body, such as the brain, eyes, heart and skin. Issues caused by TSC are as a result of the growths developed due to the condition.

Common problems from TSC can include epilepsy, autism, learning difficulties and kidney problems. However, the way that TSC impacts on a person’s life can vary considerably.

ref: https://tuberous-sclerosis.org/information-and-support/what-is-tsc/

Another fun morning with our Beaumont friends. We now provide a quick feedback session at the end of each visit, to answer any questions the Lions have. It's been so helpful! Not only do we get valuable insights into their experience, but they also get all their interesting questions answered. It’s a valuable learning opportunity for both of us.
Beaumont Primary School

We are looking for an ECD Class Assistant. If you love working with children with disabilities this is a great opportunity for you.
Please send your CV with a motivational letter to [email protected] by the 31st May.

Classes 2, 3 & 4 had an AMAZING time at the Two Oceans Aquarium yesterday! From these pics, you can see the joy and excitement on their faces as the children moved through the tunnels and spotted fish, sharks, penguins, jellyfish and more. I think the staff enjoyed the puppet show just as much as the kids.
A huge Thank You to Robyn Erasmus and the aquarium staff for this great experience. Another huge Thank You to Bernard Horn, the V & A Waterfront manager, for the VIP parking right out front. Being able to get off our buses and walk straight in made the world of difference. Feeling grateful! Oceans Aquarium

On Tuesday we said goodbye to the first group of Beaumont 'Lion' prefects. We enjoyed getting to know them and hope they have some nice memories of their time here to take with them. Thank you Lions!
Beaumont Primary School

Please help us by sharing this post. We are searching for an ECD Class Assistant to join our team. Send CV with a motivational letter to [email protected] by 10 May. Thank you.

Our Zumba fundraiser today was a success! A huge thank you to the instructors who volunteered their time and dance moves, Omar, Romy, Marel, Ely, Nathan Sarah, Lady Cher and Soraya..you were amazing!
Thanks to Trevor for being our sound guy.
Thank you Versus Socks for the coolest socks.
Thank you Making Waves Photography for these fantastic images which really captured the vibe and action.
And last but not least, THANK YOU to you beautiful Tooth Fairies and Tooth Mice for dancing for our children!! We appreciate you. We love our community.