“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” – Calvin Coolidge
Many of you are bound to be starting your Christmas shopping around about now… Parents are on the look out for the perfect gifts for their children.
It’s an easy task for most parents, but what do you buy for more than 100 children?
We look after our 100 little ones at Khumbulani through donations each year but for Christmas we like to give them a few special somethings… It was not an easy task but members of our team managed to put a smile on every little face at Khumbulani with gift bags that were almost as big as their new owners.
Khumbulani is a day care centre for kids between the age of 0 to about 13 years who are affected or infected by HIV. Gloria Bebeza runs the centre from a two roomed house and accommodates more than 200 children. and also runs a soup kitchen for the local community feeding up to 350 people a day.
It was my first time visiting Khumbulani this year and I must say, I expected a lot more noise. I pictured our Santa (Luyanda from the Rhino offices) being bulldozed by an army of kiddies eager to get their gifts. I was surprised to see how quiet the centre was when we walked in.
As we finished unpacking the gifts into different age groups we heard a cheerful, “Happy, happy Christmas!” chant from the kids as they approached in a neat and orderly line.
Our Santa, in his new bright red suit, greeted each child with a smile. After the last gift was handed out and after hundreds of photos had been snapped, we headed back to the office, feeling the Christmas spirit tenfold!
Spending my morning at the centre was worth every minute and I will be sure to return!
Take a look at what we got up to at Khumbulani:
Santa also entered our #LoveAfrica competition in between making the kids smile!
Our staff at Rhino Africa visit Khumbulani every Christmas with colourful gifts in hand, but also work in collaboration with Nhlayisa, to donate a specially-formulated porridge to feed the children throughout the year.
We have also donated a new classroom to the centre and have some more plans in the pipeline, including a new, bigger and better plot for the school.
Contact us to find out more or to donate to Khumbulani yourself.
Very nice – lovely to see this.
Nc