iKhaya LikaBaba 
OUR NEWS 
JANUARY 2019

Hi-ho, hi-ho it's off to school we go!

We have 14 children attending BIG school in town and 6 in our internal pre-school for ages 3 to 5 year olds. Look how proud and happy they were to be so neatly kitted out, ready for success!

Airproducts for the Waltons Back 2 School packages, Konecranes for your generous financial donation and to all those who donated towards our kids school needs, we say THANK YOU! Every donation of secondhand uniforms, finances, stationery items, lunch and school bags was very much appreciated! We were so truly blessed that this year we were able to share our blessings with a few more children in our community who were without.

Know that you too were a part of a bigger picture… meeting a greater need than iKhaya alone. You are all AWESOME!

A Joyful Noise

Music can have such a positive impact on a person's mindset and well-being and may even relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. At iKhaya we are growing in this area as we are slowly introducing musical instruments/ lessons and singing as a planned activity. If you would like to teach our kids to play or sing we would LOVE to hear from you.

Toddler Time

Activities that stimulate vision, hearing, touch and movement, all help toddlers make sense of their world and move towards it. It is important to spend time watching what they are doing and what they take an interest in, and then repeating it, providing more of the same. It is in daily interactions with a loving, consistent caregiver that children receive the most valuable input. Spending time with our children, watching them, and to have fun together, is the key to stimulating their development. Our mornings at iKhaya are filled with many activities, both planned and spontaneous as well as in- and outdoors. Activities are varied to stimulate and develop fine and gross motor skills, language and speech, healthy social interactions and accepable behaviour, discipline and structure, as well as growing their imagination and problem solving skills. Babies and toddlers learn best through play, loving interactions and through the examples we model to them daily.

Dance to the beat of your dreams...

There’s just something about dancing! It’s a universal language, and it makes people feel good. There’s a reason so many people find a connection to dance. It’s musical. It’s physical, and it’s spiritual. And more! Our kids began expressing their love for dance through lessons with Kim at Dance Academy a few years ago. Today they continue doing their own little shows and practice sessions at home. Dancing is so good for them plus it is a great team builder as they choreograph and practice their group work!

Setting Sail!

Thank you Mkhulu (Len Helfrich) for treating the school children to this fantastic adventure! What a treat to sail on the yatch, Sea Fever, you personally hand crafted! You are super talented and we are blessed to have you in our daily lives!

Gigles, smiles and chatter!

We focus on loads of activities that arouse the sense of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell of our little ones. Infant stimulation can help improve attention span, memory, curiosity, and nervous system development. This all enables babies to reach developmental milestones faster and aids in the development of motor skills. At iKhaya our volunteers spend this quality time with the babies each morning which also builds relationships and social skills. We enjoy their smiles, giggles and chatter as they develop and enjoy our interactions too.

Dear Friends, I would like to end off with these words, “I believe God sent you into my life to give me something to fight for; to show me there is love in this world; to bring me hope and to bring me joy”. These words reflect the nature and call of my heart, as I know I am called to be where I am right now, doing what I do each day, loving and pouring out into the lives I touch and change! By His might and by His power alone am I able to fulfill this calling and mission to reach into the lives and hearts of the children of iKhaya. He gives the HOPE and JOY that outweighs the hurting and challenges we sometimes face. He is our Heavenly Father and He is the Father to the fatherless.

With love and greetings,

Loressa, Staff and Kids iKhaya

iKhaya LikaBaba
OUR NEWS
DECEMBER 2018

Playball

Playball is a huge plus for physical development, gross motors skills training, improving balance, ball skills, concentration and following instructions and so much more. Our pre-primary and primary school kids enjoyed parties and a time of showing off their achievements to us as they completed their year of playball classes.

A Little Bit of Crazy…

It helps to be a little crazy to volunteer at iKhaya. There is nothing like a little ighthearted fun to ease the load! We have a fantastic team of young international gals who give their best to serve and love with all they have. A medium to long term stay is best for the home and the children so if you are thinking of volunteering as a gap year, love kids, are not afraid of getting your hands dirty and have something to give to make life better for others then give me a shout! We would love to hear from you.

Christmas Festivities!

Christmas is a time to share love with one another as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and King Jesus Christ. The staff and children enjoy a great South African traditional braai together and the children open their Christmas gifts with glee! Thank you to those who catch our heart and partner with us in this time of giving and blessing! The smiles are proof enough that our home was blessed and harts were happy. Thank you for your love, support and generosity!

Pool Party!

Celebrating our kids’ birthdays is dear to my heart. For me it is an important show of our love and care for them individually and for who they are. Making them the center of attention and the focus of our activities is our way of making them feel wanted and important. We have loads of fun together too. In December we celebrated during the school holidays so we had more time to work with and decided on a pool party in town as we have water restrictions on the property. We were blessed with the use of a stunning family home, a water slide, party treats and gifts for our birthday boys! These pics just speak of all the fun we had.

To support of our birthdays please contact Loressa. We would love to hear from you!
Needs: 11 Gifts for ages birth to 5 yrs; party treats; balloons, face paints, prizes for games

Summer Lovin’

The summer holidays, although extra short this year, was fun-filled with a variety of activities including baking, the outdoors and loads of sea, sand and sun! We have 4 amazing international volunteers who pour their love into their every moment spent in our home and with our kiddos. There was simply no time for being bored!

Greetings and love
from Loressa, Staff and Kids

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Ghandi

iKhaya LikaBaba
OUR NEWS

Sports Festival

One Life Church, a partnering NCMI Church, spent time with Solid Ground Church and iKhaya LikaBaba in November. We gathered together sports equipment and after a few minor repairs (like grip changes and a bit of air) we had plenty hockey sticks, bats and balls, soccer balls, tennis rackets and cricket sets to have a social sports festival. The visiting team played and interacted with the kids who in turn had a fun yet exhausting morning. One 10 year old exclaimed atht she had never played so hard ever! After a well deserved lunch we spent time in worship and prayer together. What a treat the day was and such a fabulous memory this will be for her and the others to treasure!

If you wish to add to our sports box, please consider passing on your kids’ old rackets, cricket sets, hockey sticks and balls, badminton sets, volley ball set, swing ball and so on. We would love to expand our range!

Congratulations and Celebrations!

6 Birthdays to celebrate in one month! Yeee-haaa! We had face painting, balloons, popcorn and loads of treats to celebrate with 3 littlies turning 1 and 2 years old. These 3 little girls shared an awesome Minnie Mouse cake made with love by a dear friend. Winnie the Pooh and Mickey paid us a visit… what a treat! As if 1 party in a day is not enough… we got to celebrate Njabulo’s 7th birthday once he arrived home from school. The older children loved the party games, superhero face paints and enjoyed an yummy, brightly coloured rainbow cake! Twins, Ryan and Rihanna, celebrated their 10th birthday with their friends at iKhaya. We had a jumping castle and played party games after enjoying the delish cake. Check their cheesy grins as they got to cut their own cakes! Our school going kids get money rather than a birthday present. This is a highlight for them as they love to go shopping, choose their own clothing and something they really want. They are all being taught to save their pocket money too, so some decide to save the birthday money towards a more expensive item.

To support of our birthdays please contact Loressa. We would love to hear from you! Needs: Gifts for ages birth to 5yrs; party treats; balloons, face paints, prizes for games

Who Nose?

Sometimes a little lighthearted fun in just FUNNY and a good laugh is good for the soul! I playfully refer to the “outies” as hooters or noses. I get many tots visiting my office and they simply love a smiley face on their hand. In this case I took it a step further… much to the kids delight!

Baby Time…

Our mornings are spent interacting with the babies and toddlers while our older children are away at school. The time is spent playing in- and outdoors, making use of educational toys, musical instruments, the jungle gym and so on. Having baby carriers has made taking the babies with on walks easy and enjoyable for us and them!

Learn to Swim

Sonja and Debi of Sonja Swim School have partnered with us to teach the children to swim. They will do weekly lessons With the children aged 5 upwards. The group is split in two with the younger kids learning to swim and the older ones working on strokes. Swimming is not only a life skill but a great form of exercise. It is a school sport too and we are hoping this pool time will help them when competing!

Air Products

Thank you Air Products for our fantastic year end party. The magic show and face painting were a hit of note! Vaughn is slick and sly as he is so quickly deceives the eye! We are most grateful for the lovely gifts for us all and the time we got to enjoy together!

Christmas and New Year

Christmas and New Year celebrations are around the corner. We would love to bless our staff and kids with a braai, salads and drinks on each occasion. Please consider partnering with us to make our desire a reality and one to remember!

Our celebratory needs are Braai Meat, salads and dessert, Chips, sweets and cakes and Gifts for 28 children Please contact Loressa on 035-791 1116 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to contribute.

With love,

OUR NEWS
OCTOBER 2018

A baby’s school is the playground

What a joy it is to see babies thriving through daily interactive playtime. We have a host of activities for the toddlers and babies to expose them to music and siging, reading, outdoor play, motor skill development and get to learn language, social skills, colours, textures, sounds, rhythm and position in space all through fun playtimes!

Pre-School

Our very own iKhaya Pre-School runs from the Solid Ground Church Youth Centre. We launched our ECD Centre 2 ½ years ago with the goal of preparing our youngsters for formal education. The school is run by Bronwyn with the aid of an international volunteer. Not only are our kiddies learning here…so are the teachers! Every day is a challenge and opportunity for personal growth and character building and honing their child rearing skills and disciplinary approaches. What an opportunity this is for any young lady to have! We are raising up our volunteers to be great parents!

Horse Riding

Horse riding is the latest buzz at iKhaya. The kids are loving taking a walk to the farm, having a picnic and learning to ride and care for the horses. There are many obvious health benefits to riding, including strong core and legs, but there are also many less obvious benefits, such as boost in confidence and sele-assurance. Horses are even used in therapy for mentally disabled children- which only proves further how healthy they are. Horseback riding is an isometric exercise, which means it uses specific muscles to stay in certain positions, in this case, keeping balanced on the horse. ... This exercise helps with good overall muscle tone, posture, flexibility and core muscle strength. Riding improves one’s quick thinking and co-ordination as the rider needs to control a large animal with a mind of its own. There are so many mental benefits to horseback riding. Not only do you really learn about yourself as you experience time on a horse but it can also be a time of self-reflection because for the time being, the only focus is on riding and staying on the horse. While horseback riding is a great exercise, there is a real benefit in the connection with the animal and the peace of mind that comes with every ride. It is just so obvious to us how much value there is in this simple yet fun activity. Thanks to everyone for making another of my dreams a reality!

Nothing New…

Nothing New… This is becoming old news… sleepovers at my home in the school holidays! It is always a good ol’ favourite… I guess like going to grandma’s (not that I’m old or anything!). They love to eat different meals (breaking the norm too with treats!), watch movies, play with the pets, sleep on mattresses and stay up late, swim and just have FUN. We ALL love it!

The iKhaya Olympic Games

Each team was dressed up for the occasion with warrior paint and all! Big and small, they all participated with much enthusiasm and excitement. The spirit was apparent but the comepetion was on! The activities of the day were palnned and executed by our French and German volunteers. Their imagination and enthusiasm is just delightful!

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday baby boy! This was his first birthday and we had the pleasure of sharing this milestone with him. He LOVED his first taste of chocolate cake and was intrigued with having to unwrap his gift. What a special day.

Camp-out

The pre-schoolers got to sleep over at the volunteers home, helped prepare burgers for supper, pillow fights, a movie and one of course did her own make up!! What kids doesn’t enjoy camping out on mattresses!

Christmas and New Year

Christmas is fast approaching as we see 2018 drawing to a close. Please consider partnering with us to make our kids Christmas and New Year celebrations fun and a time to remember! Our celebratory needs are: Braai Meat, salads and dessert Chips, sweets and cakes Gifts for 28 children.

Please contact Loressa on 035-791 1116 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to contribute.

There is one thing we do know for sure is that this year has been filled with many wonderful memories, times of healing and growth, heartache and joy, birthday celebrations and academic challenges and accolades. Our children have at times stretched us and through this we have grown. We rejoice with their successes and cry and comfort them in their lows and struggles. We are the priviledged ones to walk this journey out with our kiddies with God our Father leading the way. With Him all is possible and through Him we make progress daily! Thank you to everyone for partnering with us. All donations whether financial, goods, time or services all go towards the success of our mission at iKhaya. Without God’s provision and wisdom, His faithful givers’ generosity and the prayers of many our task would simply be a shot in the dark. So THANK YOU to you all! Together we we can do more!

With love,