ENGLISH
Carpe Diem School.
Carpe Diem School was founded in July 2000. Before that date there was no school for physically, mentally or learning-disabled children in the Southern Cape and learners had to go to Cape Town for education.
My connection with them started about 15 years back when we still did projects l of R5000 per project which included that we had to give and do something and contribute. (December initiative that stopped about 5 years ago)
In Lockdown I also launched a project via Facebook to collect diapers for the children.
When we do a project and contact them about where the need was the highest, the answer was D I A P E R S.
Sister Mada Meyer is in charge, and I am happy to give you the facts as given by her.
• 16 children are in need of care
• 15 of the learners have been diagnosed with Spina Bifida and therefore permanently incontinent of bladder and bowel, the 16th learner has severe neurological muscle dysfunction and is permanently incontinent and uses diapers 24 hours a day (he does not catheter and bowel irrigation)
• They all depend on diapers 24 hours a day.
The Spina bifida learners catheterize every 3 hours by means of intermittent method and do bowel irrigation daily to help try to reduce nappies as well as prevent further medical complications eg bladder and kidney infections, infection and irritation of the sensitive skin veins under the nappy and pressure sores which if infected can lead to death.
• Human dignity – wearing diapers is done in such a way that it is not visible and prevents visible slips and hides smells.
• Financial – these learners all receive a disability allowance, and it is often all the finances that support the family because the mother has to be at home to take care of the child after school and holidays as well as when sick.
• Each learner wears a minimum of 3 diapers per day = 21 diapers per week and 105 per month.
When we had the diapers delivered in the past we always went there and then they did an item for us – like dancing or something and it was always so incredibly special, because we are constantly talking about fat and thin and beautiful and ugly etc… and they with their broken bodies dance with jubilation.
The aim of this project is to try that these children can go home with their diapers during the December holidays so that they don’t come back to school with the consequences of not wearing enough and clean diapers and it then takes months to tackle the problem again.
We were so lucky that in collaboration with George-Suid’s Mercy Action we collected enough money to buy diapers for all the children for the month of
December. Now they can go home with peace of mind and know they have diapers.
We visited Carpe Diem on the 9th of November and they gave us a show of making music and fevers, as well as massaging our hands and necks – what a great treat.
Home-baked cookies and scones with tea and coffee were served.
Carpe Diem we wish you only blessings and joy.
AFRIKAANS
Carpe Diem Skool is in Julie 2000 gestig. Voor die datum was daar geen skool vir fisiek-, verstandelik- of leergestremde kinders in die Suid-Kaap nie en leerders moes Kaapstad toe gaan vir onderrig.
My verbintenis met hulle het begin ongeveer 15 jaar terug toe ons nog via Old Mutual projekte gedoen het van R5000 per projek wat ingesluit het dat ons iets moes gee en doen en bydra. (Desember inisiatief wat so 5 jaar terug gestop het)
In Lockdown het ek ook ‘n projek via Facebook geloods om doeke in te samel vir die kinders.
Wanneer ons ‘n projek doen en hulle kontak oor waar die nood die hoogste was, was die antwoord D O E K E.
Suster Mada Meyer is in beheer en ek gee graag vir u die feite soos deur haar gegeee.
• 16 kinders is sorg-behoewend
• 15 van die leerders is gediagnoseer met Spina Bifida en dus permanent inkontinent van blaas en derm, die 16de leering het erge neurologiese spier wanfunksie en is permanent inkontinent en maak 24 uur gebruik van doeke (hy kateter en dermspoel nie)
• Hulle is almal 24 uur afhanklik van doeke.
Die Spina bifida leerders kateteriseer elke 3 ure d.m.v. intermiterende metode en doen daagliks dermspoeling om te help om doeke te probeer verminder asook verdere mediese komplikasies te verhoed bv blaas en nier infeksies, infeksie en irritase van die sensitiewe vel are onder die doek en druksere wat indien geinfekteerd kan lei tot die dood.
• Menswaardigheid – die dra van doeke word op so ‘n manier gedoen dat dit nie sigbaar is nie en voorkom sigbare glipse en verberg reuke.
• Finansieel – hierdie leerders kry almal ‘n gestremdheidstoelaag en dit is dikwels al finansies wat die gesin onderhou omdat die ma tuis moet wees om die kind na skool en vakansietye asook wanneer siek is te versorg.
• Elke leerder dra minimum van 3 doeke per dag = 21 doeke per week en 105 per maand.
Wanneer ons in die verlede die doeke laat aflewer het het ons altyd soontoe gegaan en dan het hulle vir ons ‘n item gedoen – soos dans of soiets en dit was altyd so ongelooflik spesiaal, want ons is ongedurig oor vet en maer en mooi en lelik ens… en hulle met hulle gebroke lyfies dans met jubeling.
Die doel van hierdie projek is om te probeer dat hierdie kinders Desembervakansie huis toe kan gaan met hulle doeke sodat hulle nie met die gevolge van nie genoeg en skoon doeke dra terugkom skool toe nie en dit dan maande verg om weer die probleem hok te slaan.
Ons was so gelukkig dat ons in samewerking met George-Suid se Barmhartigheidsaksie genoeg geld ingesamel het om doeke te koop vir al die kinders vir Desembermaand. Nou kan hulle met ‘n geruste hart huistoe gaan en weet hulle het doeke.
Ons het Carpe Diem besoek die 9de November en hulle het vir ons ‘n vertoning gegee van musiek maak en koorsing, asook ons hande en nekke gemasseer – wat ‘n heerlike groot bederf.
Tuisgebakte koekies en botterbroodjies met tee en koffie is bedien.
Carpe Diem ons wens julle net seen en vreugde toe.
