Dear friends and family

I cannot believe that over a month has already passed by since our last news letter. 

Mom Batha and Siyathuthuka Daycare and Feeding Scheme

We are pleased to report that the palisade fencing has finally been installed at Mom Batha! The children now have a safe, cordoned off playground in which to play. This is such an answer to prayer and a massive blessing on the children from the Lord, as they have been confined indoors for the majority of their day since Mom Batha started looking after the children more than 3 years ago. We collected and delivered the donated playground equipment a couple of weeks ago, so the children have really been enjoying their time outdoors. On 17 March it was Nkokhelo’s birthday. He is the mentally challenged young man we have been helping with transport to school. He and his siblings are orphans, but family members took the younger siblings away and left him in Dube Hostel. 

On our last trip to mom Batha, Morne and I noticed that there are a few maintenance problems which need to be attended to:

Morne and I took some trees and plants to mom Batha which have been planted as well. The only problem we have had is a herd of baby goats who are small enough to fit through the gaps in the palisade fencing. They have been enjoying eating the leaves off the trees and plants much to our dismay. We will have to install some kind of wire mesh along the bottom of the palisade fencing in order to stop the goats from climbing through. The cost of wire mesh will be approximately R 1500 ($100). The front door as well as the door frame to the daycare centre are in dire need of replacement. The door hinges have torn and the door is literally hanging at the moment. This is not surprising as there is a lot of pedestrian traffic in and out of the centre on a daily basis. The cost of a new door, as well as a solid door frame will be in the region of about R 1500 ($100). We would be most grateful if anyone is able to contribute towards these costs. 

Limpopo Feeding Projects

Aletheia currently relies on the use of a 2005 Mercedes Vito minibus as our main means of transport. Three weeks ago, the turbo blew and the Vito was at the mechanic for the better part of two weeks. We were fortunate enough to have the use of Morne’s bakkie (LDV), but his vehicle only has two seats and the load body is not that big, so we were restricted in the number of people and goods we were able to transport. This also severely hampered our works in and around Johannesburg. Due to the turbo problems with the Vito, we have had to postpone our trip to Limpopo Province until the next two weeks or so. This also gives us time to test drive the Vito here in Johannesburg and make sure the turbo is in proper working order before we undertake the long trip up to Venda. Please pray that we won’t have anymore problems with the Vito and that our trip to Limpopo will be a safe and problem free one. However, the building of the new kitchen is progressing, even with the water problems they experience. Such an improvement from the ramshackle wooden hut they were using!

Motswedi Daycare Centre

In our last newsletter we outlaid Aletheia’s objectives as an organization for 2016. We had previously attached a report on Motswedi daycare centre, which is one of the centres we have been supporting with food donations for over 10 years. The Lord has blessed us with a monetary donation towards the building project at Motswedi, which we will be using to get building plans drawn up and approved. As mentioned before, we are looking for donations towards building classrooms and upgrading their current facilities (Which includes additional ablution facilities). Motswedi really is a fantastic Christian based daycare centre, that desperately needs help. Please prayerfully consider whether this is something you would like to contribute towards. If you did not receive the report, please feel free to contact me and I will gladly forward the documents.

Food Donations

Woolworths has been supporting Aletheia for over 10 years with weekly food donations which we in turn hand out to the various feeding schemes we support in and around Johannesburg. With these donations we help to feed in excess of 700 adults and children every week. One of the branches we were getting donations from closed down in 2014 and we have been trying ever since to secure additional food donations on a regular basis. There are thousands of organisations receiving donations and applying for donations at all the major food chains so it is extremely difficult to become a recipient. Last week we once again approached numerous Woolworths branches with applications for assistance, so please pray that a slot will open up and we will be able to receive additional food donations. 

Family news

On a personal note, I am so happy to announce that my granddaughter Michaela was finally discharged on 28 March after spending 47 days in hospital. A big thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and support. This has been really appreciated and it means so much to know that there are so many people out there who care! Please continue to keep Michaela, Jacque and Morne in your prayers as Michaela has an appointment with the paediatrician next week Monday 04 April. They will be weighing her to see if she has gained any weight since being discharged. If she has lost weight, then there is a chance she may have to be re-admitted. The tube has been removed and Jacque is only breast feeding Michaela at the moment, so it is impossible to tell how much she is taking in at every feed.  

We value your support in helping us to reach these children!
In Him,

Connie, Morne and Aletheia Team
 
Aletheia International Ministries
PO Box 302, Fontainebleau, Randburg, 2194, South Africa
Phone: 011 782 4920
email: aletheia(at)iafrica.com or connie(at)aletheia.org.za