Refilwe - Life for all

"The best way to do ourselves good is to be doing good for others. The best way to gather, is to scatter". Thomas Brooks.

Experience teaches us that no matter how much you give of yourself to others,
you always get more back. The satisfaction and priviledge to help others less fortunate than ourselves cannot be completely understood untill you have tried it.

There are currently two volunteer options at Refilwe:

FROM JOHANNESBURG CITY CENTRE
N1 (De Villiers Graaf Motorway) towards Pretoria. Bloemfontein Roodepoort sign to the left, just after the Woodmead off ramp. Now on the concrete highway – carry on until you take the Hans Strydom / Lanseria/ Kya Sands off ramp. Turn right, over the highway and carry on straight through Kya Sands and over the N14 (Pretoria / Krugersdorp Highway) to the 3-Way Stop at Lanseria Airport. Continue straight approximately 700 meters and you will see a large Refilwe Community Project sign at our entrance. Turn left and follow the dirt road to the gate entrance. Once through the gate, immediately turn right through a gate and follow the path to the left. This is the location of our reception area.

FROM PRETORIA
M1 (Ben Schoeman Highway) towards Johannesburg until you reach the Krugersdorp off ramp (N14). Follow the Krugersdorp signs until you get to the Lanseria / Brits off ramp. Turn right over the highway to the 3-Way Stop at Lanseria Airport. Continue straight approximately 700 meters and you will see a large Refilwe Community Project sign at our entrance. Turn left and follow the dirt road to the gate entrance. Once through the gate, immediately turn right through a gate and follow the path to the left. This is the location of our reception area. This is the temporary reception area.

FROM ROODEPOORT
Take the Hendrik Potgieter road to the fourway stop at N14. Turn right and continue to Lanseria off ramp. Turn left and travel to the 3-Way Stop at Lanseria Airport. Continue straight approximately 700 meters and you will see a large Refilwe Community Project sign at our entrance. Turn left and follow the dirt road to the gate entrance. Once through the gate, immediately turn right through a gate and follow the path to the left. This is the location of our reception area.

FROM SANDTON
Travel on the William Nicol, over the concrete highway until you get to the Fourways Mall. Turn left onto Witkoppen Drive and then right into Cedar Drive. Carry on until you reach the T-junction, turn left and then immediately right (follow the Sun City sign). Carry on until you reach the next T-junction and turn right (still following the Sun City sign). Travel to the 3-Way Stop at Lanseria Airport. Continue straight approximately 700 meters and you will see a large Refilwe Community Project sign at our entrance. Turn left and follow the dirt road to the gate entrance. Once through the gate, immediately turn right through a gate and follow the path to the left. This is the location of our reception area.

Albert Schweitzer once said;
“I do not feel that I have the right to take as a matter of course my happy privileged youth, my good health & power to work – whoever is spared personal pain must feel called to help diminishing the pain of others. We must all carry our share of the misery which lies upon the world.”

We need to start making a difference. If we can relieve the suffering of one patient, give hope to even one AIDS orphan and help a child to realise a dream it will have made our mission at Refilwe worthwhile.

You can help us to make a difference by
~ financial support ~
~ donations of food, toiletries, clothes, and furniture ~
~ stationary and any educational items ~
~ giving of your time as a volunteer ~
~ sponsoring a child ~
~ supporting our "Dare to Give Differently" initiative ~
~ sharing Refilwe with your friends and other important contacts ~

In partnership with an organization called ACAT (Africa Cooperative Action Trust) Refilwe has rolled out its revamped Skills Development Campus in June 2006.
The emphasis of this programme is on the development of the whole person –body, mind and spirit. Out of this has grown a self-image, self-help and accountability ethos which ensures that skills imparted are used for the advancement of the people concerned, their families and the community in which they live and work.
The ACAT Refilwe Campus encourages trainees to form groups of 5 (G5’s) who are then trained and supported in the starting and running of small businesses. These G5’s are followed up and mentored by an extension officer to assist them in implementing the business practices they have been taught. Over the next 6 years these G5’s will be assisted and encouraged through this program.
In all aspects the emphasis is on sustainability. Whatever is taught and done is aimed at ensuring that the people concerned can keep their income generating activities going independently of the ACAT Refilwe Program and similarly respect of their life styles which should also be sustainable. The centre will also offer equipped workshops and assistance for welding, carpentry, wire work, sewing, beadwork, computer skills, cooking, vegetable gardening and small animal husbandry.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LOGO TO GO TO THE WEBSITE

Refilwe have been involved in the care of Orphaned & Vulnerable children (OVC’s) for many years and one of our major challenges has been finding a “non-institutionalized” solution to caring for these precious children. We wanted these kids to be one in a family as opposed to one of 20 other children in an orphanage or shelter. The answer came in 2006 and the God Parents Project was launched towards the end of that year. The idea is to provide a sustainable environment where OVC’s can be cared for spiritually, emotionally and physically in homely cottages with a God Parent as the head of the home. At the beginning of 2007 we had 28 children between the ages of 7 and 15, in 5 cottages with 5 God Parents. Refilwe’s God Parents project will ultimately house 40 children in 8 homes through this program, ensuring proper care to these children. This is a place they can call home, often because they have nowhere else to go, or they biological parents simply do not want them anymore.
One of the major benefits is the support structure that Refilwe offers to this program and the God Parents in general - ensuring that these families have a chance of survival. Another important aspect is that no child is ever “kicked” out of the program when they become 18 – since they are part of a family we help the God Parents to search for opportunities to ensure sustainable employment to their children.
                             PLEASE CLICK ON THE LOGOS
                            OF THE SUPPORT PROGRAMS
                             TO THE GOD PARENTS PROJECT
                            TO GO TO THE WEBSITES

The Future of South Africa depends on what kind of citizens our orphans of AIDS grow up to be. Through this program we provide day- and aftercare facilities for orphaned and vulnerable children from our community.

The programme aims to keep children occupied and stimulated by providing an environment where they have access to early childhood development and can participate in sport, receive counseling, be assisted with homework, learn computer skills and be exposed to cultural and other programs.

The programme, through this methodology aims to provide younger children with a safe day care centre and keep older children out of “shebeens” and other unhealthy and destructive environments.

Each child is also provided with a nutritious meal at lunchtime. Through community volunteers the centre regularly updates information on orphaned and vulnerable children in the community to ensure that sufficient support is always available.

In partnership with Right to Care and the dedicated team from Blue Cross Health, Refilwe’s HIV & Aids and TB day clinic aims to provide spiritual, physical and emotional help through an extensive ARV (Anti Retroviral) & TB distribution program & counseling centre. Limited primary health care is also provided as no one is ever turned away. The clinic is overseen by a Doctor and a team of qualified medical and administrative personnel.

Through our home based care team we distribute clothes and food where needed, follow up on our ARV patients and identify people that need further assistance and support. Through our VCT Centre we educate, counsel, test and support individuals of the surrounding communities. This will enable us to have a better understanding of the spread of the disease in our target area, which will help us to better serve the community, by increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS.
Our Community Support Centre provides facilities were individuals can have a meal and access laundry and shower facilities. Currently we serve 300+ people a day.
We also provide Dental and Eye Care through professional volunteers.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LOGOS
TO GO TO THE WEBSITES

Refilwe means “gift” or “to give” in Tswana and has its origins in a vision given by God to Jean Stewart and Yvonne Jaques. In April 1991 they started a clinic on a small site next to the Lanseria Airport, North of Johannesburg. From this grew a wider ministry to the needy people of the area, that today focusses on spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by addressing critical needs in the following areas;
~ Medical ~
~ Child Care / Education ~
~ Life and specific skills training ~
~ Income generating activities ~

Refilwe serves a severely disadvantaged community and HIV & Aids, limited education, unemployment, lack of skills & poor housing are just some of the challenges that these individuals have to deal with.

Much emphasis is placed on ensuring that the affairs of Refilwe are managed according to the best principles of sound and good governance. Its statutory position is that of a Non-Profit and Public Benefit Organisation status in terms of current legislation. A Board of Directors and an Executive Committee govern the affairs of the organization. The Executive Director (Jaco van Schalkwyk) is responsible for the day to day management and implementation of policies.