On 27 May 2010 the Berea 189 family visited Ethelbert Children’s Home for the first time this year. It has become a regular occurrence for the children at Ethelbert to be spoilt with an evening of birthday presents, hotdogs, popcorn, sweets and watching a DVD (Cinema style) with the families of Berea 189. This gives us the chance to interact with the children and show them that there are people who really do care about them.

Ethelbert Children’s Home is a children’s home and place of safety that cares for 65 children that have been removed from their parents because of sexual and/or physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, and those orphaned because of HIV/ Aids. Ethelbert Children’s Home has been caring for, and loving the children of South Africa since its inception in 1907.

Ethelbert is not an orphanage: the majority of the children placed with Ethelbert Children’s Home have parents and their ultimate goal is to see the children happily reunited with their parents who have been rehabilitated. All cases are cleared by the courts first and thus Ethelbert Children’s Home work in conjunction with the Department of Social Welfare to ensure that these children are placed back with their families, if at all possible.

In 2000 Berea started the project by taking a group of children from Ethelbert Children’s Home to Kloof 190’s Uncle Jumbos annually and this still continues to this date. (ADOPT)

In 2003, by Tiny Tim raiding Westville 163 he learnt from Westville Round Table about a similar birthday project they ran at a children’s home. Tim shared this concept with the rest of the Berea tablers and they agreed that it would be a wonderful initiative to spoil the children from Ethelbert in the same manner. Initially this took the form of a basic birthday party with the handing out of presents and the sharing of birthday cake and sweets. This took place 3-4 times annually on a weekday afternoon. Not many of the Berea tablers could participate due to work commitments. (ADAPT)

In 2008 Terence came up with the idea of moving the afternoon birthday parties to evening birthday parties for the Berea 189 family to spend more quality time with the children. This turned out to be the ideal arrangement, as more of the tablers and their families could attend these gatherings. Our wives and partners as well as our children love the interaction and 9 times out of ten will leave the home wanting to take at least 2 or 3 of the kids back with them. Often they have been taken back to the children’s cottages and shown around. Proudly the little ones grab their hands and show off where they sleep and play and watch TV and generally keep the staff on their toes! Imagine at least 10-15 2 or 3 year olds hyped up on sweets and cooldrink and birthday cake and then being sent back to their cottages to run wild until the sugar high has worn off! It goes without saying that each and every one of us really does look forward to the evenings spent with the children. The whispers always start with “Isn’t nearly time for our visit to Ethelbert?” (IMPROVE)

This continues to date with Berea 189 visiting these children three to four times a year. Berea 189 spends in the region of about R 20 000 per year on these parties, taking 20 children from Ethelbert to Uncle Jumbo’ and supplying their annual stationery requirements that are needed for their schooling. The children that go to Uncle Jumbo’s also receive a Christmas present that is given to them by none other than Father Christmas himself. It is profoundly humbling to have these innocent children trust in you so completely that when the “baddies” in the show make an appearance, they know you will protect them and that Mr Plod will get them.

Ethelbert Children’s Home is well supported by the corporate community and is the beneficiary of many corporate donations. Berea 189 chose the route of spending time with the children and adding to their lives in a very special and personal manner. To see these children grow and flourish, almost right before your eyes is such a joy. You get to know these incredibly special children on a more personal level and the joy and happiness on their faces when they recognise you really brings home the fact that we are making a difference!

What makes this ongoing community service project so special is that Berea 189 has been part of these children’s lives for the last 10 years. It is most definitely not the amount of money that is spent, but rather the interaction with these children that makes this project well worth the effort and time.

“A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.”