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e sisterstodayMARCH 2019 • ISSUE SEVENTEEN

to my beloved 'Sisters'...My son had to do an oral on a charity organisation and he chose to do it on Sisters Incorporated. One of the questions was why this organisation is so important to him. While I was helping him with this, I started to reflect on why Sisters Incorporated was so important to me.

I felt a prompting from the Lord to send you a thank you letter. I know you receive many thank you letters from the residents and I even helped you type many thank you letters to donors but I really felt that it was time for me to send you one. (If I was writing this letter to you by hand, you would see the tear stains splashed onto the paper.)

When I reflect on the last seven years of volunteering at Sisters Incorporated, I only have good memories.

Thank you... to your staff for all that you have done for me over this time. It is amazing how the Lord blesses me during this time. You have all become so special to me and have shown me true love and friendship.

Thank you... for standing by and supporting me when I have been feeling down.

Thank you... for speaking words of encouragement and blessings over me. There were many times that I would not made it through difficult circumstances if I hadn’t been volunteering at the home. You have cried and laughed with me – God had a plan when He sent me to you. I have never experienced friendship like this before.

Although I come to give of my time, it is never a chore for me. You all give me so much... that I receive far more than I could ever give. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. You have taught me so much about the love of God. I am so honoured to be a witness to the abundant blessings and love He has bestowed on Sisters Incorporated. I have learnt to rely more on Him as I have witnessed your faithfulness and trust in an awesome God. What amazing role-models you are to me!

You truly are the hands and feet of Jesus and a reflection of His love. I will always thank God for blessing me with you all.

michelle

“Friends come and go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.” Prov 18:24

Kindness and thoughtfulness

How can I say how grateful I am to you, the Sisters Incorporated staff? Your kindness and thoughtfulness is in everything you do. You have brightened each and every day to so many women, including me.

Thank you for all that you have done, I couldn’t have asked for more. Your sacrifice of your time with your families, just to be here with us, helping and listening.

May you have an amazing Christmas with your families. I wish you many blessings for the good doings that you do every day.

busisiwe

residentslettersWord of thanks

To each and every one of you... God sent angels. Thank you for having enough heart, not only for your own, but for others. What you are doing does not go unseen. Forever grateful.

chana and logan

Words cannot explain how appreciative I am to the support you have given me to make sure I finish what I have started: graduating as a Chemical Engineer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I must admit that I lost hope and given up when the days to my graduation were getting closer and my family was quiet about it.

However, first and foremost, I remembered the words from Celeste: “Everything is possible with God, I work by faith and not by sight”. Secondly, I remembered what I had been through and why I was at Sisters Incorporated. I knew I had the support from all at Sisters Incorporated, who care enough and are able to give to women like me, who go through struggle.

Nobuntu, for her wise words and many intelligent suggestions. Lorna, for going to extreme measures to find me a suitable attire. Bernie, for giving me gorgeous jewellery and the house mothers for their support. Most of all, thanks to Delene (the manager) for giving me a big and kind helping hand to experience a memorable opportunity in my life.

Thanks for all your support! You have made it all possible for me! I am so grateful.

zama

Dear Sisters Incorporated

I would kindly like to thank each and every staff and Board member for making my stay at Sisters Incorporated a pleasant four months. I am forever thankful and grateful for your generosity and hospitality. Coming from an abusive background, your home allowed me to heal and become physically and mentally strong as a woman.

Your home has been such a blessing and comfort for the length I stayed at Sisters Incorporated. Your therapy will forever linger in my mind. My heart will be forever grateful and thankful for the perseverance. The motivation will take me further in life.

I truly appreciate all the effort and kindness from each and every staff member or sponsor for making my stay a blessed one.

Much love and appreciation

fierdouz

knowing self care

Christmas at Sisters IncorporatedSpecial thanks to St. Timothy’s Christmas band who rendered a few items in song on Christmas Eve and put the residents in the Christmas spirit.

On Christmas Eve, the staff all pitched in to prepare lunch. Lorna, with the help of the residents, prepared the dining room for the Christmas day lunch. Thanks to numerous donors, gifts were donated and Delene Roberts handed them out when she came

to wish the women and their children a Merry Christmas. Special thanks to Lotta Kwatsha (seen below), the relief housemother, for standing in so that Ntombi Qamba could take leave. A warm welcome to Lotta who joined us in November 2018.

New Year’s dayNew Years’ Eve started well. Everybody was excited to see 2018 turning into 2019. We decorated the tables with cake, cool drinks, sweets and chips.

At the strike of midnight, we stood in a circle and prayed, thanking God for the year that had passed and the year ahead. Afterwards, there was music, dancing and laughter.

On new years day, we were blessed with a delicious braai for lunch. Everybody enjoyed the salads and trifle.

liz weiner, relief housemother

festiveseason

Henley team visits our homeStarting with my favourite quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” maya angelou

When the Henley team from the UK, came to Sisters Incorporated, this is what we did. We welcomed Matt, Di, Frankie, Li and Sharon into our home and it felt like we had met before – it was as if we shared a sisterly and brotherly love.

We shared tears and laughter which usually happens when connecting on a deep level... heart meets heart. During that week the team felt special, loved, cared

for and protected. There was no feeling of discomfort nor disrespect.

Thank you to Matt and the team for the research that was done and wish them every success with their Master of Business Administration (MBA).

bernadette simpson and the sisters incorporated team

“We think you understand the reason we do the work we do.”

Self-defenceWhat a powerful session to commit to muscle memory! The ladies were blessed with goodie bags and the vital life skill of self-defence by Margret Neethling from Stay Safe. A skill to use in an emergency!

Global IncitesThank you Carmen Fells and the ladies from Global Incites, USA, for putting smiles on the faces of our women and their children with eats, treats and gifts. For the quality time spent, giving the children extra attention and allowing them to take pictures with your cameras t

events

Samantha and the Shack ministries empowerment teamOn behalf of the ladies from Sisters Incorporated and Saartjie Baartman Centre, we would like to thank you for the blessed event held on the 8 December 2018 at the Centre.

The women were really moved by everything. From the speakers, Cole’s poem, the spiritual dancers and the gifts. A delicious breakfast was served wonderful baked bread that tasted like cake.

We are so humbled and honoured that you chose us and words cannot express our gratitude. One of the ladies said “it felt like God washed away all the barriers in my life. I feel free and renewed to start a new journey”. Our pray is that God will bless your ministry and that it grows from strength to strength.

Colleen Marco’s birthdayThank you Colleen Marco! You could have opted to spend your birthday with your family and friends. Instead, you chose Sisters Incorporated residents! This sort of kindness will be embedded in the hearts of our women and children forever. Thank you for bringing eats and drinks, and also letting them bring a t-shirt to have 'I AM LOVED' printed on them. May God bless you and your friends who came to our home.

Scanza studentsWe at Sisters Incorporated, would like to welcome Marie Angelo and Line Franch Pedersen to the Child Care Facility. They are doing their internship for six months. (seen below left)

We say goodbye to Henrietta Gormsen, who just finished her six month internship. (seen below right)

Delene was invited to speak at a fundraiser celebrating seniors. She used the opportunity to speak on abuse on older people. Above: Delene and Jennifer Chapman.

On Sunday, 25 November marked the start of 16 days of activism. Delene was privileged to be the speaker and bring a word of encouragement at Grace Family Church, Plumstead. The one thing that stood out for her was that her son was not happy with her church attire, that being an orange t-shirt with the words 'Break the silence'. She explained to him that she was making a statement against Gender Based Violence.

♥ The Western Cape Womens Shelter Movement hosted its fourth annual 'the only thing you beat is a drum' event and once again it was well received by the public.

♥ 16 days against activism programme was held at Sisters Incorporated on 07 December 2018.

♥ As part of this campaign, the Social Work Department felt it was important to show support to the residents and to help prepare them for returning back into their communities after our care. There are many issues that are always left unaddressed which include cases that are never reported.

♥ Sisters Incorporated decided to call on other stakeholders to share their expertise with our residents about how cases related to domestic violence are linked to substance abuse, HIV, and families where children have disabilities. Health care was included as most of these cases are identified and recognised when women attend health care facilities.

♥ Stakeholders who attended: Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), City of Cape Town Substance Abuse, Uhambo foundation and the Claremont clinic.

We thank everyone who came to support this event and made it successful.

Creative morningMelanie Lippert and Nancy Richards, Women Zone, had a fun filled creative session with the residents on a Saturday morning. Thank you for giving of your free time to spend with the women!

16daysofactivism

Staff year end function 2018Every now and then we decide to have a colour theme for our functions. The 2018 staff outing, was yellow and denim. What a pretty sight to see different shades of yellow! Being inquisitive, Delene googled the biblical meaning of yellow and read that yellow is associated with fire, which in turn, has been associated with the purification process.

To the Board, thank you for giving us 'time-out'... to have a carefree moment and enjoy the day. It was so much fun and reflecting back, even the car guard looked out for us as we walked on the beach!

'Moving from significance to greatness!'I heard these words, as I copied information from my 2018 diary into my 2019 diary. My immediate reaction was to post it on Facebook, but instead I wrote it in my diary on 7 January 2019.

Getting into the rhythm of the new year, I heard the song lyrics by Chris Tomlin “For greater things have yet to come, And greater things are still to be done in this city”. At the board stratplan, we decided that the theme for the year would be greater things. I stand amazed at how God is working things out for our good.

Sisters Incorporated reaches it's 60 year milestone this year and we are excitedt to see what lies ahead.

We will embrace the good and the bad, as there is a

lesson to be learnt in everything.

And through it all, we are...

greatly blessed.

highly favoured.

deeply loved.

Thank you for your commitment and continuous

support of Sisters Incorporated.

Western Cape Womens Shelter MovementDelene Roberts remains an executive member of the Western Cape Womens Shelter Movement (WCWSM) along with Bernadine Bachar and Kathy Cronje.

National summit against Gender Based ViolenceDelene attended the summit with managers of the WCWSM as well as in the capacity as the WC Provincial Representative of the National Shelter Movement.

From left: Bernadine Bachar, Kathy Cronje and Delene Roberts

events

a word from the manager

Adelle Searl 100 Club

All Saints Church

Antionette Macdonald

Beautifullyou

Cape East Trading

Cathy Quickfall, Lodge Dedication

Christ Church, Constantia

Councillor Ian Iversen

Department of Social Development

Dillion Rumble

ER Tonnesson

Equinox Trust

Gary Trust

Global Linkages, USA

Grace Family Church

HT Gormley Trust

Jilla Bennyworth

Linda Fugard, Stewardship UK

My School Woolworths

Nadeson Consulting

Novalis Ubuntu Institute

Opechee Design Studio

Revelstone

Robin Good

RSA Litho

Sphyx Lodge

Stacy Lamb

Suzanne Ackerman-Berman

Trial Angels

Union of Jewish Women,

Constantia

Woolworths, Kenilworth

We need your assistance please...Sisters Incorporated is dependant on the community for its survival. You can make a difference in the lives of our women and children by assisting financially, volunteering your help or assist with fundraising.

Bank account details: first national bank

claremont branch 200109 account 50265055465

thankyou!

Tel.Fax. 021 797 4190

PO Box 2330 clareinch 7740

admin@sisters.org.za

www.sisters.org.za

NPO 003-160

printed with complimentsdesigned with complimentsgreater things