The Zoe Project Update January 2011

Hello Everybody

What a wonderful break December has been! It was time to reconnect with family and friends and find time for ourselves.


Every New Year signifies new beginnings but unlike resolutions that are fleeting and impulsive, fresh ideas are inspired, planned and organised; hopefully to come into fruition with hard work and co-operation.

It is in the follow-through and committing to these plans and projects that we find success.

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful break and thank you to those who have replied during December and to my earlier email this week.

Things have been a little slow during the last two months in terms of contributors. Many people have emailed and phoned offering assistance to help but as I said earlier, it is in the commitment and follow-through that we see the plans realized.

I am positive about 2011 and realize that many people are still trying to get into the swing of new schedules [as I am] but believe that our contributors’ list will grow in order for us to assist those who are in dire need.

Thank you to the following contributors:
Arlene Johansson, Dr Lara Smith, Jane and Sebastian Dunn, Donna C., Sandy Schuurman, Rene Grimmbacher, Michael P., Sevi Avondo, Anna Johansson, Lesley Edkins, Willem and Denise van Bergen and our anonymous friends at Monterey Pre-Primary School.

A very special thank you to Sharon Wewege and Heather Mylne from the New Beginnings Baby Clinic, Meadowridge…
I received a phone call in December from Sharon to ask if I would give a talk at their Christmas lunch organised for approximately 40 new moms. When I agreed and arrived at the clinic, I was really overwhelmed by what these two women had organised. They arranged a lunch with a talk for these new moms and asked them to contribute to the Zoe Project’s mom and baby packs and dry goods pantry instead of buying one another gifts.

In addition to this, they could also donate money that would be used to buy a wheelchair for a very special 20 month old boy with severe health difficulties. Thankfully and wonderfully, the wheelchair was bought the following week [cost is approximately R20 000]! Wow, Sharon and Heather! The two of you are amazing and will be so blessed.

The Zoe Project received beautiful items of clothing and nappies for the baby packs and products for the mom packs, and tinned food items for the dry goods pantry.

Thank you for your continued support, your kindness and encouragement and your generosity of spirit.

Another very special thank you to Ametjie Rust and the Finance Department of Syntell (Pty) Ltd: Ametje Rust and her team members, Karen Davies, Janine Laubscher, Tanya Gonsalves, Thabisa Mendes, Kevin Eddy, Trichelle Green-Thompson, Deidre Claasen, Samantha Henson, Jamiela Abdulahman, Natalie Heuvel, Bridget Johnson, Kashiefa Solomons, Abigail Richards, Denise Kruger, Nolene Williams, Deshni Naidoo, Nzwakhele Mkhize, and Allison Rulse.

Allison called me in August to arrange something special for their team building event. They decided to contribute mom and baby packs for the Zoe Project’s Christmas Day babies.

To say that I was overwhelmed when I collected 24 x A4 paper BOXES of brand new, beautiful, carefully considered and packed and wrapped boxes from them, would be an understatement. I was in tears!

Thank you, thank you and thank you again – you made Christmas [and New Years Day] moms and babies feel very appreciated and loved.

I know through talking to Allison Rulse who co-ordinated everything, that each team member mentioned above was equally touched by knowing that these items would go to those who need it so badly. We wish you and your team success in your endeavours and know that you’ve been blessed by this experience too.

I have a couple of photographs that I will put on the blog where we have permission from the moms to publish them. It isn’t always easy or permitted to publish photos of moms and babies due to privacy issues.

And another very special to Rotary International and to Bob Harvey :

Thank you for arranging for the 5000 sterile wipes for the Clinic and the 4 large boxes of toys donated from overseas for the babies. The toys have brightened up many little lives and we wish you to thank  your contributors. The sterila wipes have made work at the clinic for the staff so much easier.

Email updates:
I have requested before that you should let me know if you would like to continue receiving our email updates. Please let me know as I have only heard from a few people. If you do not respond, I will keep you on the mailing list.
Also, please continue to forward these updates to your friends and family and colleagues. It helps in many ways!

The year ahead for us in short:
Counseling and the most important functions of the Zoe Project will continue as always.

We are going to concentrate on the mom and baby packs and the dry goods pantry. We would love to be able to give more mom and baby packs to more people but we can only do that if we have enough donations.

We are trying to add to the food that the government allows for moms who give birth at the clinic. The food provided for by the state is ONE DRY PROVITA AND A CUP OF SOUP PER DAY! That is the only meal. And as many of you know, this is not enough nourishment for a new mom who is breastfeeding a baby.

Many moms stay behind as Kangaroo moms [sometimes for 10 to 12 days] as they cannot leave the clinic due to regulation and fear of abandonment. Unless their families bring them food [which doesn’t happen] they only eat what the state and we provide.
Your contributions assist us to provide much needed nutrition.

This year I will not be collecting 2nd hand clothing or items of linen. Last year we had a really good response and I know that many of you prefer to give these items to us because you know that they are going to places of need. Unfortunately, it is extremely time consuming to sort these items and I do not have the capacity at present to do this due to other commitments and obligations with work.

If you do have items that you would like to donate, take them to your nearest home for children or place of safety for women and children; alternatively, [believe it or not] your Ward Councillor will know of people in need either in your area or another area.

I would like to say thank you again and in anticipation for your continued support in the next year. I look forward to seeing all of you and hearing your news.

Please continue to pass on our notices and continue to email or phone me should you have any questions.

Happy February everyone and lots of love

Norah Papanicolaou

Zoe Update November 2010

Hello Everybody


It is that time of the year – silly season! Schools break up for a very long and much needed holiday,
families plan visits and trips, and we rush around getting last-minute things together for the festive season.
I hope you’ll all have a wonderful, restful time.

I will not be doing a newsletter in December this year, as I will be taking some time off. The past year has
been a huge challenge for us all, and this will be a time for me to spend with my family and children.
Definitely a much-needed and anticipated break!

Thank you to the following contributors:
Arlene Johansson, Dr Lara Smith, Marlene Helfrecht, Bronwyn Hopwood, Jane and Sebastian Dunn, Tara and Dave Dunn, Sandy Schuurman, Sharon Wewege, Heather Mylne, Rene Grimmbacher, Sam and Liam Grimmbacher, Michael P., Donna Cobban and Luc Michot, Anna Johansson, Kaye Longman, Yolanda and Allan Parry, Collyeen Sinclair, Bessie and Athina Kotsiopolous, Dimitra Kotsiopolous, Willem and Denise van Bergen, Annette Milner, Elaine Aquadro, Pam Cable, friends at New Beginnings Clinic and friends at Monterey Pre-Primary School, Georgie and anonymous friends from Constantiaberg Pre-Primary School.

Babies Born during November:
There were 177 babies born during November – 97 were boys and the rest girls. Twelve babies were born to young women 17 or younger.

A Reflection on the year behind us:
As far as the counseling goes, Tracey has seen 115 clients and has facilitated 7 adoptions. It has been interesting that the severity of problems experienced by clients have increased due to the rise in tik abuse. Clients are much more inclined to be dishonest, with worse anger problems, resulting in much more time-consuming counseling. The new Act has clamped down on ladies re-entering the same safe houses time and time again, making it difficult to find immediate relief from their situations. But with all this, we have had outstanding results through the year.

We have assisted in removing approximately 10 women and their children to safe houses where domestic violence have been taking place, ensuring better prospects for the mom through the training and counseling provided at the safe houses as well as ensuring the children enter crèches or schools in the areas of the safe houses.

We held a Dullah [birthing partner] course on 18th September, to which 15 people attended. It was an amazing day and left a lot of the women wide-eyed and excited. We have two new Dullahs who have joined our team, Yolanda and Grishelle. They are an absolute blessing to the moms and staff at Retreat MOU. We continue to receive enquiries as to assisting at the clinic in this regard.

The six-a-side Zoe soccer tournament was held on Saturday, 27th November, which was a success. It was amazing to see how sport can be used as a tool to bring people together and to make people aware of the Zoe Project.

240 mom packs and 240 baby packs have been supplied to the Retreat MOU this year. Ten amazing Christmas packs have already been made up and are ready for those precious Christmas babies. All this thanks to your generosity throughout the year.

We have also been promised more baby and moms packs from a corporate sponsor and we cannot wait to distribute theses to our moms on Christmas day.

We now supply 100 portions of homemade soups per month. That’s a whopping 1200 meals per year, absolutely amazing! As well as 32 loaves of bread a month and 8 margarines per month. This is produced consistently throughout the year.

Our dry goods pantry supplies meals for approximately 75 people a month – another 900 meals per year! Incredible to think how far soup and pasta as well as tinned food can go.

There was also a large donation of portable blood-pressure machines, surgical gloves, catheters, etc which has been invaluable to the staff and patients.

Regina Dyonasie, from Masiphumelele, has joined the Zoe Project, handing out food and baby parcels where needed. It has been encouraging to see her enthusiasm in taking responsibility for these donations to her community.

Thank you so much to each of you who have helped us help others. I trust you will all have a blessed December and January. Take this time to enjoy special moments with family and friends.


Lots of love as always,

Norah Papanicolaou