Life lessons at Woodside Sanctuary

Icing sugar being mixed for the cake decorating

I took Little Missy along last week when our office did our 67 minutes for Mandela Day at the Woodside Sanctuary. It is a sanctuary for profoundly intellectually disabled people.

I did try to prepare her by telling her that Woodside take care of older people (and children), but who have the brain capacity of children. That there are many reasons why something went wrong with their brains...

Cake decorating

We first had to help with the preparations of mixing the icing sugar. I am sure that we gave Woodside way more work by asking to "help", and that they had to accommodated us more than the actual help we could give. They are always ready to welcome us with open arms.

Little Missy said afterwards that she should have been allowed to help with the cakes. But the ladies in the kitchen knew what they were doing!

After the cake decorating we had to help with feeding the children. This is where Little Missy came face-to-face with the children. I am sure that they just saw a new kid, and that the children got very excited and got a little too much into Little Missy's face.

Luckily one of the ladies opened up a separate room where Little Missy could get a glass of cool drink, and a colouring book. Little Missy said that the children were not what she had expected. They were not "mooi", translated as beautiful.

One of the eldest residents joined us later on. She always carries her handbag with her. She only talks with grunts (or that's what I heard), but she was immediately interested in my iPad. I opened up the Toca Tailor Fairy Tales and she was very excitedly choosing outfits and accessories. The iPad would definitely make a big difference here!

Little Missy looking on 

The Eldest knows how to swipe!

I think it is good that Little Missy saw the other side. Maybe she will start to understand how nice it is to be going to a normal school, and to be able to go around on outdoor activities and outings..

We went for a Spur lunch (her choice) afterwards, and there she realised that these kids can't just quickly go out to play at a restaurant! And then we made a list of all the things that these kids/adults can't do...

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The Woodside Sanctuary provides full-time care for 100 residents with severe mental deficiencies.
30 of the residents do not have the means to pay for their support, and Woodside has to fund it from their own budget. They have a budget deficit of over R600 000.
They are asking for winter donations of clothes and blankets to help keep the residents warm in the large wards.

Donations can be made here:
Woodside Sanctuary
Standard Bank
Melville Branch:  006105
Account No: 201098784



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