Camp 46

CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation SA – Western Cape | Oppiesee Camp, Melkbostrand

April 2015

Perfect Cape late summer weather accompanied the 40 children and team Camp Crew Members who attended the Just Footprints camp in the Western Cape in April. The camp was held at the Oppiesee Camp, in the Melkbostrand area, which enjoys a magnificent view of Table Mountain. Being on the coast, the children were able to spend a lot of time on the beach, and many of the activities were geared towards this. Beach activities included kite flying, an educational walk, and – of course – swimming in the sea, even though the Atlantic Ocean can be rather cold! Another highlight was sausage-making in teams, and cooking their own potjiekos. The traditional Camp Footprints activity of setting the tables produced many creative designs from the children, who made full use of material from the beach such as shells and driftwood. The Wednesday outing was sponsored by the Constantia Rotary Club with a visit to the fascinating !Khwa ttu San Education and Cultural Centre near Darling, where the children were taught to make traditional San “clicks”. The huge task of catering was ably handled by Mike and Yvonne Hughes of Ukusa Safaris.

Camp 47

CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation SA  Sibling Camp – Johannesburg Phiri Camp Kwalata in the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve Gauteng

May 2015

22 excited campers, siblings of children with cancer-related illnesses, attended the second Just Footprints Foundation sibling camp in the wilderness setting of Dinokeng Game Reserve. Here they were not only encouraged to enjoy their environment and meet the wildlife on an early morning game drive but were given the space to be who they are and to have lots of fun. Often referred to as the “silent sufferers”, the camp gave the siblings the opportunity to share their feelings and concerns about their sick brother or sister in a safe and contained space amongst professional psychosocial staff and trained volunteers from CHOC.

Camp 48

Gateway School | Phiri Camp Kwalata in the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve

June 2015

56 children from the Gateway School in Gauteng spent a weekend at the Kwalata Game Reserve, north of Pretoria, where they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the creative and fun camp activities facilitated by the Camp Footprints Team. While all these special children live with the challenges of differing abilities, their capacity to enjoy themselves to the fullest knows no bounds! This camp was the 48th camp hosted by Just Footprints, and illustrates the range of children’s life challenges that are catered for at the camps hosted by Just Footprints.
Our sincere thanks to the Carl & Emily Fuchs Foundation for sponsoring this camp.

Camp 49

St Francis Anglican Church, Parkview and Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry- Soweto | Phiri Camp Kwalata in the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve.

A whole footpath of caring new footprints were made by young parishioners of St Francis Anglican Church over the long weekend in August when they assisted at a camp for 50 children from the Soweto-based Ikageng Itireleng Aids project. Funding for the camp was made possible through the generous support of St Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, Madison, Wisconsin in the USA. Among the fun activities the children enjoyed was an art project in which they decorated beautiful wooden toy kits which had been put together by St Francis parishioner, Anita Speedy. Another great time was had when they decorated marie biscuits for their Sunday morning tea in the bush after church.Each camper went home with their own personal designer t-shirt which had been enthusiastically painted by the participants of our International Mandela Day initiative in July.

Camp 50

Three2 Six Project  Grade 1 & Grade 2 | Phiri Camp Kwalata in the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve Gauteng

Camp Footprints celebrated its 50th camp in December 2015 and was privileged to do so with the funders who have been with us from the beginning of our journey: Taste Holdings. We also introduced our new look Camp Footprints gear and had an amazing group of Camp Crew Members from Australia, as well as students from St Johns, Michaelhouse, St Stithians and Sacred Heart College. Also joining us were two German Camp Crew Members from Sacred Heart College who assisted in getting our campers ready for camp with the help of Esther, who runs the Three 2 Six programme at Sacred Heart College. 48 Grade 1 and Grade 2 students joined us for three days at camp.  These children attend school from 3pm to 6pm daily at Sacred Heart College as part of a refugee programme catering for children from Grades 1-6.  Many of the children attending this camp were born en route to South Africa and have had to endure many challenges in their young lives.  We decided that they would have three days of fun during which they could stretch their imaginations, play games with intent, as well as swim, enjoy a Christmas party and receive a Christmas gift. We are grateful to Taste Holdings for being part of our Footprints journey over so many years and look forward to many more camps with this fantastic team.

Camp 51

Three 2 Six Project Grade 3, 4 & 5 | Phiri Camp Kwalata in the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve Gauteng

For our 51st camp, we decided that the Grade 3, 4 and 5s that attend Sacred Heart College’s Three 2 Six Programme should also have the opportunity to enjoy a camping experience. 72 campers therefore joined us for three days at Kwalata Game Reserve in Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng. Once again our amazing Camp Crew Members from Australia, and St John’s, Michaelhouse, Sacred Heart and St Stithians Colleges pulled out all the stops to make sure that these children had an amazing three days full of adventure, sport, theatre, dance, as well as a Christmas party, a visit from Father Christmas and delicious food prepared and served by our funders Taste Holdings. This camp was also made possible with funding from the Australian government and Rebecca Bromhead, whose passion is to take care of refugees. So often it has been the passion of people and long distance friendships that have helped us get to this point, and we thank Bec for everything she does for these amazing children in Africa as well as her work among refugees in Australia.

Camp 52

Sizanani Outreach Project | Kwa-Zulu Natal Mtunzini – Twinstreams Educational Centre

Summer holidays and perfect beach weather in mid-December 2015 in KwaZulu/Natal: What better way to spend December than with our friends from Sizanani Outreach Centre, a community based organisation in Nkandla assisting children with HIV/Aids, orphans and vulnerable children? 59 campers, aged from 8 to 18 years, joined us for a week of adventure with a phenomenal team from Sizanani and Camp Crew Members from Germany. Our programme was packed to capacity with many stimulating educational activities that were geared towards appreciating our natural environment, from exploring the coastline to navigating through the mangroves, learning that mud is good for you, kayaking and crab hunting. Unquestionably one of the most exciting of these adventures was to sleep out on the beach all night surrounded by thousands of stars. Many of these campers have never left the Nkandla area, so every day was a new adventure filled with many interesting opportunities and time to learn. This camp was made possible by Sizanani funders throughout Germany as well as Camp Footprints. We thank Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini Haas, a social worker at Sizanani, for her dedication and passion for children and their education.