Thursday 6 September 2012

INSPIRATION

I went to a listen to a motivational speaker the other day. He actually calls himself an international speaker these days because he is traveling all over the worlds giving talks about mind power and how positive thoughts can change your life. I guess he said a few good things worth keeping in mind but nothing really revolutionary, nothing that hasn´t been said before. And still people pay a fortune to go and listen to his talks ( I am happy I didn´t have to pay for it!).

Sitting there, waiting and expecting for him to say something out of this world, something amazingly motivating that would have an impact on my future path in life, it suddenly became so obvious to me what a extraordinary inspirational atmosphere PPG/PoW provide. Because the so called “professional” talk I am attending was nothing in comparison what I experience at the center.  I couldn´t help smiling satisfying to myself when I realized how fortunate I am to have found my own unique source of motivation and inspiration. Luckily I am not alone in my finding. Hundreds of kids discovered and understood the value of this precious jewel long before me. More precisely, since two years ago! Which brings me to wish PPG a:

 HAPPY (belated) TWO YEARS ANNIVERSARY!! :-D  

No wonder the organization has grown from a few kids to 300 kids in such short period of time. Just like me they couldn´t stay away from nor keep quiet to their friends about the positive energy, the genuine smiles from caring people (not some guy on a stage who thinks he is the world´s savior) and true friends, the goal oriented focus and hard work, success stories, the determination and dedication to make change  - elements which jointly make up this incredible encouraging and inspirational environment. Of course I noticed and was hugely affected by this remarkable vibe already on my very first day in Langa but with some distance to it and with the motivational speech as a kind of reference it became so clear what an impact it has on me and all people who are in contact with PPG (because I know I am not only talking for myself!:-)).
Again, I am so happy to have spent a little time at the center. In the amazing spirit of Project Playground I have once again been reminded that anything is possible. A lesson that I know that all kids have learnt from the day that they became a participant of PPG. And it is with that philosophy in mind that we are going to continue our way through life. THANK YOU ALL at PPG for that crucial motivating insight! Hope to see you again soon!  Lots of
 

Saturday 25 August 2012

GABRIELLA CENTRE






The Gabriella centre. A centre for physically and mentally challenged children. That´s Yolanda´s home for the next month. Located in the outskirts of Cape Town it´s a place in the midst of beautiful scenery and the centre itself can only be described in all the superlatives that exist. To give you an idea of what this “palace” looks like I have posted some pictures for you to be amazed by!

 There couldn´t be a better place for Yolanda to try and recover and hopefully gain new energy to keep on fighting for her survival. Her stay here will mean she is no longer exposed to water leakage or penetration of the freezing wintery wind that Cape Town is experiencing at the moment. She will stay warm and will be under professional supervision 24/7. With 20 other children of various ages, of which 10 of them are residents and the other ten day care children, she will have many new friends always in her closeness. And on top of that, her mother will spend as much time as possible by her side.

Like everyone else who knows this lovable girl, I hope from the bottom of my heart that her stay here will do her good. And that when she will be leaving in a month once again is the smiling and glowing Yolanda that we know her as. I am already waiting eagerly for the first update we will get in the beginning of next week!

Wednesday 22 August 2012

A SHORT RETURN

It is not easy to stay away from something that you feel a strong affection to, something which feels like a family and something which you are longing back to more or less every day. That´s why I find myself in Cape Town and at Project Playground again! J Although it is only for a short visit this time I thought it was better than no visit at all.

It is been five months since I was last here but during the first incredibly delightful minutes at the center it feels as if it was yesterday. Same faces, same friendliness, same warmth. And it felt like coming home. This confirms, like many times before, that when there is a solid and hearty bond between people time and geography have no negative impact on the connection you feel towards each other. That was an wonderful insight!
After the first minutes I do realized I had been away for a while. Play on Wheels have made a tremendous progress in many various aspects. First of all, two new adorable participants have joined the division. And they seem to enjoy it to the fullest and constantly have a smile on their face.
Thanks to the very skilled and engaged occupational therapist who was employed by the time I left the participants have made a tremendous progress from a therapeutic and developmental viewpoint. The room is now filled with toys and other equipment, acquired to help the participants to develop both mentally and physically. One of them who couldn´t walk without assistance is now walking quite a distance independently. Another one who had a problem using her hand is now using it without even reflecting that it was an effort before. The same girl can now also create complete sentences as opposed to the random words she earlier used to express herself verbally. These are only a few examples of the fantastic progress that they have done during these past months.
The improvement in terms of structure and organization is also notable. With time the daily routines have now settled, which seem to have had a positive effect on the staff. They now radiate a calmness and confidence that didn´t exist to the same extent in the beginning. Which is perfectly understandable. And with a stronger confidence, improved knowledge and skills and a continuous remarkable team spirit they seems to be, if possible, even more passionate about their job.
 The only extremely sad news is that one of the participants has a severe health condition. Thanks to generous funding she will be admitted to a center for disabled later this week which will be her new home for the coming month. Great news in this time of terrible anxiety. We can only make a prayer to whatever we believe in that it will help her to will stay with us for some time more.
Apart from this concern, I am sooooooo happy to be back and the warm welcome I received almost made me teary eyed -  out of joy! J This is really turning in to feel like a second home to me.

Thursday 26 April 2012

A LOVE STORY

I have been home for a few weeks now. The day when I left Cape Town and Project Playground/Play on Wheels was a tear filled day. I normally don´t like goodbyes but this farewell was worse than ever. I didn´t expect myself to react that way. Although goodbyes are sometimes difficult I usually manage to pull it together. This time I failed completely. I guess it says a lot about how emotionally engaged I have become in the organization. It has taken me almost until today to reprogram my mind from Play on Wheels and to find a focus on my reality in Sweden. The strong emotional connection persists though. It is something that I hope never will go away. But I have realized that the geographical distance and the fact (and sadness) of not being involved in the work on a daily basis anymore has given me another perspective of my experience with Play on Wheels. The last couple of days when I have had some time to reflect about the time I spent in this amazing environment I have come to a conclusion; it is comparable to an intense and passionate LOVE STORY. I will explain how.
Every day when I woke up Play on Wheels is the first I thought about. Every night before I fell asleep it was the last thing on my mind. Every day when I came out and met the participants and the team a smile spread on my face. A smile that stayed on my face as long as I had them in my surrounding and spent time with them. And every day when they left I wished for the moment when they would come back and I would see them again. They gave me a lot of affection. They made me feel important. They gave me a lot of joy. And I gave them my heart. I tried my best to show them that and I hope they felt it. It has been an experience that took me by storm, made me live life to the fullest and made me truly enjoy every day. My world was more or less Play on Wheels.
Just like when you meet someone special, fall crazy in love and wish that every moment, every second in that person´s company could last forever. That´s exactly how I felt.
I want to THANK the Play on Wheels team; Portia, Xoliswa, Hazel, Fundi, Malenda, Ntombi and Manini for accepting me as a sister and as a team member. It has been fantastic to get to know you all!
I want to THANK the participants; Yolanda, Lusindiso, Siphe, Mbali, Unathi and Babsi for filling my heart with happiness. You are the most lovable persons!
Of course I want to give a huge THANK YOU to the Project Playground staff and kids. Although I didn´t work as close with you as with Play on Wheels we belong to the same organization, we are colleagues, a team, a unity. A great deal of my wonderful experience with Project Playground is thanks to you.. It wouldn´t have been the same without you  I am so grateful that I got to meet you and to have so many memorable moments from the time we spent together.
THANK you, Lina, for being an administrative support and for a great week together!
Last but definitely not least, A MILLION HEARTY THANKS, to Frida and Sofia, who gave me the opportunity to experience all this and let me be part of something amazing. You both know who much I admire what you have created and the incredible hard work that you do every day, no matter if it is a week day or weekend, no matter if it is 2 pm or 2 am. That is called dedication and you are living examples of what that word means.
I will never forget you and I hope from the bottom of my heart that we will all meet again.


Monday 16 April 2012

PARTICIPANTS PART 6 – THE LAST PART: THE FOUNDER OF PLAY ON WHEELS

I realized some time ago that I should have begun the section about the participants by introducing you to the young lady who I am now about to present. WHY? Because she is the seed that created the beautiful and vivid Play on Wheels flower that exists today. When Frida and Sofia met her for the first time she made them come up with the idea of also involving children with disabilities in Project Playground. Because one of the articles of the UN convention, upon which part of the constitution of Project Playground is founded, says: “That state Parties shall recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities…” This includes ALL children.

So here we are today, thanks to this adorable girl. A girl with profound cerebral palsy which has resulted in impaired vision and hearing, no speech and the need of medical devices for breathing and eating (trache and tube respectively).  Due to her health condition she was given a life expectancy at birth of five years. This year the same girl turns ten years old. Amazing! There can´t be a more obvious proof of her incredible inner strength. She was definitely born a fighter – a character which is also demonstrated by her almost constant good mood. She gets especially excited and happy in the company of other people and loves the attention she receives. Then she can smile forever! A warm, wonderful smile. I am so happy that she proved the doctor estimating her life length, wrong and decided to keep on fighting for a life. If not, I would never have had a chance to meet her and to spend time with her - something which I have appreciated a lot and never would have liked to be without. She is one of the persons I have met in life who has taught me what it is to be strong. I am very grateful for that. She is a super girl!



Wednesday 11 April 2012

PARTICIPANTS PART 5: THE DANCER

He might be blind, with no speech and profound celebral palsy, BUT this Mr. can move! As soon as the music turns on or when there are people singing he can no longer sit still in his wheelchair. His arms are moving like the wings of a bird and he smiles an never before. Music is genuine happiness for him. And the joy he shows is spread to everyone around him.

Even though he can´t neither talk nor see he makes a lot of efforts in trying to communicate. By sounds and movements he seems determined to let the world know what is on his mind. It is impressive to witness the willpower he still possesses to make himself understood. With such a mindset, in combination with correct therapy and stimulation, I am convinced that he has good conditions to make a lot of progress.




Thursday 29 March 2012

PARTICIPANTS PART 4: THE SOCIAL GIRL

The fourth participant is a girl with mild celebral palsy. What fascinates me most about this girl is that I have never seen her in a bad mood. As soon as you greet her, talk to her and look at her she smiles and laughs, She loves the attention. She loves being around people and to socialize. Sometimes she almost screams out of excitement of being in a social context. At the same time you can see a tendency of envy in her eyes when she is not sitting among the other in the group.  Or when she doesn´t get the same attention as someone else. Knowing her background her behavior is beyond understandable. Since 2005 she has not been been interacting with other people or children. She has only been lying on a bed in her house with no social stimulation. No wonder she is craving the company of other human beings. And also amazing that she is not more reserved and timid after such a long time of isolation.

In her case, the greatest stimulation and life changing factor that Play on Wheels so far has offered her is most probably the opportunity of being among people. Something that most of us take for granted. And something that is crucial for us as human beings. And by time, she has a huge potential to grow tremendously as a person and develop both mentally and physically. I am looking forward to see that progress.