''Do It Day'' Report Back

Paint-speckled smiles, stiff arm muscles and that warm fuzzy feeling you get from doing a good deed were what the five volunteers from Portfolio took with them after a morning painting The Bridge at Elukhuselweni– a children’s home in Khayelitsha – on 19 September – this year’s Do it Day in South Africa.

They left behind a brighter, cleaner, freshly painted kitchen (the room they chose to paint – a large group of volunteers from UCT worked through the rest of the building) where three healthy meals are prepared daily for the 39 boys who currently call this place home.

The day started early and the traffic was heavy, but the sun was shining out from between the clouds and we all arrived ready to get stuck in. Our group of intrepid volunteers was made up of Leanne, Jolene, Isolde, Candice and myself (Joy), all Cape Town based Portfolio staff members.

The main House Mother, Mimi, welcomed us into the sunny TV room and answered our questions about the boys and day-to-day life at the home. The Bridge falls under the umbrella of well-known South African NGO The Homestead and has been in existence for 23 years. Most of the boys have come from the streets even though they do have families – for a number of reasons they are not able to stay at home. These reasons range from poverty to abuse. The children''s ages span from 7 to 18 years. Once they reach 18 they are integrated slowly back into their homes under the guardianship and watchful eyes of the care-workers at The Bridge.

After a formal welcome by social worker Sonja Basson, we were herded off to our allocated rooms and got stuck in. Long-legged Isolde joined the ‘tall’ team needed for painting ceilings while the rest of us headed for the kitchen where we were close to the kettle and much-needed coffee!

Considering Candice and Leanne had little to no previous painting experience, we did a fine job - despite having to use dodgy chairs for ladders. As we were not able to protect the floor (no newspapers were available) we spent some time cleaning up with turpentine afterwards, but by midday our work was done and the room looked a whole lot better!

We were disappointed not to be able to meet most of the boys, but the few who had stayed home to help kept us entertained with loud singing and dancing along with the blaring radio.

All in all ''Do It Day'' - organised by Greater Good SA -  was a fun and worthwhile experience, and I think we all felt humbled by the amazing work that the staff and workers at The Bridge do for these children year after year.

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