One of our regular groups, Myerscough College, donated money to support a level 1 First Aid Training Course for the teachers at Sinovuyo Day Care Centre in Paterson. Shamwari Conservation Experience has been supporting Sinovuyo for 2.5 years now and with their number of children growing rapidly we felt it was important to equip the teachers with some First Aid Training to not only further their skills but to also enhance the safety and well-being of the children.
Our community pioneer, Cindy Stadler, organised for a brand new First Aid Bag for the Centre and for the charismatic and engaging trainer, Rosemary Joubert, to deliver a 2 day programme to 6 staff.
By running a programme like this we are encouraging the team at Sinovuyo to be better equipped and more confident at dealing with illnesses and child management. These kinds of skills are not readily available to teachers in the area and it was certainly a hugely beneficial exercise. The most amusing part of the course for most was when they had to practice putting each other into the recovery position, some were better at playing the unconscious patient than others! The Headmistress of Sinovuyo, Mrs Joni was delighted with the course and with everyone passing the final exam, she said she was very proud of her team.
To make this all possible another group in residence at the time took on the responsibility of looking after the kids for the full 2 days whilst the teachers were attending their course. So, with students turning teachers they took on the challenge of teaching them to count in English, as well as key words for every day items and the final challenge was to feed everyone! The highlight for the kids at the centre though was the infamous “Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes” rhyme which went down incredibly well! There were a lot of tired students at the end of the day who realised just how difficult child care can be! One of the students said, “This was the most rewarding experience of my whole trip”. Sinovuyo really does touch your heart.
Huge thanks to the Myerscough students and staff for their incredible generosity and commitment to the Sinovuyo development plan. We couldn’t do this excellent work without you and hope that you will soon be back to see what you have made possible. We look forward to welcoming a new group of students from Myerscough back to Shamwari Conservation Experience in June of this year!