Day 8 (cont’d) – Hospice Centers

When our visit at the Barnes School was over, Geoff took us on a visit to two hospice centers that he has partnerships with.  From the Barnes School, we drove about 12 miles southwest through East London and arrived at our first stop, the Curt Warmberg Haven and Wellness Centre. 

Our group outside the Wellness Centre

Here, we were given a tour of the facility, where we were told that the center does much more than just HIV/AIDS care. Over 200 children are fed daily – directly from the kitchen of this facility. This is accomplished with just 22 staff members. The Warmberg Center also collects clothes and materials needed for young children and gives them to families in need. 

The Centre's Educare Facility

The staff accepted our group’s donation of sheets and toiletries. In fact, rather than just saying Thank You, the staff showed us their appreciation by singing us a hymn of joy that was quite moving.

Our second stop, not very far away, was the Good Samaritan Child & Youth Centre. Here we met Pastor Mike du Plessis, a long-time friend of Geoff’s. Mike told us that this center started in 2006 and currently provides on-site care for 14 full-time patients who are living with HIV/AIDS. They also care for about 300 patients living in the surrounding areas, as well as 60 children from their patients’ families. As Mike said, “We are an advocate for kids when their adults can’t be there for them.” Mike accepted our group’s donations of toiletries and bed linens and told us these items would definitely be put to good use.

Our group with Pastor Mike