Terrific Students

Thank You Oak Bay High!

Oak Bay High School’s student leadership group fasted for 24 hours starting at 8 am Nov. 16^th. They took pledges in the days leading up to their fast and presented African Aids Angels with a cheque for $3524.73 on the afternoon of the 16th, just as everyone was starting to get really hungry.

Thanks to a great group of involved, energetic and compassionate students!

Parksville Qualicum group excels

Juliana Kratz spearheads a busy workshop of angel makers with the Parksville Qualicum Kairos group. They work throughout the year and their angels have produced significant donations to AIDS Angels projects. Congratulations and thanks go to them.

This picture and a story appeared in the Parksville Qualicum Beach News on November 9. Currently the story is available as a link here.

Give a Gift of Hope

We now have gift cards which you can use to honour your friends and family. If you wish to make a donation to African Aids Angels projects on someone's behalf, we will provide a card to let the person know.

Inside the card is an explanation of the work done by African Aids Angels. You can give the card to friends, co-workers, relatives, or to anyone you would like to acknowledge.

The minimum amount is $15, and there is no maximum. $50 will support 1 child for one month in an orphanage, and $35 will pay for school fees for one year.

If you would like to make a donation and receive a gift card, please send a cheque to African AIDS Angels, c/o 1855 Neil St., Victoria BC V8R 3C6. Please indicate clearly the name and address for mailing the card, including postal code. We can send it to you or the recipient. If you have questions, please email to africanaidsangels@gmail.com.

News from the Thembalethu Orphanage

Vic and Lorraine Parsons, the founders of African Aids Angels, are currently in South Africa, working at Thembalethu Orphanage, one of the four projects supported by the Angels.

Here is a note from them:

We are taking a couple of days off from the children's shelter at Shelly Beach which is on the Indian Ocean so thought I should e-mail you. It has been very difficult getting to a place with internet here and the telephones have been out at Assisi for more than a week due to severe thunderstorms.

I wanted to tell a bit about the kids. We are being very well looked after here, and the kids are great. They run to us now with great excitement(when we arrive each morning.

One of them, Siyabonga, which means :We thank you, is HIV positive and had to be taken to hospital at 11 p.m. about two weeks ago. He was severely dehydrated but has returned in much better shape.

Two little girls who were afraid of our white faces have become close buddies now. One, Amahle, meaning Beautiful One, is about three. No one really knows her name and parents as she was abandoned on the street until someone turned her over to the Sisters for care.

A second one was Sanelisiwe, who is very thin, and probably HIV+. She cried about 75 p.c. of her waking hours and the first time we saw her smile was when we took her into the play area and blew bubbles with the kids. Now she giggles and plays with toys all the time, and really brightens up when we come near. The Sisters were very concerned about her because for a long time she refused to eat, but now she feed happily.

Another little girl is Nomussselelo, who is six. She just came to the shelter last week. Her father has died of AIDS and her mother is quite sick, and she came to the shelter with her own meds, and is HIV too. She is quite a talented artist for a girl her age and speaks English quite well.

When Lorraine asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said: "Happy."

James Bay Angels?

James Bay

We have had a number of inquiries from the James Bay area . Several people are hoping to make angels in their neighbourhood.

Do you live in the James Bay area and have space for a group or 5 or 6 people to come to your home to make angels once or twice before Christmas?

If you are interested: contact Mary at lmbomford@gmail.com