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Pictured are Mrs Rosinah Tshikovhele, Ms Tineke Noorlandt, Mr Robert Raphalalani. Noorlandt is holding Gift Maluleke, one of the children at the centre.

“Noorlandt has a heart of gold”

Date: 19 September 2014 By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

The Takalani Children's Home at Siloam in Nzhelele recently welcomed Ms Tineke Noorlandt (28), a volunteer from Holland.

Noorlandt's stint at the home covers a duration of three months. She has a variety of duties to perform in the centre. “My main duty is to assist children with their homework and to prepare them for their exams,” she said. “I also play guitar and sing a lot of songs with them. I also give them self-confidence training.”

Noorlandt is a trained, qualified teacher. She teaches Grade 2 at a primary school in Holland. “It was possible for me to ask for a leave, so that I can offer free work to the children here at Takalani Children's Home,” she said.

She plays different kind of games with children. She also teaches them painting. “I bake cakes and pizza, and give them a wonderful time!” she marvelled. “Once a week, we’re having boys' night or ladies' night. They learn from me, and I also learn from them.”

It seems that Noorlandt has a keen interest in children and working with them. After only a couple of weeks at the centre, she already knows each child by his or her name. She added that she was enjoying her stay at the home. The contacts and interaction with the children and the staff are what really make her feel at home. “I really feel blessed to be here,” she expressed. “I have become part of the family, and that is really special.”

It is not the first time that Noorlandt has visited South Africa. She first came to the country last year with a friend. “I stayed for a month, but that was too short,” she said. “It was my first time in South Africa and I enjoyed a lot. This time around, I had time to visit the Kruger National Park. And all I can say is that South Africa is a beautiful country.”

She added that she especially loved to see the mountains. “We don’t have them in Holland. I feel really blessed,” she said.

The home's director, Mrs Rosinah Tshikovhele, said that Noorlandt was a volunteer under the auspices of the Deputaten Diaconaat Christelike Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, who have been playing the part of a major donor of the home since its inception in 1988. “We thank Noorlandt for her educational and recreational contributions to the lives of our children,” she said. “We have seen her measureless love for children. She has a heart of gold. Her caring spirit is what makes her amazing.”

 
 
 

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Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

 
 

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Ms Tineke Noorlandt also teaches the children how to paint.

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