Many welcoming and excited smiles punctuated the celebration.
At the end of last month, we had a special time of celebrating in the Special Needs Department as we threw a party to praise God for the wonderful new classroom we have been blessed with here at Kasana.
Since the Special Needs Class began in 2011 the number of students has gradually increased from 6 to 14 and until this year we were all crammed into a couple of very small rooms in the Kasana clinic. It was always interesting for staff, children and visitors to manoeuvre around one another and the numerous pieces of equipment and wheelchairs in our classroom.
Enjoying the spacious mat area in the new classroom.
However, last year we were blessed with several substantial donations and many smaller ones that all made it possible for our very spacious and beautiful classroom (complete with a large indoor bathroom and store room, and a veranda with built-in seating) to be constructed. Unfortunately it did cost rather a lot more than we first hoped but we are definitely pleased with the quality of the building and it is such a great environment for the children to learn in and the staff to work in.
The guests of honour at our party were Uncle Howie and Uncle Kay who were visiting from Canada with some of their children. Their donation was the first one which kick-started the building project. Other guests included Uncle Jay and Auntie Vicki Dangers (whose daughter Julia attends sessions in our class,) Uncle Tony (our head of Childcare,) nurses and clinical officers from our clinic and two of our church elders. As well as the Treasures class children and their parents / carers, we had also invited 8 community children to come.
Praising God together in a favorite song from weekly music classes.
People began arriving at around 11am and the party started officially at about 12pm. Auntie Kate began by sharing with the guests how the Special Needs Programme had been renamed ‘Treasures in Jars of Clay’ and how it had begun back in 2009 when God had led her to come to Kasana to care for Hassan, our first special needs child. After sharing some of the children`s stories she gave several of the parents a chance to share their testimonies of how they and their children had been blessed by the programme; these stories were of great encouragement to everyone and we then all joined in praising God (lead by A.Hannah and some of the ‘Treasures Class.’) Several of the parents shared how their child`s disability had led them closer to God and one Father had even given his life to Christ as a result of the hardships he had faced caring for his severely disabled son.
Before lunch, two of our church elders came to the front to thank God for the classroom and all He had done through the programme. They also dedicated the building to God and prayed for many people to come to know Him as they came into contact with the children and staff of ‘Treasures In Jars of Clay.”
Everyone of course enjoyed the matooke, G-nut sauce, Rice, Meat, Chapatis and Sodas and they were so full that staff forgot to give out the cakes until over half the guests had left.
We praise God for a lovely day, a wonderful classroom, for all that He is doing through the programme and ultimately for his amazing, unconditional love for each and every one of us.
We will soon be writing another post to share with you our plans for the second half of the building project so keep an eye out and pray for God`s provision for us……..THANK YOU!
Kate Tolhurst, Special Needs Programme Coordinator
It takes a significant amount of time and resources to care for these children entrusted to us through the Treasures class – both living at Kasana and those we support who live with their families in the community. If you feel led to participate in this ministry, please consider a contribution to support their ongoing basic and medical care as well as enrichment and educational opportunities through the Treasures class.