Butterfly House has been completed!  We had a very successfull opening on 2nd November.  Ivar Koteng and Nina, Oyvind and Anne-Marie (Social Work Agency Bufetat) and Finn & Kari (SpareBank) attended all the way from Trondheim in Norway.  Alberta Mayberry from the American Consulate attended and the Norwegian Embassy gave their apologies and wished us well. We had a local Marimba band, Sally Steinmetz sang, a youth group performed and Aubrey sang an aria.  Ivar unveiled the corner stone which has Maria von Backstrom's words 'Hope has Wings' inscribed and Adriaan Venter, our chairman, undid the ribbon to open the gates.  Fran Tong was the mistress of ceremonies, not because she came cheap as she said and Liz Gwyther (CEO of HPCA) put the care needed in perspective.  Elizabeth Scrimgeour told 'the story' of Butterfly House and Adriaan Venter reminded us that 'lack of hope' was what tripped us up in Africa... we need to create hope and Butterfly House was a way of doing just that!

Maika and Volker Goetze from Cascade Manor helped with and donated much of the catering, the flowers were magnificent they were arranged and donated by Kathleen Potton, a flower judge.  Staff, home base care workers, volunteers, friends and family worked really hard and it went off beautifully.  When all was being cleared, it rained. In true African tradition, rain brings blessings....  Thank you to all who attended and made the day such a success.  

Now the work begins!


Butterfly House is growing... updated 15th April 2008

14th March 2008 update.  At the end of this week the building has progressed above the ground...  we have arrived!  Ivar Koteng brought 2 staff members (Unnur and Sissel) and Ingrid from the Norwegian Family Counselling Agency in Trondheim to visit Drakenstein Hospice and the Butterfly House project.  Thank you for the respectful way in which you witnessed our work and for the difference you have made and will make to the lives of the staff and patients... What a partnership!


Monday 3rd March 2008 we had a very successful Board Training session.  We are a new board of directors and needed to find out what our resposibilities are and how we need to set the scene for the future.  Questions like "What is the role of the Board of Directors?"; "What do we as Board members bring to the management of Butterfly House?" and "What are operational issue and what are Board issues...?" were addressed.  Thank you Gary for taking the innitiative and guiding us through the process.

5th February 2008

On Saturday 26th January we all gathered in Fairyland for the ceremonial 'sod turning' event.  We invited the community, handed out 1000 cooldrinks and doughnuts!  We did face painting and coloured in butterfly pictures all in 40+ degrees heat.  We acknowledged all who contributed to the vision and getting the project off the ground by a symbolic gesture of a well used spade, decorated with a ribbon.  We are builing.....



6th July 2007

Maria von Backström has been appointed by HPCA paediatric portfolio in a consultancy capacity to co-ordinate the operational funtions of Butterfly House and Butterfly House has been selected as a pilot paediatric programme which will be funded by Pepfar and Princess Diana Fund.  We are on the move!

Things are happening fast.  The building plans have been submitted to the municipality, Gary Helling is our building Project Manager and now with Maria's appointment we are well on track to start building at the beginning of September.

The Mission Statement has been revisited, it is now:To co-create and manage a palliative community resource of mutual care and support, which focuses on 'living' with HIV/Aids.

The Vision is:To provide quality holistic care; for the community, in the community, with the community.

Elize Morkel represented Drakenstein Hospice and the Butterfly House project at the international narrative therapy conference in Norway last month.  Thank you Elize for taking us out there and spreading the word.

Butterfly greetings

Elizabeth

Friday 1st September 2006

A Spring Day Gift - We have been granted the land!

15th January, 2007   Stig Winsnes reported: 'It is a new surprise that our regional director for BUF (children,youth and family matters) Aud Bjørkås,on her 60 year birthday, got kr 25 000,- from the guests as a gift to the "Butterfly", instead of personal gifts to herself.'    What a joy, our Butterfly House family is growing:  'It takes a village to raise a child' and a community to care.... thank you from us all Aud and a blessed 60th year.  It is the support of people like you that keep our energy and committment going.  May we see a completed building by the end of the year and may we find a way on including our global and Norwegian community in the work and the joy.   Butterfly wishes Elizabeth Scrimgeour

Handing-over Ceremony of funds from Norway

A small ceremony was held to honour the Norwegians who donated funds towards the Butterfly House project.   EM gave feedback of her recent visit to Trondheim.  She told about the enthusiasm and generosity and a memorable ceremony of commitment which she witnessed in Norway to honour the Butterfly House project partnership. She said the work that we do really touched the hearts of the Norwegian community. A granite candle was brought from the Tronheim Ceremony and included as a centre feature on our Butterfly emblem created with local sandstone candles.  We all held hands and renewed our pledge of solidarity to create Butterfly House in partnership as a way of reaching out to the community infected and affected by HIV/Aids, poverty and unemployment. An article about the Norwegian Funders and Butterfly House, together with photographs taken at the ceremony, will be placed in the local newspaper, the Paarl Post.