By Lone Lourens | Marketing and Fundraising Manager
2020 has been a difficult year for us all, and we like most others are happy that it has come to an end. Woodside Sanctuary has faced many challenges during the past year, but thanks to the kindness and generosity of our supporters, the forward thinking and planning of our Management and the hardworking dedication of our incredible staff we have been able to come through 2020 and are able to continue to offer our essential services to those most in need.
Even though 2020 was a difficult year we still had some wonderful highlights and achievements:
Mental Health and Audits
We received an exemplary audit from the Department of Health and Social Development for 2019 and have also been named a best practice facility by the Departments and as such, they have approached us to provide training to other NGOs within the Mental Health Care sector to assist them in Human Relations, Financial Management, Operational Management, Feeding and Nutrition and up-skilling of staff. Woodside's kitchen is audited annually and obtained a 94.37% this year for their front and back of house operations. Our Audit for 2020 took place on the 6th of November 2020, we have not yet received our results, but had some good feedback and are expecting a positive result.
Raising Awareness
Woodside Sanctuary took part in the Jerusalema Challenge in September this year, to help and raise awareness for those with intellectual disabilities. This proved to be a great success and our video has reached over 87 000 people with that number continuing to increase. We will continue to search for more ways to help and raise awareness utilising social media.
COVID-19 successes
Even though we had to face many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are incredibly proud of our nursing team for ensuring that our residents remained well and healthy throughout the pandemic. Although every precaution was taken, in July we completed testing on all staff and residents, and received 70 positive results, this was incredibly disheartening, but our nursing team remained strong, and thankfully all our residents were asymptomatic. Every single one of our residents and staff who were COVID positive, recovered fully, and to date we have not had another COVID positive test result. We firmly believe that this miraculous result is due almost entirely to the hard work and dedication of our incredible nursing team.
Our Nursing team was also honoured by the Northcliff Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Johannesburg new dawn, when they were presented with a Rotary Family Health Days SA certificate in recognition of their incredible efforts throughout the COVID crisis.
Training of Students
Woodside Sanctuary continues to be a preferred training facility for 4th and 3rd year Nursing students from institutions such as the University of Johannesburg, WITS, Baragwanath and Ann Latsky. Here the students get the first hand practical training they need in order to get their respective qualifications. In 2019 alone over 300 students did their practical training at Woodside. In 2020 these numbers have dropped to 70 students as a result of the COVID-19 situation and National Lockdown.
Woodside has also been providing practical training to Social Worker students for some years now, and in 2020, we had two social worker students who continued to receive guidance from our social worker online, in order to complete their qualifications. The online aspect of this was influenced by COVID-19 and the lockdown.
While we are happy to have made it through 2020, we are acutely aware that COVID-19 continues to be a threat and will most likely remain so for some time to come. We have many stringent protocols in place, and will continue to enforce them until such a time that the safety of those in our care can be ensured. We will continue to maintain PPE levels, and monitor all staff and residents to be sure that all remain in good health throughout the year.
Our primary focus continues and will always be the provision of exceptional full-time care to all of our 82 profoundly intellectually disable residents, 25 of which are either orphaned or have no means of financial support (our Angels). The adults and children in our care require lifelong assistance and will never be able to care for themselves or filter into normal society, therefore, this is an ongoing project and will require constant funding to help us ensure that all our residents receive the very best care possible.
The GlobalGiving community have helped us to raise just over 50% of our target for our Woodside’s Angels project, and we simply cannot thank you enough for your incredible support and generosity. Your generous assistance throughout the difficult times that we have faced has helped us to be able to continue to keep Woodside hygienically clean, keep our staff and residents protected by ensuring that all the needed PPE was available, and to provide food, medications, toiletries, a place of safety, holistic care and stimulation for the 25 Profoundly Intellectually disabled orphans and vulnerable angels in our care.
Like many NPOs, Woodside Sanctuary is heavily reliant on the kindness and generosity of our donors and supporters and it is only with their compassionate assistance that we are able to continue to maintain the highest standards of care, provide excellent nursing, medical and residential care for all who live here. On behalf of Woodside Sanctuary and especially the angels in our care, we offer our deepest and most heartfelt thanks to our donors and supporters for their outstanding generosity and kindness, during this exceedingly difficult time. Your care and compassion is what keeps us going, and we are eternally grateful to you for all you have done to help and support us! Thank you!!
2020 has been a year of many challenges but Woodside has succeeded in overcoming those difficulties and we have grown as an organisation. 2021 has started with much uncertainty and trepidation but we are cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead. We feel confident that with the continued support of our wonderful donors, staff and families, we will be able to face whatever challenges are presented to us in the coming year.
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