December 2012 – Vukuzakhe Update
To our funders, well-wishers and friends, This will be our last Newsletter for 2012. We at Vukuzakhe Projects wish you all a blessed and joyful Christmas and a New Year in which a measure of prosperity will return. The tiny girl sitting in the bright red igloo is Xolisiwe Mbedlana and she is seven years old. She was born very prematurely and her mother, a teenager, abandoned her. Sister Abigail Nhleko took her under her wing. At the time, doctors said that Xolisiwe would never talk and would be little more than a burden all her life. Next year Xolisiwe will be in Grade ‘R’ at Noah’s Ark and learning to write. She can count. She talks. She sings like a nightingale. And she laughs! Xoli (as she is known) has many friends at Noah’s Ark and is much loved. Here in South Africa our economy has followed those of most other countries – in the wake of a weakening currency and rising oil prices, we have seen our fuel prices more than double this year. Our economy is further assailed by labour unrest (and events unfolding around Marikana), which spread from mines to transport and then to the Western Cape’s wines and fresh produce. The queue of people at our food distribution points run by the local churches get longer and we see new faces every week – but praise the Lord that we still have food to distribute! This year Pierre went to the Central Drakensberg by invitation to a conference where he received the Premier’s Award at the Board of Health Funders Conference. Several organisations were short-listed but Vukuzakhe won because of the scope of its involvement – for which various Funders awarded the Project R45000. More importantly, we have a commitment from a major supplier to conduct Optometric Evaluation at schools we nominate. VUKUZAKHE’S focus is on EDUCATION, believing as we do that it is the key element in the upliftment of formerly disadvantaged people. These Programmes are: FARM FAMILY LITERACY which includes the Township groups meeting in the Congregational Church Hall and Jabulani Community Hall twice weekly and regularly reaches 62 adults. Let the facilitators tell their story: Sbongile Ngcobo writes: “We teach them to write their names, complete bank forms to deposit and withdraw money, complete registration forms for their children. And lately they have been learning to read their children’s school books and can read stories to them. We teach them a lot about the importance of clean water and the various diseases that affect us in our country – how to protect themselves against such diseases. There is a crisis in our country of child abuse and we teach them how to protect their children, what signs of abuse to look for and what to do if they think their child may be abused. Our Department of Social Development runs a project called sukuma sakhe and the departments of Education, Home Affairs and Health are a part of it. We encourage our adults to register, obtain their Identity Documents and register for their pensions and social grants. We encourage them to go to the Clinic to check their status so that they can get help before they get sick.” Nompumulelo Nyati also runs an Adult Literacy Group. She tells us about her group: “Some of our Group complained that they cannot see well, so Pierre organised tests and spectacles for them. We are using a book called Advanced English – it teaches them things they need to know in their daily lives with topics like Town, The House, The Kitchen. They...
Read MoreDecember 2012 – Clouds Update
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION On behalf of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff, and all the children of Clouds of Hope, we would like to thank you very much for your generosity to us over this past year. We have had a good year of achievement at Clouds. We have always believed that a sound education is our very best gift to our children. They are generally doing well, and wonderful opportunities have been offered to some of the older ones for bursaries for tertiary study, and scholarships to complete their schooling. Programs for those who are not so academically-inclined are also in place. With the assistance of the German group Be Your Own Hero, and the USA charity Children’s Chance for Life, we have made our dream of a Halfway House a reality. However, with a large group of our children going to “Big School” for the first time in 2013, (oh my, the excitement!) we have a long way to go. Our biggest challenge continues to be covering our running costs. Our useful premises and added developments allow us to provide the services that we know our children need, but without running costs to cover such essentials as Caregivers, food, clothing, education, transport, electricity and water, maintenance etc, we would not be able to keep going. So we are particularly grateful to you for your contribution. Without your help, we would not be able to keep the home-fires burning. Every good wish from all of us, to you and your family for a joyful, peaceful and blessed Christmas, and health and happiness in 2013. Cynthia Pitt On behalf of the Board of Directors Clouds of Hope Children’s Christian Care Centre “Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing – a grateful heart.” ~ George...
Read MoreOctober 2012 – Clouds Update
Thanks so much for your continued support- it has now been over 10 years since we first Sat at the Polo restaurant and went through my stratplan for the children’s home. So much has been achieved- it is really a blessing and dream realised in particular now that the next stage- the Halfway House/SAARHOME has been developed and is up and running. The young adults who have moved in are so excited about their future. We await in anticipation the matric results of Tsepo and Thato Jama. Pumla has passed her 2nd year at Rhodes where she is studying journalism. She has grown into a lovely, responsible young lady and has been such a pleasure to have in the HWH this holiday. She has managed to obtain a bursary for her last year. In her words to me “Mom Trish- my fees are sorted for next year. You don’t have to worry.” To my knowledge the HWH is the first of its kind in the country and hopefully can become a benchmark for other children’s homes. Thank you so much for the payment toward the school fees for the children. School fees are a huge, but so necessary, burden on our budget. It has been proved over and over again that the saviour of our country will be education and we just cannot afford to not give our children the best education that is backed with a Christian ethos. Also there is still no other high school alternative in our area, so we have to rely on the Faithway School to take our children through to matric (grade 12). I have been advised that the Dept of Education will not be putting in a FET ( further education training) college in Kwa Sani- they have allocated a large amount of funding for this into Umzimkulu- over 120kms from here. Hence we will need to introduce formal skills training for our young adults who will not go onto university into the HWH/ Clouds property. I am working with the Farmers Association and other organisations on this. Under His guidance and with prayer I know this will be achieved. Will keep you posted. Think we need Chris Lear (or someone he has now trained) here again for a couple of months to help with the building skills...
Read More