There are some wonderful vegetables growing in the school garden which the children tend to and when ready to eat, are picked and cooked for school lunch. We have received donations of hosepipes and vegetable seeds so the garden will be an ongoing project

Sam has asked me to drive the classroom build project and I have today had a telephone conversation with a Colonel from the army. The engineers will do the build as a “sort of military”, community upliftment exercise and we will have no labour cost which is an enormous bonus!

Col. Dore has said that they would like to be in the position to start building after our rainy season in March/April. (We have been having some horrific storms which are causing deaths and dreadful havoc!) I have to send the plans on to him and we will then meet up on site sometime during this month.

I am feeling really positive about this and will keep you updated.

We have a volunteer in June/July of this year for the holiday camp and are hoping that we do get some more applications otherwise only 20 children will able to participate. I will also go along to get it set up and will try to persuade my 20 year old son, Jabs, to accompany me which would then enable another 20 children to join in. We have tried to get this holiday camp going for eighteen months; this is our first volunteer for it and we are looking forward to it immensely.

Our BBC volunteer has almost completed editing her film of the daily life of Ntombifuthi Zulu, a thirteen year old grade 7 pupil. Hannah had such a wonderful time at the school and village and Neo was really helpful by introducing her to the Inkosi of the village and Ntombi’s grandmother and, of course by being the interpreter. Hannah was so taken with Ntombi that she has sponsored her secondary school education for the next five years!!!!

Ntombi starts at James Nxumalo Agricultural High School in Ulundi on 21st January and she is soooooo excited. We had to try and find the money for her school uniforms and Travellers Worldwide very kindly donated funds for her first year. We have also been begging, borrowing and stealing (not literally) Ntombi’s boarding hostel requirements and I am thrilled to say that I have packed up her huge suitcase with absolutely everything she needs, plus a little more!

It is the most incredible opportunity for this young girl - she is an orphan and has been living with her grandmother and other siblings whom she has been taking care of.

The farmhouse is in the process of being upgraded and will be showing off new shower blocks, toilets, new kitchen complete with new units and a separate self contained flatlet above the garage. The hornbill pecked window panes are being replaced and hopefully the birds won’t start pecking again. There will also be two new Jojo tanks which will make life and showers a great deal easier! A fresh coat of paint, old carpets removed and new curtain tracks will all help to make the house really welcoming. I have suggested new mattresses for the beds, so fingers crossed the budget stretches to that “not such a luxury” necessity.

The Rhinos still saunter past the kitchen windows on their way down to the waterhole and the buck graze happily below the old farmhouse building – I do believe that the kitchen sink is being moved to the wall below the window, so now washing up will be a pleasure. Not many kitchens windows boast a view of contented wildlife!

Your contributions to the school and pupils have been remarkable and the difference you have made to the lives of the children is something of which you should be really proud, and we at Travellers would like to say Thank You All.
 
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