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WHAT'S HAPPENING IN KNYSNA The on-going stories from our In-Country Volunteer Liaison, Sharon Dreyer. Travellers volunteers in their droves have been and still are helping the local township communities in many different ways - they have really made a difference! For them and for future volunteers, here are some little tit-bits about what's happening in Knysna.
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| SANTA COMES TO THE SAFE HOUSE - Knysna - November 2011 | |
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Christmas to me is all about
children and giving, so armed with a donation from Rachel who worked in our UK
office I hit the Knysna shops with a list of the safe house children’s sizes in
clothing and shoes! I wanted to get outfits for all of the kids and wrap them in
bright wrapping paper so that all of the children got to open a present and find
a new outfit in their size handpicked for them. Unfortunately I had not taken
blister plasters as by the end of the day I was exhausted and had a huge blister
from all the running around. Despite my ‘war injury’ I must say I felt like I
had surpassed myself- and my budget- when it came to all the items I had bought.
I managed to get a pair of shoes for every child at the safe house and in most
cases a complete outfit. I also managed to pick up a little Christmas tree with
the trimmings and flashing Christmas lights to bring the spirit of Christmas
tree into the safe house.
But I had gone over my budget
and was still short on a few items and still had not even bought food for their
Christmas Day lunch, which was something I really wanted to do to make the whole
day memorable. With a heavy heart and a very light purse I decided to mention my
circumstances on Facebook. Well the response was quite amazing!! Three of my
friends made donations to help out with two more pledging donations at pay day!!
So not only was I able to buy the rest of the clothing I needed to buy for the
some of the children but on top of it I was able to buy the wrapping paper to
wrap the presents so that they could go under
their newly bought tree and buy food for their lunch. I’m just so happy
to be a part in making their Christmas day a whole lot better as I am sure is
Rachel and my other kind friends who have helped out.
The Christmas tree was taken
through in the afternoon to the safe house and with the help of little Tracey,
Beauty, Vuyo and our volunteers Laura and Elyse, it was put up with the star on
the top, tinsel and all the decorations. And while Christmas day is one of our
hottest days in South Africa, the Christmas tree even got a little bit of
artificial snow despite the children never having experienced snow in their
lives. They absolutely loved the tree with its flashing lights and little Tracey
started immediately singing some sort of Christmas song –the words were just a
repeat of Happy Christmas so it was easy to join in with her singing- and I
could feel that indeed there was a lot more of a Christmas feel in the safe
house which is exactly what I wanted after all the build up is so important.
On Friday next week we will
be dropping off the Christmas presents for each child and I cannot wait to see
their little faces then. All the effort will be so worth it and I am so excited
for them that I will be coming through on Christmas day to visit the kids and
hopefully see them in their new outfits. This year is going to be the most
special Christmas ever!!! Sharon |
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| SEASON TO BE GIVING! - Knysna - November 2011 | |
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Christmas season is hitting the shops and once again it is the season to be giving and Rachel Heels who used to work in our UK office did exactly that! She sent over a lovely donation through our Bridge the Gap foundation which she and I decided should be split between the children at the youth development centre and the safe house that Travellers Worldwide support. So on a bright Friday morning myself and our Kiwi volunteer Elyse headed off with 6 of the youths from the youth development centre to go shopping at local clothing store, Mr Price, for clothes. The guys were told that they had a set amount they could spend on clothes that they could pick out themselves. Well, I must say it was a first for me to go clothes shopping with a bunch of male teenagers and what a process it was!!! Teenagers are indeed a fussy bunch and what is it with boys and shoe laces???? Finally after a lot of debating amongst each other on the right shoes, the best deal on pants and the most reasonable t-shirts I paid for all the clothing and it was back off to the township! The guys from the centre will only be getting the clothes they picked out in their Christmas box with the end of year Christmas day at the centre but they were so happy to be getting new outfits and I in turn am so pleased for them! Enver, one of the youth from the centre was so surprised that someone who had never met him would want to spend money on him!! Thanks Rachel, you helped maker their Christmas this year a lot better!! Sharon |
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| DRUMMING AND HELPING OUT THE SOUP KITCHEN! - Knysna - August 2011 | |
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This afternoon had to be one of the most humbling and inspiring afternoons I have had in a long time. After fetching our four volunteers from their school placement we went over to help at the soup kitchen in Concordia Township run by Ella. The particular part of the township were the soup kitchen is very poor but a lot of the free government (RDP) houses are being built so there is a fair amount of development. We immediately went through to the back of Ella’s home where there is an extension were she holds the soup kitchen. Tables and chairs were put out for the children who are all from the surrounding areas, and Ella’s helper carried on cooking a huge pot of ‘samp’ (a traditional maize-type dish) and soya mince. The kids sat down, plates were handed out and the meals were served. All the kids were so good and got quite large helpings I was pleased to see. The volunteers then played with the children (ranging from a baby to a 17 year old girl) and kept them occupied. All this time Ella had been away with her partner Penny doing a ‘township tour’, which is how she earns a living, but arrived back with an Austrian couple that were in Knysna on holiday. She instructed me and the four volunteers to come inside and sit and gave us juice and biscuits and this is when things really got interesting. Ella started telling us all about her background growing up on a farm in the Eastern Cape, one of the poorest provinces of South Africa, the youngest daughter to two alcoholic parents. Although she walked miles to the nearest school she preferred this to having to work- which as a 10 year old happened as her mother was sometimes too drunk to work. Eventually she managed to complete her Grade 10 at the age of 17 and dropped out of school to help on the farm but she was always keen to go back and finish her schooling which would be another two years to Grade 12. In the town closest to the farm there were some Baptist church missionaries that took an interest in her and heard of her wish. Bearing in mind it was the apartheid era, the Baptist church allowed all racial groups to attend their church meetings. They decided to help Ella who at this stage was 23 and said they would pay for her schoolings if she would find a school to enrol her. This was a problem as she was way too old for the school at 23 but after a lot of begging and pleading her case one of the schools allowed her to finish her schooling on the condition that she lied about her age to the other pupils and teachers. At the age of 25 Ella finally got her school certificate. She then moved to Knysna and walked the streets looking for a job eventually getting a job as a dishwasher at a local Nando’s fast food restaurant. She worked her way up to a kitchen assistant but after not getting the salary increase she wanted from her boss she resigned from Nando’s and went to work for one of the ladies at the local Knysna Baptist church cleaning her house. She was then also approached by a wedding planner to assist her too which she did. Between her two places of employment she worked a 7 day week and had no time to socialise saving her money. She then was asked by her one employer to assist in the office which is what she did. In the meantime she bought a house in Concordia Township with the help of some of the members of the Baptist church. They contributed R25 000 and she put in the other R8 000. But life in the office started boring her so she came up with this idea and approached another lady who attended her church, Penny, to go into business with her. Although Penny was a dubious about it initially, in 2008 they started there township tours. Around the same time Ella noticed a lot of the children in the area knocking on her door asking for bread as their parents spent more money on alcohol so did not spend a lot of money on food. This bothered her and she decided to set up a 5 day a week soup kitchen. Her warm heartedness did not stop there and she started to set up a safe house for families of domestic violence. She has also set up a foster house and has eight children, victims of violence and crime, living with her under her roof. She also does HIV counselling having been diagnosed with the disease 8 years ago. What an inspiring woman! After listening to her incredible story, Ella pulled out two djembe drums and started singing and drumming for us. She then gave all the volunteers an improtu lesson on drumming –which I must say they mastered really quickly. The isiXhosa lesson that followed was not so easy for them though with all of us battling with the clicks. We finished off with a warm farewell from Ella, we shall be returning tomorrow to help in the soup kitchen with this remarkable woman! Sharon |
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| TRAVELLERS WORLDWIDE HELPING IN KYNSNA - Knysna - April 2011 |
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| WATER INTERVENTION PROJECT LAUNCH - Knysna - March 2011 | |
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I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to the presentation of the Percy
Madala High School Intervention project sponsored by the Department of Water and
the Knysna Municipality. The project was started as part of a competition that
the Department of Water had set up. 3 of the Grade 12 learners of the school
started doing a study of the nearby Khayalethu River which runs through the
township and feeds into the Knysna lagoon as part of their project. During their
observation they noticed how dirty the river was due to pollution from upstream
and how little children from the sides of the river swam in this dirty water
downstream. They decided to do something about it and this is how the Water
Intervention project started. Once a month a group of school learners with their teacher go down to the river and spend the day cleaning it up. They also provide black bags to the people who live on the side of the river so that they do not throw their rubbish in the river and there are plans to build a foot bridge across it at a later stage. The 3 learners did so well with their project that they won the provincial part of the competition and went on to compete in the national round in Pretoria. So on this lovely Thursday at 1 pm I drove up to Percy Madala High School in Khayalethu Township to see what the launch of this Water Intervention would hold. First of all the other visitors and I were greeted and explained what the project was all about. Our next step was to walk the 10 minutes down to the river to observe the learners and staff of the Water Department taking water samples to access the pollution in the water. Easier said than down as to get there you have to walk through a forest area and on a few occasions I nearly went sliding down into the river-which at this time looked a little more like a stream as we have not had to o much water. Once there, although the locals seem to use it as a dumping ground, you are still enchanted with this little patch of wildlife. The other visitors and I then watched samples being taken only for it to be revealed that this river is in a worse state than imagined with the pollution and health of the river being in a terrible state. We then walked up back to the school, with me narrowly slipping again on the little hike, cursing my level of fitness while huffing and puffing all the way. As we got back to the school we were led to a huge marquee were we all took a seat in the front rows while half of the school sat in the rows behind us. I had the pleasure of sitting next to the Knysna Mayoress, Ms Eleanor Bouw-Spies, who leaned over and introduced herself. She looked a lot less out of breath than me, who was still red in the face from then brisk ‘hike’, even though she had walked the same trail. We then were introduced to the project by a guest speaker and the learners of Percy Madala High School entertained us with choral singing, drama enactments, poetry reading and dancing on the stage. Then it was time for a speech from our Mayoress and a speech from a representative from the Western Cape Education Department. After all the festivities an early dinner was served and although I would have loved to have stayed for this- all the walking had given me an appetite- I had to be on my way to fetch volunteers. It was a great day and I must say how proud the school must be of their 3 learners who have set this project up just so that they can try and protect a little bit of our local legacy. They give us all hope that the youth are aware of our planet and are trying to make it a better place. Sharon |
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| VOLUNTEERS DISCOVER SELF IN SERVING OTHERS - Knysna - Feb 2011 |
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| 'PLETT FOR PEACE' - Plettenberg Bay - Nov 2010 |
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Friday night was the ‘Plett for Peace’ candle concert held on Central Beach in
Plettenberg Bay, a seaside town 30 minutes drive from Knysna. This free peace
gathering and music celebration was supported by the Green Skin Initiative,
which aims to eradicate racial hatred and promote harmony within the human race,
so guests were encouraged to paint their hands or faces green or wear green
clothing. Myself and one of the Travellers Worldwide volunteers decided to drive through to go and see the activities. The concert started at 6.30 and ended at 11.30 although we did not stay that late. There were all types of things on the go from belly dancers, to fire dancers to entertain the crowds and various musicians who had volunteered their time. A particularly amazing musician was Ben Badenhorst on electric guitar who was truly creative and really interesting to listen to. Unfortunately as we left before they started we missed out on The Reggae Ambassadors form Knysna’s Rasta community, Judah Square. There were various speeches made from various religious representatives of the Christian community and the Buddhist Centre. We were also led in a meditative chant from the Hare Krishna’s who had travelled all the way from Port Elizabeth to be there. For the vegetarians there was some great vegetarian food on offer for sale but we snuck off to the nearest restaurant to indulge in some decent hamburgers not wanting to offend the vegetarians. It was a good night out with everybody being very chilled and friendly- no doubt as no alcohol was on sale. And despite the bad weather and threats of rain the turnout was good. Lots of children were running around and people were holding candles to support the event. This all taking place under the backdrop of the Beacon Isle hotel on one of Plett’s most popular beaches. It was well worth the drive through and hopefully it was successful enough that they will put it on again! |
| VOLUNTEER ROAD TRIP! |
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Another weekend away with the Travellers Worldwide volunteers and this time it
was an overnight road trip to Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa’s surfing hot spot!!
We arrived at lunchtime and decided to hit the Billabong clothing factory shop
first, then off to check in at our backpackers and then off for a walk on the
beach with the girls, a bit of beach soccer for the guys before we attempted a
Braai. As the backpackers we were staying at were having a South African theme
evening, we had a Zulu dance display done by a couple of the local kids put on
for us before some of the volunteers played a bit of pool and socialised with
the other guests. The girls and I hit the sack not too late which explains why we were the only ones to witness the glorious sunrise over the sea at 7am. Nothing better than sipping coffee sitting on a sand dune watching the waves crashing first thing!! Eventually the guys crawled out of bed and it was off for a farm style breakfast in the town before hitting the surf clothing factory stores again and then back to chilling on the beach while the guys exhausted themselves playing beach soccer again. And still more clothes shopping for the girls and me!!! Finally we collected our things and did a last stop for food (lots of eating and shopping in two days) before hitting the road back to Knysna feeling quite exhausted. Great weekend break though my only wish being that I had the ability to be able to surf and take advantage of the perfectly formed waves that Jeffrey’s Bay is so world famous for!! |
| WORLD HIGHEST BUNGEE JUMP! Knysna - May 2010 |
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The volunteers and I planned a little road trip for the weekend. First up was
the world’s highest bungee jump at Bloukrans Bridge which stands at 216m. Most
of the 7 volunteers I went with jumped and all found it a really crazy
experience. In fact I still am hearing about it all the time. Well worth
attempting although to be honest I still haven’t done and am not sure if I ever
will. It’s scarily high!! Then it was off to Storms River village where we checked into a rustic backpackers for some pool, relaxing and a braai (South African barbecue) around the fire. While we were eating we were entertained by two young Xhosa youths who played dijembe drums for us (very well I might add) and then did a traditional gum boot dance performance which in the words of one of the volunteers was ‘sick’!! A few drinks and then it was off to bed after a fairly exhausting day. I woke up early the next day to the most beautiful day with a ‘berg’ (mountain) wind blowing. Finally the volunteers were up and it was off to breakfast in the village and then back on the road. First stop was visiting the cheetahs at the Wild Cat Experience. Amazing to see the speed at which they can run. One of the volunteers was really impressed as he survived having his board shorts nibbled by one of the cheetahs although I don’t quite think that stands as a cheetah attack. Finally we went for a walk through jungle at Monkeyland to observe some monkeys although the volunteers made such a racket that I think they chased all the monkeys away. Last stop was at the local farm stall and then back to Knysna. A fun but exhausting weekend! |
| PAINTING OF A NEW MURAL! Thembelitsha School - February 2010 |
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Once again the Knysna volunteers have shown there enormous creativity! Hannah
and Danni, two of our volunteers that were doing their placement at a township
school, decided that they would really like to brighten up the school for the
children by painting a mural on the outside walls. After getting permission from the Headmistress, they chose a wall, bought the paint, designed a mural and spent many hours hard at work. I think they did a great job with the rainbow in the mural symbolising South Africa’s rainbow nation and with the words ‘I am, you are, we are Thembelitsha” I’m so proud of the two of them!! Sharon |
| NEW BUILDING EXTENSION! Child Care Centre - November 2009 |
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Myself and 3 of the volunteers, were kindly invited to the unveiling of the new
girl’s dormitory at the Child Care Centre in the township on Friday afternoon.
For months the builders have been working on this double storey extension and finally it was ready! It is going to make a HUGE difference to the children’s living conditions as it sleeps 20 and has an additional 2 bathrooms with 2 showers in both. The children had all been dressed in their best clothes and the Centre had organised a live musician and a braai (traditional South African barbecue) for the occasion. After a few speeches from some distinguished people- including the people behind the funding of the new wing-we all tucked into salads, ciabatta bread, steaks, chicken kebabs and boerewors (a traditional SA sausage). The weather was sunny and the whole occasion was extremely festive with a couple of the township dogs also getting a bit lucky with a few scraps from the tables. What a great way to spend the afternoon; great food, lots of smiling, happy faces and the realisation that 46 children in need have just had their lives enriched for the future! Sharon |
| THE WHALE STORY - Local Youth Development Centre - October 2009 |
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On this beautiful sunny day at the coast, Travellers treated 18 school pupils
from a local township school to a chance to see the production of ‘The Whale
Story’ by local theatre group, Lunch Box Theatre, at a local youth development
centre.
The beauty about the whole excursion was that not only did the pupils and their teacher get to enjoy the production, but the disadvantaged youths did too. The aim of the play was to make children aware of whales and the important part they play in the eco system and although the production was extremely educational and played a lot on conservation, it was extremely entertaining with lots of laughter and interaction between the two actors, Stuart and Mncedisi (from Lunch Box Theatre), their prop on stage, Wanda the Whale and the kids! After the production was finished, Lunch Box Theatre group initiated a drama workshop which after a little bit of initial shyness, all the children- including the teacher and volunteers- joined in! Although very noisy, as one can imagine, it was so great to see how much fun everyone was having, adults included, and how involved everyone got in their freeze frame sketches. I hope that we can initiate an event like this again in the future as apart from the children learning something in a fun way, it helps so with their confidence and the interaction between everyone involved can only be a positive influence! Sharon |
| NEW FOOTBALL BOOTS! Thembelitsha School - September 2009 |
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Here is a photo taken in the staff room at Thembelitsha with 14 of the 16 soccer boots we sponsored for their U13 football team! The local Primary School in the township do so well in the local school football tournaments DESPITE some of the children not having any shoes or playing with just one shoe on! How they do this we don't know, but it shows the level of enthusiasm they have for football. The school was desperate for football boots so Travellers thought it would be a great idea if we could assist them and supplied football boots for the whole Under 13 team and their reserves!! This was even more important as they had a really important game coming up. We managed to supply 16 of the team members with new football boots and the children and school football coaches were absolutely overjoyed! Sharon |
| ESSAY COMPETITION PRIZE-GIVING, What a day! - July 2009 |
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First thing on this beautiful South African winter’s morning, I set off for the prize giving assembly at one of the local Primary School.s that we work with. Two of our volunteers, Michelle and Helen, had organised a writing competition with the three Grade 6 (approximately 11 years old) classes. The theme was ‘Why I am proud to be a South African'. The essay had to be at least one page long. Michelle and Helen spent the whole weekend marking the essays, as they are contributing to the children’s term mark, and finally had chosen a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner with 5 runners up prizes for each class. All in all, that meant 24 prizes were handed out. The school that Michelle works at in the UK, St Marks Primary, has kindly donated 100 pounds so we went and bought lots of prizes from R100 shopping vouchers to stationary sets and beautiful journals. I had put together some certificates to be awarded with the prices, and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners read their prize winning essays out to the whole assembly and I must say it made me very proud of them ... and proud to be a South African! The whole idea for the competition and prize-giving came from Michelle and Helen, who have both been actively assisting with teaching the children (Michelle is a teacher in the UK). They are also both lovely girls who are really proving their worth in a very short time at the school. I will be sending through lots of photos and some videos of the event and these will appear here very shortly. Sharon |
| Youth Development Centre - Khayalethu South, March 2009 |
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Today I decided to have a break from the office and see what is going on at some of the projects. First stop was the Youth Development Centre in Khayalethu South to see how one of our current volunteers was coming along. On arrival all the little children from the crèche ran screaming with joy and excitement towards her, hanging off her every limb so that she was virtually grounded! Within in about 10 minutes I also had the same treatment with the kids virtually queuing up to be picked up - totally exhausting - and their energy levels don’t wane for a second. Next it was time for their breakfast which was a bowl of ‘pap’, a form of porridge made from maize meal which is a staple of any African diet, and onto their lessons. One of the Travellers volunteers (who would prefer to remain anonymous but who I would like to thank nonetheless - you know who you are) had paid for their classroom to be carpeted and it was the first day that they got to ‘christen’ it. Surprisingly enough when their teacher, Nomphu, walked in the room, they became silent and all 11 little maniacs magically turned into little angels!! They sat so obediently and listened while she gave them a lesson on ‘my family’. So sweet to watch, unbelievable change from just 30 minutes earlier. While they sat down to draw a picture of their families, it was time to say goodbye. My next ‘port of call’ was the Child and Youth Care Centre, literally two blocks away. A past volunteer had come up to visit them so I decided to join her. After greeting all the staff, who, despite having the daunting task of caring for 46 children, seem to be permanently in a great mood and welcomed us with big smiles, we went through to the activity room to see the babies. There are only 5 babies at present there in the mornings, with 19 toddlers away at crèche during this time and the rest attending primary and high schools. We sat and played with the little ones until they got tired and it was time for their naps. We, at Travellers Worldwide, had been lucky enough to receive a rather large donation from a past volunteer so we had put it to good use by donating all the school uniforms and some stationary for all 22 children attending school. Again I would like to thank the Travellers volunteer who made it possible for all the children to get new school uniforms; you know who you are, too! The children and all the staff were thrilled! I am so proud have been able to have been a part of this, it has made a huge difference to the children’s lives and they all look so sweet in their new uniforms - although I can’t say how long they will appear new!! LOL Sharon |
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| SUNRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL - Knysna, May 2009 |
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Recently, Travellers Worldwide and Sunridge Primary played host to two volunteers from Calgary, Canada, Adele Campbell and Jacqueline Smith. Adele and Jacqueline spent 4 weeks assisting Sunridge Grade R teacher, Crystal September, with her learners. They became so attached to the Grade R children that they decide that they wanted to do a little more to brighten up their lives and their classroom so with Travellers Worldwide helping to donate the paint needed, the girls painted a fantasy mural on the back of the Grade R classroom wall. The children also managed to get their faces painted once the mural was complete and insisted on painting the girls faces too. What fun! Well done girls for putting so much effort in to making a difference to the little ones. Sharon |
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| KNYSNA STREET KIDS PROJECTS - Providing hope and help to troubled young people - January 2009. |
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There has been some
excellent news this year for the street kids project in Knysna! One of the cases that stands out the most, is a young boy of 12 years old turning 13 this year and has never been to school in his life! This is due to a lack of proper parenting. He is now at a school and we are now negotiating with the Education Department about his placement in an appropriate level. I couldn't ask for something better. In the morning we have now 7 youth but slightly older than the ones that went back to school. We are already focussing on life skills such as beadwork, pottery, recycling and gardening. What a great start to 2009! Read more about this placement and how you can get involved. |
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BIG CATS ... AND MORE BIG CATS! - Knysna October 2008 |
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Wow, did we do something incredible today or what!?! After spending a few hours at the Love Life Centre up in the township watching the football tournament between Sinethemba and various other street children foundations (some as far off as George), which was great fun- lots of sun, soccer and a live DJ with a lot of dancing, we headed off to the Wildlife Awareness Centre just outside of Plettenberg Bay, to take part in their ‘Wild Cat Experience’. We first got to watch a presentation which unfortunately I didn’t pay much attention to as I was totally side tracked by the two 8 week old cheetah cubs playing at our feet! They are undoubtedly the sweetest, friendliest balls of fluff you have ever seen! Then we started the tour. First we went to visit Chester, the 17 month old male cheetah and his female feline companion, Zimbali. He’s beautiful! Magnificent ... and he knows it! We then went to see the smallest wild cat (weighing in at 1 ½ kilos) and one of the sweetest, the Black Footed Cat or Anthill Tiger as they are otherwise known. She wailed when we left her and her father as she loves human companions. Then it was off to the Serval enclosure. This amazing wild cat is a lot shyer and was so well camouflaged by its coat in the shrubs it was quite hard to spot it! Next were the two playful 6-month-old male cheetah cubs. One of them was totally obsessed by the bows on Siobhan’s (a volunteer staying with us) shoes, that we had to sneak out before he tried to grab them again! Then it was off to see the beautiful Caracal family, father, mother and son. They are so majestic and have the most incredible colouring and appearance - just like painted ladies – beautiful! Last but by no means least were the two African Wild Cats who, as they were just being fed, were not too interested in our presence! What a wonderful afternoon! Many thanks to Len and Sandra from the Wildlife Centre for a truly wonderful ‘Wild Cat Experience’. Sharon |
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Frame by Frame Art Gallery - Knysna October 2008 |
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Finally the big opening for Frame by Frame Art Gallery was upon us!! Frame by Frame is the art gallery and framing shop co-owned by Sue Maule of By Design Graphic Design Company. Carolyne, our graphic design volunteer, is doing a two month work placement with them so has been very actively involved with the opening preparations, in fact the beaded lamp shades at the entrance of the gallery she helped bead! All five of the volunteers living at Newton Street and myself (Sharon) attended this fun event. There was an exhibition to coincide with the opening party with art supplied from various local artists which Sue had handpicked so it was of a very high standard, a wine and malt bar( with beer supplied by Knysna’s own local brewery, Mitchell’s) and a body painted male model on display! Shame, I hope he didn’t feel the cold too much! The party started at 5pm and even our SA Director, Bill Fussell, popped in to see what the fuss was all about!! Then after a great event it was off to Oldies pub for the volunteers for dinner and drinks while I chose the quieter option of seafood pizza at Chatters restaurant around the corner!! Well done to Carolyne- I’m very proud of you girl- and Sue Maule and her crew for a great opening and evening! Sharon |
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Young Miss Sunridge 2008 - The 21st Anniversary Celebrations |
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On the evening of Friday the 29th of August,
Sunridge Primary School held their 21st Annual Modelling Competition.
There were six categories overall; Miss Sunray, Miss Sunshine, Miss Sunbeam,
Miss Sunridge, Mr Sunridge Junior and Mr Sunridge Senior. The many contestants
graced the runway in casual and evening wear and with so many stunning
contestants to choose from, they gave the judges a really difficult task.
The guests were also entertained by the wonderful singing of Chandré Claasen and the amazing dance troops, ‘Steppers United’ and the ‘Ex-Konvicts’. The evening was a great success and was all part of Sunridge Primary’s 21st Anniversary celebrations. Sharon says, "On the Friday (29.08) night, Lana Robinson and I got to be celebrity judges for the Miss Sunridge Primary School Modelling Competition which was such great fun (although much harder than what the job implies). She said it was a great way to have ended her placement having really enjoyed it. All the volunteers loved Knysna and they have planned to have a reunion here with a list of things they still intend doing, like diving with the sharks at Mossel Bay. They all became great friends and helped each other out as much as they could. They all came with the right attitude from day one and were really a pleasure to have staying here at Newton Street." Sinethemba Party |
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Dorothy Broster Children's Home , Knysna, March 2008 |
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Just a happy story! "Poppie" (Rolishia Lamini, 'Poppie' means 'little doll' in Afrikaans) In 2007 Travellers volunteers Sarah-Jane Green and Elizabeth Elster were volunteers in Knysna, and spent many afternoons at the Dorothy Broster Children's Home. They fell in love with Poppie, her little sister, Geraldine and baby brother, Tabang. Sarah-Jane has made it her project to sponsor Poppie's school fees at Knysna Primary School for the rest of her schooling, and Liz will take over Geraldine's fees when she starts school in Grade 'R' in 2009. As she had had no formal pre-school training, Poppie struggled a bit in Grade 1 last year, and as a result her teacher has decided that she should repeat Grade 1. She is much more settled this year and coping better too, gaining confidence all the time. Poppie has this year started ballet lessons with a private teacher, Sidwell Roman, who is a professionally trained ballet dancer, and has been running a ballet school for children of all ages for many years. He is very kindly sponsoring Poppie's lessons. Sidwell organises wonderful shows every second year, which are well attended, so hopefully Poppie will be part of the next production! Sharon
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Knysna, February 2008 |
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The efforts of our volunteers are always rewarded, particularly in the case of little Luvuyo (nickname Siya) who you can see pictured on the right. Siya was involved in a playground accident in December which caused him to suffer a stroke. He was left unable to speak, his vision severely impaired, and partial paralysis caused him to loose the use of his right arm. Before his accident, Siya was a bright and happy child who would always seized the opportunity to be centre of attention. He excelled at school and loved to play soccer with his friends and the way his eyes now light up when given a ball hides the frustration he deals with every day. Sarah Davies is one volunteer who particularly bonded with Siya, and, after dropping the other volunteers off at Chris Nissen and Tembelitsha we go to Siya’s house to collect him for school. Siya is so happy to see us approaching and though he only attends school for an hour and a half a day and cannot take part in the normal lessons, he loves to walk around the classrooms with Sarah and play with the soccer ball as much as his disability allows. The time she spends with Siya has made such a difference to his days and Sarah will never forget how important this time is both to Siya and to herself. Sharon |
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TEMBELITSHA SCHOOL, Knysna November 2007 |
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Hi All,
After a sticky start yesterday, when the staff room was taken over by Health
Department eye tests and things, we have at last started painting the Tembalitsha staff room. The new colour is similar to the present one, just a
bit brighter and happier. It is really in need of a fresh coat of paint. Colin and Wesley are there to help, and Becky Higginson and Kirsty Lomas are really excited to be part of the project. They have a 'free' day, as their teacher is away until Monday. All the teachers we come across are really excited too, and can't wait to see their new, smart staff room! Even Victoria, the cleaning lady, is there boots and all scrubbing the little abandoned kitchen, which we will paint too.The pale green curtains are washed, and are about to go to Dynamics for a 'tint' to navy blue - all in keeping with the school colours. Once the basic coat is dry, we will get stuck in drawing and painting African designs on the big windowless wall, and then organise the furniture, kitchen etc. Sharon |
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| Tembelitsha School, Knysna, October 2007 |
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At last our carefully painted 'Music and Drama room' has
been christened!
To add to the occasion, over the past couple of months all the broken windows in
the school have been repaired by the Department of Education, which is really
great. Sharon |
Newton Street Volunteer House, Knysna |
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News that is not entirely project related but still without a doubt worth mentioning is Pretty, our 'home executive', who is the unsung hero of Newton Street! She willingly, energetically and happily keeps order in the Volunteer house, and never complains! She is a true star! Sharon
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Tembelitsha School, Knysna, September 2007 |
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A little bit of news from Knysna ... On Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd September Tembelitsha celebrated its 10th Birthday with dancing, singing, lots of speeches, nail and face-painting for the children, food stalls which included a braai (barbecue!). The volunteers helped out with the nail and face-painting and organised a game called 'Guess the Teddy's name' Sharon |
IKAMALETHU CRECHE, Khayalethu, Knysna, September 2007 |
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Ikamalethu Creche is run by Gladys and her sister, Maud, in
a small wooden building in the Khayalethu township in Knysna. They look after
between 40 and 50 small children, aged 3 – 5 years, in a very small space.
Gladys has taken every opportunity to attend training sessions, and she is a
very organised person, and all the children are beautifully behaved and
obedient.
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Knysna News : Aug 2007 |
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At last we have managed to co-ordinate taking Flo
Hannaford, a local piano and singing teacher, to Tembelitsha for a first
piano lesson with Temba Bella, one of the teachers at Tembelitsha. The plan
is to teach the teacher to teach the children, which could take some time!
They have a wonderful piano, which has been dormant for a couple of years.
Flo also hopes to get a choir together, and give them some tuition too.
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Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring Road,
Worthing, |
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