‘Ubuntu’

Press Release

‘Ubuntu’
The Gallery, Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
Open: Wednesday 30th & Thursday 1st December 2011
11.00 – 16.30 daily
Tel: 01 285 8366
Admission Free

Breadline Africa is holding an exhibition and sale of original contemporary works of art in The Gallery, Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre on 30th November and 1st December 2011. The theme of the exhibition is UBUNTU – an old African expression with many meanings: respect, helpfulness, sharing, caring, community, trust and unselfishness. 

It features the work of the following Fine Artists: Jo Callanan, Louisa Edwards, Denise Hussey, Lucinda Jacob, Padraig McCaul, and Gill Trapnell.

The opening reception is at 7.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 30th November. The show will be launched by Ms. Sue Tulk, Deputy Principal of Carmona Special National School. The exhibition can be viewed from 11.00 to 4.30 on that day also.

In addition a coffee morning will be held in the Gallery on Thursday, 1st December, at 11.00 a.m.

The Irish Advisory Committee of Breadline Africa is very grateful to the artists who are donating 50% of the sales value from the exhibition to buy physiotherapy equipment, a stove, a cooker and mattresses for the severely disabled children in Khuti’s Special Needs Centre in the Cape Town suburb of Khayelitsha. 

Breadline Africa is a charity based in Southern Africa that supports local initiatives by marginalized communities in order to help them to help themselves. It works with other well known charities; pioneering the conversion of disused shipping containers to provide facilities such as catering, libraries, classrooms and clinics for a whole range of community self-help groups.

Breadline Africa will be most grateful for your support in these hard times, and give you the opportunity of bringing home a work of Art.

‘Ubuntu’
The Gallery, Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
Open: Wednesday 30th – Thursday 1st December 2011
11.00 – 16.30 daily
Tel: 01 285 8366
admission Free

Press Release ends.

PRESS RELEASE Stand-up for charity

October 2011 – Comedians John Vlismas and Kurt Schoonraad, will be joined by top magician and entertainer, Marcel Oudejans, for an evening of laughter, fun and fundraising at the annual Breadline Africa comedy event. We are hoping to send more than 1 500 children from disadvantaged communities to the beach for a fun day in December, with funds raised during the evening and support received from overseas donors.

“Despite living so close to the coastline, most of these children have never seen the sea,” Director of Breadline Africa, Tim Smith said. “The outing will leave a lasting memory for the children, many of whom are exposed to poverty, crime and abuse on an almost daily basis. The comedy show will help in our efforts to raise money for this special annual outing.”

The outrageously talented trio will present their routines at the Grand Daddy Hotel in Long Street on 27 October 2011 from 6:30pm. Co-founder and presenter of the recently launched Taxi Radio, Grant Jansen, will MC the evening.

Book now for this exclusive event – limited tickets available. Tickets cost R250 per person and will include a complimentary drink on arrival and snacks during the evening – all proceeds will go towards the seaside event. For bookings call Linda on 021 418 0322 or email her at marketing@breadlineafrica.org.za. For more information on Breadline Africa, visit www.breadlineafrica.org.

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Distributed by Media Spot on behalf of Breadline Africa:

MD:  Tim Smith

Project officer: Edna Titus

For more information, contact Media Spot:

Beverley Houston

beverley@mediaspot.co.za

082 824 8617

PRESS RELEASE: Mandela Foundation library opening in Dimbaza

PRESS RELEASE

Mandela Foundation library opening in Dimbaza

On Friday, 30 September, Nobuntu Senior Primary in Dimbaza, will receive a library, thanks to an initiative of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Breadline Africa, a Cape Town based NGO that supplies converted containers for poverty relief in Southern Africa. Two other schools in the Eastern Cape will be given container libraries in October; these are Qunu Junior School in Nobuntu and Nkwenkwezi Primary in Mvezo.   

“Since the start of the initiative, we have opened 10 container libraries across the country,” Director of Breadline Africa, Tim Smith said. “This will bring a total of 13 libraries that will be placed in impoverished schools all over South Africa.”

The libraries, which cost approximately R120 000 per container to be renovated, provide a lifeline to many struggling communities. “The portable, versatile and securely recycled containers provide instant and vital infrastructure,” Smith said.

At the end of last year, Breadline Africa agreed to assist the Nelson Mandela Foundation by supplying libraries for needy schools in light of Madiba’s birthday. The first library was unveiled on International Mandela Day at Tsakane Primary School in Gauteng.

“Our aim is to break the cycle of poverty, by helping communities to help themselves,” Smith said. “We find sensible, sustainable long-term solutions to problems created by poverty and support projects that make a permanent difference in the lives of people affected by extreme poverty.”

Other organisations, corporates and sponsors participating in the initiative include Soul City, LegalWise, Maskew Miller and Longman, Biblionef, Oxford University Press, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Cell C and Container World.

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Distributed by Media Spot on behalf of Breadline Africa:
Beverley Houston
beverley@mediaspot.co.za
082 824 8617

Breadline Africa:
Director:  Tim Smith
Project officer: Edna Titus

Press Release – Art prize with open entry and a role for everyone

Hope in Art is delighted to announce that the second Hope in Art competition will take place in Autumn 2011.  This biennial art competition is open to everyone over the age of 16 years and can be in any medium.  The theme for this competition is FAIR (or anything that sounds like it, e.g. fairy, pharaoh, fare).  Artists should visit www.hopeinart.com for rules and instructions for uploading images of their work so that members of the public can vote for their favourite piece.  A prize of equal value will be judged by a panel of experts.  This panel has yet to be finalised though Ralph Taylor, the director at Lazarides Galleries has agreed to chair it and Penelope Keith (actress) has accepted an invitation to be a member.  There are three generous cash prizes, plus.

• A £2,500 prize which will be awarded to the work with the most votes from the general public.
• A £2,500 prize which will be awarded to the work judged as favourite by the panel of experts from art world
• A prize of  £500 for the most imaginative “take” on the theme in organisers’ opinion
• There will also be a prize available to members of the public who register to vote.
• There is no entry fee..
• Deadline for entries October 15th 2011, voting and auction 16th October – 20th Nov

All the artwork entered in the competition will be available for sale online to members of the public, once the competition has closed.  Money received from each sale will be split between that artist and the charity Breadline Africa.

Spirit of Hope by Andrew van de Merwe. Winner of Hope in Art 2009

‘There are as many opinions about any piece of art as there are people looking at it.  A lot of people who are not involved in the art world thoroughly disagree with the choice of the judges of the Turner prize so we thought we would organise a competition where the public gets to do the judging.  And if the judging is being thrown open to everyone so should the competition itself.’ – Carole Taylor, Founder, Hope in Art

Hope in Art was established in 2008 as a not-for-profit organisation intending to raise money through the medium of art for charities working in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

About Breadline Africa:

Breadline Africa is an internationally registered charity that seeks out partnerships of hope and growth in Africa. It seeks to connect people who are struggling to achieve the most basic living conditions with others who are more fortunate and in a position to make a difference.

www.breadlineafrica.org Charity Number: 1075525

Competition sponsored by Living PlanIT www.living-planit.com

Opening of the 9th Mandela Day Library Container

Wednesday 7th September was the opening day for the 9th Mandela Day Library Container in Valspan Primary School, Jan Kemp Dorp in the Northern Cape Province.  Debbie Beukman from our office attended and wrote the following report:

We were at the opening of the Mandela Day container library at the Valspan Intermediate Primary School. Driving up to the school you could not miss the container library as it stood proudly in the school yard. At the school we met by members of the Soul Buddyz Club. The Soul Buddyz members went to show us the library and kept on telling us that they could not believe that this was happening in their school. Mrs Ruth Mangwegape (Principal) of the school said she always wondered what the Soul Buddyz were about and what benefit they could have for the school. Today she is very proud of the Soul Buddyz Club and their achievement and she knows that the other learners appreciate the members and strive to be like them.

By having this  library in the school the teachers want to encourage and motivate the learners to read. Mr Zulu from the School Governing Body stated that adults should motivate their children to read as through the books stories are told, not just the “learning” stories they have to know for school but all those stories from their different cultures, which they one day can relate to their children.

Ntswaki Phale (Soul Buddyz Facilitator) thanked all the sponsors who made the library possible. She specifically thanked all her Buddies for their hard work in the school and in their communities and for making the library a reality.

Mr Frank Meintjies of the Nelson Mandela Foundation encouraged us all to not just give only the 67 minutes. He challenged us to give more than that back to our communities. “Readers make leaders” is the statement he made. The question raised was when and where can we read? Learners can read to their parents and parents to their children. Even if you as parent cannot read, your child can read to you and you as parent can relate and retell the story to your child. The library is for every learner, teacher and parent and needs to be used to its full potential.

Nthembi Tyuku from the Soul City Institute thanked all the learners, teachers and parents for attending the opening and encouraged the learners to never underestimate small beginnings. The Valspan Soul Buddyz Club is the best in the Northern Cape and encouraged them to keep up the good work.

Debbie Beukman from Breadline Africa said a special thank you to all the Sponsors individually, as without them, such a beautiful library in a school such as Valspan Intermediate Primary would not have been possible. (A special thanks to NYK, CellC, South African Airways, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Legal Wise, Maskew Miller Longman, Soul Buddyz Club, Biblionef and Hivos SA).

Mr Motswana (Local Government) reported that in the area specifically relating to the school there is a 30% unemployment rate, only 9,8% of the learners pass at matric level and 6,7% move on to Higher Education. 41,2% of the people in the area receive child grants. This reflects a low unskilled labour force. Hopefully this library and the role it plays within this community would make a change in the Valspan area. He encouraged the learners, teachers and parents to take pride in their library and use it to its full potential.

Mr Mothibi encouraged the learners to read as in Finland they have the highest Educational Rate in the world with the ratio of 1 teacher to 5 learners. Singapore is number 5 in the world with the teacher learner ratio being 1 – 50. South Africa needs to strive to be one of the best educational systems in the world and encouraged the learners and teachers that it is within their grasp to achieve such statistics.

The handover of the library was done by Debbie Beukman (Breadline Africa) to Nthembi Tyuku (Soul City Institute) who in turn handed over to the Mr Mothibi who presented the container to the Principal of the School. All the learners of the school took a turn moving through the library and their smiles spoke for themselves. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

The next three Mandela libraries will be opened in the Eastern Cape on the 29^th and 30^th September 2011.

Breadline Africa: Mother’s Unite visit

Roland Wilcox and his team transform recycled containers into soup kitchens, ablutions, libraries, educare centres and classrooms for Breadline Africa. Once refurbished, the containers are taken to underprivileged areas in and around the Western Cape, where they are used to suit the needs of a community who have appealed to Breadline Africa for assistance.  

Mothers Unite, situated in Lavender Hill on the Cape Flats, is an NGO working in a community severely affected by drugs, alcohol and unemployment. Carol Jacobs, mother to three and a proud grandmother of one, is a community member who reached out to those in need. Working alongside two other mothers from her community, Carol made food for the children, many of whom did not receive adequate meals at home. Over time Carol and the other volunteers were feeding up to 400 children from the area.

Today, with the assistance of Gerry Gordon, chairperson of Mother’s Unite, and many other mothers, the organisation has made a difference in their community. Arriving at Mothers Unite you will be welcomed by brightly coloured containers and the smell of cooking food. It is clear that Mothers Unite is far more than just a “feeding scheme” for disadvantaged children – these women have dedicated themselves to providing for children that come to the site for a few hours of fun, food and learning.

Breadline Africa’s containers have been turned into bright, functional rooms. The various spaces are child-friendly and functional – filled with things that would make any child happy to be there. One of the containers has been converted into a kitchen and is used to prepare food for when the children arrive after school.

The containers donated by Breadline Africa to communities and NGOs like Mothers Unite not only provide spaces for the betterment of communities but they empower members of the community to provide services in a space made specifically for their need. Community members work alongside Breadline Africa to maintain the containers, providing a platform for teamwork between NGOs and communities.

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Book drive for Nelson Mandela Day

PRESS RELEASE

Book drive for Nelson Mandela Day

The Nelson Mandela Foundation, together with Breadline Africa, one of the biggest suppliers of converted containers for poverty relief in Southern Africa, have launched a book drive as part of an initiative that will see 10 library containers being placed across the country. The campaign forms part of the international Nelson Mandela Day celebrations.  

The disused shipping containers have been renovated by Breadline Africa and recycled into libraries. Over the next few months they will be placed in some of the most poverty stricken schools across the country. The schools, which were identified by Soul City, an institute for health and development communication, are severely affected by poverty. Basic access to facilities and qualified teachers is limited.

“Literacy and the right to education is a human right,” Director of Breadline Africa, Tim Smith said. “We are delighted to be working with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to ensure the roll-out of the container libraries and we encourage everyone to get involved in whatever capacity they can offer. We hope to expand this programme in the future, this will be entirely dependent on public support and finance.”

The libraries will be placed in junior schools and Breadline Africa is asking the general public to take part in the initiative by donating books to the campaign. “We need books that are new or in excellent condition, most importantly, they need to be age specific for six to ten year olds.”

“Every school should have access to a library and every child should be able to read, write and be given the means to learn; sadly this is not the case in many schools across the country. The library container initiative needs the support of the general public and corporates. We encourage everyone to get involved and help in some way on Mandela Day,” Smith said.

The following drop off posts for the books have been arranged:

Cape Town: Breadline Africa: The Salesian Institute, 2 Somerset Road, Green Point.

Johannesburg: Soul City: 1st Floor, Dunkeld West Centre, 281 Jan Smuts Avenue, Dunkeld West, Johannesburg:

For more information and to get involved email production@breadlineafrica.org.za or call 021 418 0322.

Other organisations, corporates and sponsors participating in the initiative include the Vodacom Foundation, FirstRand, FNB, LegalWise, Maskew Miller and Longman, Soul City, Biblionef, Oxford University Press and Container Conversions

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Distributed by Media Spot on behalf of Breadline Africa:

MD:  Tim Smith

For more information, contact Media Spot:

Beverley Houston

beverley@mediaspot.co.za

082 824 8617

PRESS RELEASE

Cans4Skills tackles unemployment in the Western Cape

A partnership between Boland College Outreach Programme, the Cape Winelands Municipality, the local Department of Social Development and Breadline Africa, a Cape Town based NGO, will see 25 students, 13 in bricklaying and 12 in plumbing, graduate from a three-month intensive artisan course. The programme, called Cans4Skills, was funded by Breadline Africa.

Participants were selected by Boland community development worker, Joseph Solomon, as part of a skills development and upliftment initiative in the area. All of the students were unemployed at the beginning of the programme.

The participants were instructed in a large number of tasks and assessed on a weekly basis. “We are currently in discussion with various government agencies and companies to enroll the students in learnership programmes, where they will be employed for 18 months to two years,” Director of Breadline Africa, Tim Smith said.

“Unemployment remains a major problem in South Africa. Programmes like Cans4Skills are invaluable, especially in a country where there is a dire need for artisans and semi-skilled blue collar workers,” Smith said. “Our aim is for the Cans4Skills programme to be used as a model for future courses of this nature,” Smith said.  

While figures released by stats SA recently revealed employment to be marginally on the up in the Western Cape, unemployment figures remain startlingly high at 24% across the country.

“The slight increase in employment figures in relation to trade in the Western Cape is positive, however it is only a small dot in the larger scheme of things,” Callie Herbst, Project Coordinator of the Boland College outreach programme said. “We are encouraged by programmes like Cans4Skills and fully support and endorse them. We are looking forward to a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership with Breadline Africa with the aim to provide skills and ultimately employment.”

A graduation ceremony will be held on 9 June at Boland College. Local mayor, Basil Kewido, will be in attendance as well as the deputy CEO of the college Cathy Robertson. Officials from the Cape Winelands Municipality and the local Department of Social Development will be present. Participants will receive a certificate as well as a toolbox containing a basic set of tools for either bricklaying or plumbing.

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Distributed by Media Spot on behalf of Breadline Africa:

MD:  Tim Smith

Project officer: Edna Titus

For more information, contact Media Spot:

Beverley Houston

beverley@mediaspot.co.za

082 824 8617

Our first Mandela Monday

It was certainly no Blue Monday for our team. We braved the cold wet weather and energetically packed our bags filled with loaves of bread, butter, jam, juice and peanut butter.  We then headed off to a pre-school in Khayelitsha where we helped the teacher to butter the bread and to serve the children their lunch, they enjoyed a nice heartwarm bowl of soup as well.  This was our way of being proactive in helping this small community.

Making a difference on Mandela Mondays

Breadline Africa is an African charity with heart.  And it is with this in mind that we are working with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to be part of this great initiative.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation has come up with a new way of honouring Madiba that goes beyond the internationally recognised Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July – and closer to its ideal of making “every day a Mandela day”.

The foundation introduced the concept of Mandela Mondays, urging people everywhere to spend as little as five minutes every Monday doing something small to change someone’s life, some community or some part of the environment for the better. The formal kick-off of Mandela Monday is 1 June 2011, though many people will probably start observing Mandela Mondays much earlier.

We are those early starters at Breadline Africa. For us, every day is truly Mandela day. We work daily to provide containers to communities who need a secure shelter for clinics, libraries and even schools. Keep an eye on this blog to track our progress as we make an extra special effort on Mandela Mondays in honour of our adored Madiba.