All the learners of Riebeek Wes Primary School received a huge surprise yesterday! We presented more than 170 learners with a stationery starter pack for 2012. Some of the learners will be fitted out with brand new uniforms too.
We were told that many of the parents are seasonal workers for about twelve of the surrounding farms in the Riebeek Valley area. Rural life is not easy and the parents find it extremely difficult to make ends meet. Many of the parents rely on their child’s grant which is not much and in some instances the grants are the only income for a family.
The Grade R teacher was so happy when we presented all the kids with a stationery starter pack. She said “now she could happily start with her teaching knowing that all the children have the same stationery that is required to do the necessary tasks for their grade.”
Grade R teacher and 2 learners that received a uniform
Thank you to all our friends and supporters for making such a huge difference in the lives of so many kids. We believe that education is the key to success.
“Our aim is to unite our people especially the children from different background. We have big dreams but are desperately in need of all the help we can get.
We started our organization in 2008 with the outbreak of xenophobia.
We found that there was a need to create a platform to do something for the community. Our biggest challenge was to unite one another. This would be the best solution to prevent community problems. We are proud to be connected with visitors in terms of arts and culture. The challenges we have are big and we are here to encourage everyone to work together. Capricorn is an informal settlement situated close to Muizenberg in Cape Town. It is a place of cultural people. The people that live here are from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Congo and the local coloured and black people. This creates a mixture of culture.
We are all facing the same problems in this community irrespective of where we come from. Hunger is the biggest problem that we all face in this community. Children have been driven to the extreme and they have gotten themselves involved in all the wrongs of society. Hunger has taught them to steal a loaf of bread from the local shop to still their hunger. In many instances they have been killed as unemployment is rife in this area.
This is why we felt that we have to approach all the role players in the community to bring about change and to solve problems together. One of the projects that we launched was our art project. We felt it would teach the children a skill and draw them together from all different backgrounds. But this venture has not been easy as they struggle financially to buy the various tools such as wire, beads, scissors and all the necessary equipment.
We have a powerful artist in our midst but we do not have the resources nor sufficient finances. We do have a soup kitchen but it only operate when we have enough food for the kitchen. We are desperately looking for support to start a much needed vegetable garden. Most kids have been affected by HIV and we feel that providing a nutritious meal for the kids and to teach them to grow their own garden will add great value to their lives and to the community as a whole.”
International Day for People with Disability is celebrated on 3rd December around the world.
I immediately thought of a strong young boy whom I met at our seaside outing. He was an absolute bundle of joy and nothing stood in his way. He enjoyed jumping with his friends on the jumping castle. He loved splashing in the water and moved around with his crutches without any struggle. He had the most beautiful smile and the most amazing courage that shone through all day long.
We were moved by his strength and his determination. He would politely put his crutches down to join his friends.
His mom explained that he was knocked down by a truck when he walked down the road and in this event lost his leg. His mother spoke very highly of him as he moved around as if nothing was wrong with him. She said that he has taught her great courage and confidence and that he does not want anyone to pity him.
His strength was indeed an eye opener for everyone. And strange enough none of his friends noticed anything different about him.
A short moving story of one child with a disability who stood out amongst more than 150 other kids at the seaside outing. He was truly an inspiration to us all as we observed his attitude toward life at such a young age.
Read more about People with Disabilities on http://www.idpwd.com.au
“Happy Splashing; Happy days!”
This was the wish that I have received from a loyal friend who supports our work here in Africa. I can assure you all that the kids who have been to the seaside have found the outing to indeed be a “Happy Splashing” day!
Breadline Africa’s annual seaside event has grown from 300 to now almost 1500 children from when it first started in 2000. It has now become a major event in our calendar. The children came to enjoy a day of sunshine, fun, games, splashing in the water, entertainment and face painting.
This is a special outing for young children from impoverished communities around Cape Town such as Gugulethu, Lavender Hill, Delft, Mitchell’s Plain, Khayelitsha, Lavender Hill, Manenberg and Riebeeck Wes. We arranged transport for the kids and they were collected at the various schools. On arrival each one received a snack for pack breakfast, followed by games on the beach until lunch time. After lunch we arrange a surprise appearance by ‘Father Christmas”. This is a moment that the children simply love. Each child then received a gift pack personally given to them by Father Christmas.
This is the best way to end our year – the children come from areas of extreme poverty and hardships and the seaside outing is our small gift to them. Many of them have never been to the sea before and this is real privilege for us to bring some happiness into their lives.
We are forever grateful to our group of hard working volunteers who give of their time, love and endless energy each year. Last but not least, a big thank you to all our loyal supporters and friends who make this wonderful event possible every year.
It is the most exciting time of the year! Every year Breadline Africa plans this major event to invite as many children from the most impoverished areas to the seaside.
With this outing in mind we felt it would be good to get the children away from their normal school desks and to also get them out of the environment where they live.
To date we took a total of 1209 kids that we bussed in to the most beautiful seaside Silverstream Resort on the West Coast.
It has been an awesome event this year. Most of the children have joined us for the first time. Many of the parents were a bit hesitant in allowing their kids to come and spend a day at the seaside. But those kids, whose parents put their trust in us, had the most memorable time of their lives. We put together this event with great planning and careful consideration within a very tight budget as it was not easy this year with the world recession playing a huge role in our funding.
The Cape Town City Council’s Come and Play group, an enthusiastic group of young volunteers kept the kids entertained with face painting, the jumping castle, the slip and slide and lovely music.
Our most exciting event of the year ended with us heading to a rural town called Klawer up the West Coast from Cape Town and we will soon be telling you all about our trip and the kids that we have met.
I’ve just returned from a trip where I visited families who live alongside a local rubbish dump, scratching through the filth for the barest necessities of life.
A few rags, empty cardboard boxes, dirty mattresses, glass bottles, are riches to these people, scraping out a living on the very margins of society.
Their isolation is underlined by the strange beauty in the greenery of the forest, but I can assure you that there is nothing beautiful about the sight of women, men and small children hunting for scraps of food, plastics, glass or scrap metal in a waste-dump. But this is the only way they can survive. They collect and sort these scraps so that they are able to sell it to the local recycling merchants.
Imagine relying on decaying rubbish for the next meal, the hopelessness and uncertainty of the future for these folk living in such harsh conditions.
Their strength is survival. Not knowing what tomorrow holds. They rely on the dirt trucks to see what value they will find in amongst the dirt that will be offloaded the next day and the next.
I couldn’t contain my joy when I visited Sibongile Day & Night Centre in Khayelitsha.
The Sibongile project has grown from its humble beginnings and it made me feel proud to know that our Breadline Africa containers continue to provide so much happiness, growth and endless opportunities amongst many poor communities.
Containers donated by Breadline Africa
Lunch time at the Sibongile Special Needs Centre
In 2005, Nomasango Xabanisa walked a distance of 30km from Khayelitsha to our offices in Cape Town city centre. She brought with her a letter saying “I’m running a centre for Mentally Challenged Children from my house. I don’t have enough space and there are a lot of parents who want to bring their children to me but I have no space. I don’t want the parents to leave the children alone in the house because some parents lock them up”. I am desperately looking for a container.
Since then Sibongile Day and Night Centre has received three converted containers from Breadline Africa into which the children from Nomasango’s home have moved. This has given them a good start, a first step towards formal care.
Nomasango Xabanisa’s story is one of inspiration, dedication and perseverance. A young mother who has learnt that while life isn’t easy, her dream of reaching out to the parents and children in her community could still be met.
Read more about Nomasango and her passion to help children with disabilities
Donor visit
“I love South Africa,” Nancy van Bilsen who hails from the Netherlands said during her recent visit to Cape Town. Nancy invited her friends who were visiting for a holiday to join us for a project visit. The visit included a guided tour through the well-known township, Khayelitsha.
Nancy who is a member of our Advisory Committee in the Netherlands said that when she first arrived in the city some years ago she learnt about the vast difference of affluence and poverty in our country.
She felt that whilst she was enjoying the beauty of the country she could help Breadline Africa by making a contribution to the poverty stricken areas. She has subsequently funded a beautiful container to the Imbasa Educare Centre in Khayelitsha. “It gives me great joy to see how the container is still being used in the community,” she said during her visit.
Nancy’s friends, Bianca and Frank, were asked by the principal to assist with serving the children their lunch. “We were truly inspired by the friendliness of the teachers and the children,” they said.
We then set off to visit Emfundweni Educare Centre, which is in the same area. It was all fun and play as the kids sang lovely nursery rhymes and the national anthem for the visitors.
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Nancy with the children from the Educare Centre
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Nancy
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Bianca Nancy’s friend
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Children saying goodbye
We visited The Children’s World Soup Kitchen in Eerste River on the Cape Flats.
“Our BBC container serves as a beacon of hope for our poor impoverished community. Since the arrival of the container kitchen this project has truly boosted my morale and has broadened my horizons” says Anneline Jacobs who manages the soup kitchen in Eerste River.
Anneline Jacobs managers the BBC container soup kitchen
It is more than a year since they have received this beautiful renovated shipping container. The love and care for their fellowmen has contributed to more than one thousand meals been served. Here they welcome visitors from abroad and locally who want to lend a helping hand.
Volunteer’s serving the community
The name BBC has truly inspired them to become Bold, Brave and Courageous.
BBC Shipping Container from outside
The renovating process of the Container Soup Kitchen
Children of the community awaiting their much needed meal
Children being served a heartwarming meal
The children come to the container on a daily basis and they are sure to get a nourishing meal with a packet of sweets or juice.
The project does not only serve a nutritious meal for the hungry but has a range of activities for young and old.
The community of Thabo Mbeki in Crossroads, Cape Town desperately need a Community Health Clinic.
This was brought to our attention when a very concerned group of people contacted Breadline Africa. It was of great concern to them that elderly patients have to travel so far to get their medication as it can take hours to get to the nearest health clinic. Elderly people also often require specialised health services which necessitates bringing health care closer to the communities.
The need is so urgent that they have turned to us for help. They felt that Breadline Africa could help them to make a big difference in their community. Our refurbished container would serve as a beacon of hope for the struggling community.
Having listened to their plea we met with various role players from the Health Committee, Local Government, the Desmond Tutu Foundation, another NGO Yabonga, Sanco (South African Civic Organistaion), the community and the Local Councillor of the Thabo Mbeki community.
We visited the area where the community wishes to have the container clinic. This is an enormous informal settlement where people are living in the most unpleasant conditions. With no proper roads, water or sanitary facilities it was sad to see how people struggle to get around.
The next step is for the community to get the approval of the site from the local councillor. Once they have the right of way then only can Breadline Africa step in and help them to make a difference.
The Department of Health is indirectly and directly involved in the health needs of the elderly. Elderly patients, including those with chronic illnesses, can access health care at all levels for medication, rehabilitation and other health needs.
Our aim is to help people help themselves. We will be meeting again soon to discuss the way forward.
Donations, Education, children | Edna Titus January 19, 2012 | 
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