Breadline Africa’s most memorable trip to the seaside…

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.

‘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.

Life on a rubbish dump

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.

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.

ENDS

239

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 – 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

Mandela Mondays: Our 67 minutes of doing good continues 12/09/11.

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.

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.

Celebrating Women’s Day with Breadline Africa

“Women are the real architects of society.” ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

Everyone is celebrating their own successes on Women’s Day.  But many women in society are just forgotten.

Women’s Day has a different meaning for many of us and it is celebrated in many different ways.  Many of us know of women who celebrate their successes through various special events on this day. At Breadline Africa we have met many inspiring women. They have started educare centres, special need centres with humble beginnings in their own quiet way. These women are still pressing on and are making a huge difference in many communities and in particular the lives of children.

Upon visiting a truly motivated and energetic group of women I was amazed at their willingness to share their life experiences with one another. One woman in the group said that her son asked,   “Why is there only Women’s Day and not Men’s Day?”  Her reply was, “My son, who do you come to when you are hungry, who do you need to help you with your homework, who do you run to when the children beat you in the street, who do you come to when you are not feeling well? Your father is there, but who do you come to. You come to me, your mother who is a woman.”

Women are described as a ‘rod’.  Men and children have to hold on to the rod.

I was shown the piece of art that she made for the kids to learn to wash their hands. She collected plastic bottles and filled them with water.  Then she puts a piece of plastic pipe in the bottle.  She slips a bar of soap in a stocking and ties it to the pipe.  The kids squeeze the bottle and it fills the sock with water.  Now they can wash their little hands with soapy water.   This is how they would like to educate the kids, to become ‘hygiene heroes’.

Celebrating Women’s Day also brings to mind elderly women.  Many of those women have given their life to society and raised children and grandchildren. They also once had very active lives and probably challenging careers. Maybe some of them were stalwarts of organisations and maybe some fed the hungry and clothed the poor. These women have shown love and respect to their children, families and society. It is these women who on this Women’s Day should be acknowledged for the wisdom that they have shared once upon a time with someone out there.

Opening of the Sixth Mandela Day Library KZN 27th July 2011

The Mazongo Combined Primary School in the Makhuzeni Location in Highflats, KwaZulu Natal held their official opening of the Mandela Container Library on 27th July 2011.

All invited guests were escorted to the School Hall by the drum majorettes who did a stunning performance for the opening ceremony.

The Principal, Mr Hadebe welcomed all who attended this special occasion. In attendance was the Mayor of Ubuhlebezwe, Councillors, officials of the Department of Education, Executive Members from Soul City, Breadline Africa, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Department of Health, Indunas, District Manager, the local South African Police as well as the Governing Body of the school.

The speaker Mrs Z Gule said that Mazongo Combined Primary School was a ‘chosen’ and very blessed school amongst all the schools in the District. The Principal and the Educators should not light the candle and put it under a table but put the candle on top so that it brought light to all. This is what the purpose of the Container Library is and they should bring to the community.

Ms Palesa Mokooane from Soul Buddyz asked that we should make every day a Mandela Day, to remember that Madiba fought 67 years to bring freedom to the country. That is why Soul City, Breadline Africa and the Nelson Mandela Foundation had joined hands to make 67 minutes in donating libraries to 9 deserving schools in the country.

Mr Hadebe gave a short back ground of the school.  Mr Hadebe said that he arrived at the school in 1990 and had it had an enrolment of over 600 learners and 13 educators and eleven classrooms. Today it has an enrolment of 752 learners and 22 classrooms.  Mr Hadebe said that they are proud of being a small school in an area with a good reputation. They stand for sound moral values in a democratic, friendly and supportive environment which encourages involvement in all facets of the school and community.

I thanked everyone present and for the warm welcome that we had received. A special word of thanks was conveyed to the Nelson Mandela Foundation for the initiative, NYK shipping group for the initial grant of funds, The Soul Buddies clubs, Legalwise for their donation of a library, to South African Airways who have made it possible for some of the learners to have their first flying experience. I also thanked Cell C, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft for the donation of computers and Internet access which would be forthcoming soon. I also thanked Maskew Miller Longman and Biblionef for the donation of books for the library.

The school choir (below) then sang the National Anthem followed by the Grade R who recited a beautiful poem about Drugs.

We then proceeded to the opening and the official cutting of the ribbon. Mr Mdluli from the Department of Education felt that it would be only right that the ribbon be cut by Mr Hadebe the Principal as he deserved the honour.

Mr Mdluli encouraged the learners to read, to make use of the library because it is here where they will find knowledge and the key to their wealth. In reading those books, it will help them to set them on the right path.

The teachers thanked Mr Hadebe and announced him ‘Man of the Match’, because he makes all things happen at the school. He is the best leader, father and manager. He holds the key to all the successes at the school.

The seventh library will be opened in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga Today, and the eighth next Monday in Bochum, Limpopo.

LegalWise Little Legends Mandela Day Library

We are excited to announce that the Little Legends Mandela Day Container Library opening is today. Here is a link of the openings details http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210191422360266 and below is some more information about the Little Legends Foundation.

There are 220 underprivileged children, ranging in ages from 3 – 17 years old, from all over Gauteng, including Soweto, Alexandra and Eldorado Park in the programme.  They are transported 4 times a week to the centre in Randburg where they receive life skills training, assistance with homework and soccer/balls skills training and are also given meals.  The programme is particularly unique in that the children are integrated with children from affluent areas on the soccer fields.  Volunteer students from Trinity and St John’s assist the children with their schoolwork.  The Little Legends Foundation provides support to families in the form of food parcels, which is often the only food they have.  The Little Legends Foundation is setting up a containerised clinic at the centre where the children’s primary health care will be taken care of by doctors and dentists in the area who will volunteer their time.  The LegalWise Little Legends Library’s main aim is to encourage reading and will set up child lead committees to run the library, under the mentorship of a librarian.

WISH LIST:

1. Books (ages 3 – 17 years old):  children’s stories, fiction, non-fiction, reference, etc
2. Bean bag chairs x 8 all colours – upright back type
3. Educational wall posters
4. Puzzles
5. Educational toys and board games
6. World globes
7. Any anatomical models (skeleton, heart, bones, etc)
8. 2 x computer stands
9. Desk for librarian
10. Plastic storage baskets – approximately 45cm x 30cm – 40cm.
11. Stationery:  pencils, erasers, pens, highlighters, crayons, paper, paints, paint brushes, A4 files, plastic sleeves, white board markets, white board eraser, magnetic letters and shapes, presstick
12. Printer
13. 2 x desk lamps
14. Felt notice board
15. Laminating machine
16. In-trays
17. Anything else that may be suitable for a library environment.

This Container library is sponsored by: