Breadline Africa and our visitors from The Netherlands

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.

On the road again, through the Huguenot Tunnel, to Worcester for an update on our Skills Programme.

What an exciting trip as I invited two visitors from the UK to come with me and to see our Plumbing and Bricklaying Skills programme in action.  Proudly we headed off for the hour long trip to Worcester. I was surprised to learn that both of them have never been to Worcester. I smiled and said, “Well today will be a memorable day for you as our trip will take us through the Huguenot underground tunnel.”   They felt a bit nervous as we approached the entrance of the tunnel as it is very dark but the tunnel is very well lit from the inside.  I explained that the tunnel is about 15 minutes drive and is approximately 10 km long.  As we approached the end of the tunnel there was smiles all around and they felt very relieved.  I said, “Have you heard of the saying, there is light at the end of tunnel?”  Well there was certainly beautiful sunshine as we approached the end of the tunnel heading for the beautiful scenic route through the Worcester Mountains.  They could not have asked for a better outing.

The entrance to the Huguenot tunnel

The Plumbing Class in action

When we arrived at the College we made our way to the Plumbing class. I was impressed as they have made so much progress since my last visit. The students were fully focused on the tasks that were assigned to them as it had to be completed within the prescribed time. They were divided into four teams, one team to do the ring manhole,  another the square manhole, the third underground drawings and the last team were responsible for setting out the drain trenches.  I managed to ask one of the students how he felt since he joined the plumbing class. His response was, “I am very excited as it is very challenging for my mind and I learn something new every day.”  I could see that the practical side of the plumbing course is indeed very stimulating for all these students.

The Bricklaying class in action

These students were full of smiles as they were so proud of the wall that they have built.  Each team was also given a task and they mastered it with great enthusiasm.  Most of them said that they are now ready to build their own houses.  I could not believe how quickly they have learnt these skills.  None of these structures had any fancy names as the students were using all the various tools to get a brick wall up straight.

Toolkits, beautiful protective shoes and an overall to protect their clothing

The day ended on a happy note as all of these students were given a tool box with all the necessary tools , a smart overall kit, and a much needed pair of shoes.  They were so excited that they could not contain their joy.  They even pretended to be the teacher!  Well it was good to see that with the help of our supporters we are able to plant a small seed of joy.  And that is what I admire most about Breadline Africa, we spread the joy and bring a smile and love to those less fortunate than ourselves.  Do watch this space for our next update.

On the road with Breadline Africa, to a Container Pre-school in Macassar, Khayelitsha

Khayelitsha is one of Cape Town’s leading tourist destinations.

We had lovely English visitors at our offices and it was a great pleasure to take them on a tour of Khayelitsha. They were very excited as they had just returned from a visit to an elephant farm in  Mpumalanga.  They were telling me of their passion for elephants and how they just had to come and see some here in South Africa.

Many of our supporters enjoy visiting the various container projects and are always impressed by the enormous energy that prevails at the little Educare Centres in Khayelitsha. It was a lovely trip down the N1 Freeway with lots to see and visitors are always fascinated that the airport is so close to the highway.

When we arrived at the pre-school the Principal and kids welcomed us with songs and dancing. The happy mood was so contagious that Mr and Mrs Haisman were soon singing and dancing too. The Principal asked the visitors to stay a little longer so that they could help to serve the kids their lunch.  And they really enjoyed being waitresses for the kids!

The container classrooms are looking very smart as they have recently been fitted out with the carpets donated by Albert Carpets. It was good to see how bright and beautiful the classrooms are as this creates a very happy atmosphere for the kids. The Principal added that she has only been able to grow her little pre-school because of the help she has received from Breadline Africa. She started in a tiny shack with ten kids and with the help of Breadline Africa she moved into container classrooms and has never looked back.

This Educare Centre has really gone from zero to being a hero for the local community.

Breadline Africa’s Big Make-over for Zukolwethu Educare Centre

Here at Breadline Africa I am always called out to communities who have an urgent need for proper infrastructure.  Their desperate plea is to have better and more spacious facilities for their children.  They are anxious to have better classrooms than just a little shack which is extremely hazardous to fire.  They need proper and more hygienic toilets.  Many of the children in the educare centres are still exposed to the bucket system. The lack of proper ablution facilities is a big worry as it is extremely unhygienic and one of the major causes of diarrhoea .  Many of the educare centers also do not have a proper kitchen.  The cooks have to cook in one of the classrooms with the big gas stoves on the floor and the washing bucket on the side of a table.  The kids then have to pile into a corner to make space.

Recently, we were approached by the Principal of the  Zukolwethu Educare Centre in an informal settlement in Monwabisi, Khayelitsha.

She was at her wits end as parents kept bringing their children for enrolment at her school but her facilities were  not at all suitable. She did not have a proper classroom or a safe kitchen.  However with the help of our Irish Advisory Committee who raised funds for this project, we were able to have the most amazing make-over happening in this community.

We renovated two second hand shipping containers into a beautiful classroom and a safe kitchen for this Educare Centre.

Before The Zukolwethu Educare Centre, Monwabisi.

After The Zukolwethu Educare Centre, Monwabisi, Khayelitsha

A big thank you comes your way from all the children and teachers at Zukolwetho Educare.

The Principal, the teachers and the community living in this informal settlement could not believe it when these two containers arrived for delivery. It was extremely difficult to get the truck up the road to deliver the containers, but with much perseverance and the help of everyone the containers were successfully put into place.

The children as well as the teachers were extremely happy. They could not believe that these containers could make such a huge difference.   We are very proud of our achievement and grateful to our Irish Advisory Committee and their friends for helping us make this make-over happen.

Breadline Africa is a hub of International activity

We have had the pleasure of welcoming Australians, Americans, the British and even Dutch visitors so far this year.

What  a day of sheer excitement when Lisa and James Holland brought their two sons Mathew and Ben, as well as their Aunt Day to meet us at the Breadline Africa office.  This trip is a dream come true for their Aunt Day who has always wanted to visit South Africa. And here they are!

From our Breadline Africa office they were taken on a tour to Khayelitsha (a township outside of Cape Town). We stopped off at the Khayelitsha shopping mall,  where they bought fruit and food for the children of the Founder Educare Centre we were visiting.  Lisa and her family enjoyed playing with the children as well as helping the teachers serve the children their lunch.

It was important for them to see the wonderful work that Breadline Africa does before they went on to see the beautiful scenic areas  and tourist places of South Africa.

Thank you for having included us on your itinerary Lisa and for bringing special joy to kids here in Africa.

Mathew Holland and his mom Lisa cutting some fruit for the children

The joys our visitors brings when playing with the children

Ben and Mathew Holland with their aunt Day serving a meal at the Educare Centre

Ash Wednesday Soup Lunch

There is nothing better than meeting the amazing, kind, generous and caring people that are the donors of Breadline Africa. That’s why this morning was a special treat for me. I had the pleasure of showing around Noo and Peter Wallis from Ireland. These two incredible souls have been our loyal supporters for many, many years now.

As with most of the donors that come and visit me, I took Noo and Peter on a visit to a local community. They had an opportunity finally to see the volunteer ladies, the soup kitchen and how their donations benefitted the hungry and poor. Men and women of all ages come to this place to get a bowl of food and not to mention the starving children who wait patiently to be served.

Noo Wallis is not only a supporter but also the chairperson of the Breadline Africa Ireland advisory board. She has also been instrumental in raising funds for Breadline Africa through various fundraising endeavors. One special event that was held recently was the Dorkey Ash Wednesday Soup Lunch in aid of Breadline Africa. Every year on Ash Wednesday two churches in Dorkey village in Ireland get together and have a soup lunch where people from the village people come and have a simple meal of soup and bread. This is a great get together for the community as they have been doing it for about 12 years now. People attend and contribute towards a special project, this year it was Breadline Africa.

So to Noo, all the volunteers and the entire village of Dorkey, a HUGE thank you from the team at Breadline Africa!

Donor visits to Cape Town – part four

First impressions last forever and meeting Dianne and Tristan Boden was no exception. I was instantly greeted with a huge smile and outstretched arms! Dianne said she felt as though she had known me for years – just from the letters that I write and cards that I send – and I instantly felt that there was that ‘special bond’ between us.

After the excitement of meeting each other we enjoyed a cup of tea and I took the opportunity to fill Dianne and Tristan in on the work that we do and the projects we would be visiting.

Our first stop was the Cans4Skills plumbing and bricklaying containers. I introduced them to Neville who is our plumbing facilitator and he in turn introduced them to his students. His students were proud to show off what they had learnt and explained some of the problems and solutions that can be found in a domestic plumbing environment. It’s opportunities like these that I wish I could personally share with everyone as I sometimes wonder if the translation gets ‘lost’ on the printed page of my letters.

It was also a pleasure to introduce Dianne and Tristan to Roland Wilcox, our newest facilitator for our bricklaying course.

Roland explained the various parts of the syllabus for the students such as:

• Mixing cement to laying the foundation
• Drawing and reading building plans
• Relationship building with other contractors

Next, it was off to see Nonhi’s Pre-school. Everyone just loves Nonhi as she makes them feel completely at home.

Nonhi was preparing for her children’s graduation. Each year, she tries to make it a special occasion by hiring graduation outfits (including hats!) – this really gives the children and parents of this township a sense of pride. I’m sure you can imagine all the attention and celebration of a graduation can be quite overwhelming, especially if you are only six years old – but it is a memory that will last forever.

With much love,

Edna

Donor visits to Cape Town (part three)

This is the time of the year when visitors flock to our beautiful country. Like birds they migrate to bask in the sun and escape the cold weather in Europe.

And so it was a glorious day when Nicky Manby stepped into our office. With a broad smile she greeted me and said that she was so delighted to be here in South Africa, especially Cape Town. She was here for only a short visit but I was so happy that she made time to meet with me.

I took Nicky to visit some of my favourite container projects that she had so much wanted to see. I thought it would be a good opportunity to drop off a few of the knitted garments from the lovely knitting group in the UK.

We visited Founder Educare centre and were welcomed us with open arms. I introduced Nicky to everyone and in no time she was fitting the knitted jumpers on the children – and we couldn’t help but have a ‘photo-shoot’ in the process!

With much love,

Edna

Donor visits to Cape Town (part 2): A very special donor visit in aid of the Blogger Bake Off

I love surprising our donors, especially when they visit me in Cape Town. Many of our supporters have become like family to us and when they arrive we roll out the red carpet!

Last week was no exception – I received a visit from a long time supporter and friend Shirley Morrish. When I collected her from the hotel Shirley asked: ‘Are you taking me to visit a project?’ I said ‘Yes, because today I would like you to do something very special for us; I would like you to help me with a very unusual fundraiser called the Worldwide Blogger Bake Off’.

I hope by now that many of you have heard about our Worldwide Blogger Bake Off. This is a new and fun way for Breadline Africa to interact with people online and I do hope that many of you get behind it – like Shirley.

I organised a special visit to my good friend Nonhi who runs one of my favourite Container Educare Centres in Khayelitsha. I asked her if she could show Shirley how she makes bread for the children, and if we could help make lunch for the 150 children in her care.

When we got to Nonhi’s pre-school she had a large tub of dough which she had made that morning. Shirley and I also provided enough loaves of bread and filling to make 150 sandwiches – I could already tell that we were going to have a busy morning!

Step 1.

Teach Shirley how to cook traditional South Africa bread called Vetkoek (literally meaning “fat cake”).

This is one of my favourite recipes and I often make it at home with my family – watch out for my recipe in my next post.

We made the vetkoek in Nonhi’s kitchen by taking spoonfuls of dough and placing them in the cooking oil. They form a deep brown crust and are very special treats (I like mine served warm with jam). The trick is getting the dough out of the bowl!

Step 2.

Make sandwiches for Nonhi’s children.

Apart from cooking the vetkoek we also served sandwiches with lunch meat. Nonhi told us that the children just love eating sandwiches and would be so happy to receive them.

Step 3.

Serve lunch

Definitely the most satisfying part of the day was serving sandwiches, vetkoek and juice to the children for lunch. It made our hours of hard work worth it.

I am grateful to Shirley for letting me put her to work and helping to feed Nonhi’s children. Shirley is a long time supporter of Breadline Africa and the work that we do, I was fortunate enough to have her come on board and help me to show how easy it is to feed a poor child in Africa. Thank you Shirley.

This might be an exciting experience to write about – but yet it is very sad because too many children in South African schools arrive to class without having had breakfast; in most cases school is the only place where they receive a decent meal.

It’s for this reason that I hope the Blogger Bake Off Challenge gets people thinking about how such a simple a food item can feed a child. I have seen with my own eyes how feeding a child can have the most wonderful knock-on effect: If a child has a full stomach then they can pay attention in class and get an education. They can reach their full potential and gain confidence. They can graduate and further their studies or find a job – thus ending their cycle of poverty.

Please join us by signing up to the Blogger Bake Off today.

TrickleDown visit to Breadline Africa

TrickleDown visited Breadline Africa and other NGOs in Africa last year, and made the following video based on their time here:

Did you spot Andrew? He’ll be posting here soon.