back to school...

here in south africa the school year starts in january and for those children who passed the end of year exams (which means that they can progress to the next grade) it can be an exciting time, however going back to school means a lot of expenditure which can put further pressure on families, school uniforms, books, stationery and school fees need to be bought and paid for and for those who are already living below the poverty line this can be a tough time.

one of our elder girls has started grade R this morning, which is a big step for her with two of our other children starting their first pre-school at the age of three tomorrow.

our 16 sports mentors are also going back to school and this year we have been able to assist them with some much needed stationary packs, which were kindly put together by a family who had recently volunteered with us from the united states (thanks susie and family). it was amazing to be able to give these 16-20 year old boys some welcome supplies and the joy on their faces as they opened their packs was a sight to behold.

however, and this is the real focus of this post, we have had some very heart wrenching stories from a few of our mentors who are really struggling with family issues which can really comprise their schooling.

on monday for instance i had to play dad as i collected one mentors 2013 report, his mom has moved out of town and he now lives on his own in some accommodation that we sorted for him in the community. three other mentors asked for help in finding uniforms, white shirts, pale grey trousers, white socks, black shoes and a back pack. its embarrassing for these guys to ask for such a hand out and as a foundation we don't make a habit of doing that randomly, however these boys are key players in our sports outreach programme and give so much to help support our work within the community.

i'd like to finish this blog by posting an edited letter that i received from one such boy, i hope that it gives you an idea of the types of situations these boys live in and it was our pleasure to be able to help him with the supplies he needed and today he started school with his other friends with a smile on his face.

i have changed names and dates but kept the grammar, he is xhosa speaking and english is his second language..(and by the way he calls me 'team' so i haven't changed that!)


Team, its me Paul, 

things are going bad to me, my mother doesn have money to buy a school clothes and school shose. my mother at 21/12/13 had use all the money to his father for funeral and now i am stay alone its just i write this lettar i need you help me please help me and i am stay alone the things that i was eat are finished, at 15th janury 2014 kids are going to school but i no God will make a plane for me and i am happy because i am going to grader 9. enjoy 2014 Team and also a school bag.

from Paul


these stories have highlighted a great need to us so it is our intention to address this situation next christmas and have those people who would like to give a present to focus their giving to be around the basic school supplies that we would take for granted, a fancy toy at christmas is great but what the children in our communities really need is help to get them to school with the right uniform and supplies.