By Martha Fitzpatrick Bishai | Director of The Umkhumbane Schools Project
When we first put out our microproject appeal on GlobalGiving for flood relief donations, we never could have dreamed of the expansive generosity with which all of you responded. So this report begins with a resounding “Thank You!”
The most heavily impacted among our learners were those residing in makeshift shacks in an informal settlement area surrounding our schools. Eight families lost their homes entirely. Learners lost their school unforms, with the cost to replace them out of reach. Some households have experienced severe food insecurity in the aftermath of the floods. And one family faced tragedy twice when they relocated to a shack in another settlement while trying to make a plan to rebuild the home they had lost in the flooding, only to have this secondary shelter burn to the ground in a fire. Even the few things they had salvaged from their flood-ravaged home were wiped out by the devastating blaze in the place where they had sought refuge.
Thanks to the amazing response from you and our other GlobalGiving donors, as well as from the GlobalGiving Foundation, The Umkhumbane Schools Project Flood Relief microproject raised $6668 -- more than three times the $2000 we had originally hoped for. And then, as an added dimension of the impact of your gifts, a local South African organization saw the success of our GlobalGiving drive online and contacted us with an additional donation in South African rands equaling approximately $4800. Thus, thanks to our GlobalGiving community, we were able to propel this appeal to a total intake of over $10,000.
And what has your generosity made possible? Eight brand new homes built. New furniture and bedding for each of those eight households. A new stove and additional items for the shack that burned down. New uniforms for seventeen learners. Ongoing monthly food vouchers for eight families. Extensive roof repair at one of our partner schools, a major project that is still underway. And funds left over to provide a small grant to our other four partner schools for infrastructure repairs.
The home-rebuilding process has been an incredible journey of interviewing each head of household, identifying the best place to rebuild if not on the same site, and employing a local builder to construct the new dwellings -- himself deeply grateful for the opportunity to take on paid employment to help his community recover. While the new homes are quite modest, they have metal walls, ample windows, a sturdy door, and a concrete floor – all huge improvements over the makeshift, mud-floored structures that washed away. These learners now go to bed at night feeling sheltered and secure, which surely enhances their ability to learn and progress in school. And they and their families will be far safer when the storms return.
From the bottom of our hearts, and on behalf of all of the learners, families, and schools that your generosity has directly touched: Thank You, GlobalGiving donors! You have truly risen to the challenge of helping global neighbors in need, and your gifts are bringing truly transformative change to their lives.
With our gratitude,
Martha Bishai and The Umkhumbane Schools Project Community
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