Feed & Teach 34 children age 0-4 in S/Afr village

 Dearest Friends of the Ibhabhathane,

We have made it! Another school year has passed and we are ready to bid 2014 farewell and open our arms to what 2015 has in store for us. For many of you, I’m sure the last semester has offered some challenges, The Ibhabhathane certainly had a huge offering, we have however with one step at a time made sure we walk our walk, and that is to make sure our 38 children have a safe and secure school, nutritious meals to support growing bodies and a stimulating programme to feed those hungry little minds.

Celebrate – First we celebrated summer, this season of unstoppable growth, then it was Diwali, pink and yellow crinkle paper flowers, glittery shiny lamps and meeting Rama and Sita. From here we proceeded to pumpkins, bats and scary faces which preceded getting ready for our annual concert. The big night was 27 November and what seemed to me total chaos, was adored and cheered on by adoring parents, friends and siblings. The stars of the show were beaming and our youngest refused to leave the stage and continued singing throughout the graduation ceremony for those 15 little ones who will be attending Gr R next year. It is always sad seeing our children leave the Ibhabhathane nest but we wish them a great new school year and have all the confidence that it will be a very successful experience.

Support – November 28^th brought us Group 5 – An endless stream of boys and girls from St Andrews and DSG on their 4^th last day of a 21 day bush hike. They were incredible. I have not seen teenagers interact so beautifully with little children in a very long time. And despite being exhausted, they cheerfully painted yellow walls, created a herb garden and build a much needed shaded area but most of all the love they showered upon our children will be part of our memories for ever. Our most sincere thanks to each boy and girl, and all the staff members who made this wonderful day possible.

Of course the greatest excitement – Father Xmas, he came in a bakkie with gifts billowing from his bags. No bright star could match the beaming smiles and twinkling eyes. Little arms were proudly wrapped around gifts. Thank you Susan Powers and the Grahamstown Parent Network group, for bringing so much joy.

I would like to take a moment to thank each one of our donors, families and friends for all your support throughout the year. You listened, you painted, fixed broken bits and shared your resources.

Without you, there is no doubt, we would never be where we are today.

May your festive season be blessed, joyous and keep you safe where ever you are.

Please don’t forget to join the Ibhabhathane Community Centre on Facebook.

Warmest greetings

Yolande

Project Leader

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• community projects

During our February report we mentioned that our children’s playground was unsafe. This was due to the fact that there was no barrier between the road bordering the school premises and the playground.

Well….now because of the generous donations we have received from our GlobalGiving donors, a brand new fence, with two gates, is bordering our playground! You are absolutely amazing. Thank you.

The road next to the school is the main and only artery to the location where about 500 people reside. For all of you who know little children, a little child running after a runaway ball heading for the street has no sense of cars, cyclist or flying stones. Outdoor play has always been a tense affair with safety and security taking a bigger portion than it should of the attention needed to observe our children’s development in the play area.

We can now all work and play in a more secure environment, and children and staff of the Ibhabhathane thank you all for the time and resources you so generously share with our organisation.

We want to specially thank those who share the Ibhabhathane Community Centre’s Projects with friends and family. You might think it strange that this matters so much but it means a lot to us that you have taken your time to actually talk about our project to others. We really want to thank you for that.

Please watch this space, because now that our playground is fenced in, our dream of a veggie garden can become a reality…so looking forward to that! No more travelling 40km to the nearest town to buy veggies.

Once again, thank you for all your encouraging thoughts, kind words and invaluable financial support.

Our sincere thanks

Yolande Delport

Links:

• community projects