Help Educate 22 Children in Zandspruit, S.Africa

As I look back on my reports over the past 18 months it seems that Covid has featured in almost all of them, and I guess it’s a sad reflection on the state of the pandemic worldwide and the disruption it has caused to everyone, not least to Thandanani. I previously reported that we had managed to evade any Covid infections at the Home, but sadly it eventually caught up with us in the last 3 months.

Xoli, who is in his final year of high school, was in the midst of writing his mid-year exams when he tested positive and had to stay at home. But not to be outdone he was able to continue writing at home under supervision, and then to make sure that he didn’t pass any virus back to his teachers, the exam papers were hung out on the washing line for an airing, from where they were collected in due course by our house manager and returned to the school – definitely not an everyday sight to see exam papers on a washing line.

The access road into Thandanani is rather rough to say the least, so it was not surprising when one of our 2 vehicles (which was 12 years old) finally decided to call it a day. As our public transport system is less than adequate we had no choice but to start looking for a replacement, otherwise we’d have had a problem getting the kids to school, visiting the doctor, doing the shopping, etc. So we are now the proud owners of a new Suzuki Ertiga which can transport 7 children, however, it was not an expense that we had anticipated this year, so it has put a strain on our financial resources.

The South African economy has been hit hard by Covid, and the knock-on effect is that many donors are thinking twice before making a donation, resulting in many charities taking strain, and in fact some have had to close due to the reduced income. Thandanani has felt the pinch as well, resulting in our income being somewhat lower than the same time last year, plus we’ve had the expense of the vehicle, so if you are able to assist it would really be appreciated.

As we move out of winter and into spring (in the southern hemisphere), and as the 3^rd wave of Covid seems to be receding rapidly, we look forward with renewed hope and optimism to what the future may hold.

Kind Regards

Paul

Links:

• Thandanani House of Refuge

Thandanani is located in the informal settlement of Zandspruit which is a sprawling mass of shacks which has grown exponentially since we established our children’s home on the outskirts almost 20 years ago. Unfortunately, with the growth of the settlement comes an equal growth in crime which the authorities are challenged to contain, resulting in the residents taking the law into their own hands. The ugliness of this form of so called “mob justice” is what we try to shield our children from, but it becomes increasingly difficult to do so as Zandspruit now completely encircles us, and although we have been spared any incidents involving our children, we have come to the conclusion that we need to find a new location for our home. Of course finding a new location is easier said than done, not to mention that the cost far exceeds what we can afford, nevertheless it’s a challenge that we believe we must rise to.

But it’s not all doom and gloom as we see our children successfully progressing with their education.

1. Sam completed his training as a welder and has found his first job and hopes to be able to move out of Thandanani and establish himself in his own home in the near future.
2. Zyna is in her second year of a 3-year course in Computer Science and is doing exceptionally well.
3. Xoli is in his final year of secondary school, and is hoping to attend university next year to study Civil Engineering.
4. Palesa is in her final year of secondary school, and is hoping to study teaching next year.

And of course as winter approaches we’re now facing our 3^rd wave of Covid-19 with the challenges which that will bring. We are extremely grateful that none of our children has contracted the virus to date, but we’re going to have to continue to be vigilant over the coming months.

So we continue to be thankful for all the positives things that we see happening, and we remain confident that we will find a way to overcome the obstacles that face us, never forgetting our supporters who have walked a long road with us for which we are eternally grateful.

Best wishes

Paul

Links:

• Thandanani House of Refuge