By Khethiwe Khuzwayo | Director, Siyabonga Centre
Siyabonga opened for the new school year on January 17. It was 10 years ago that we first opened the doors of our new center for the 2014 school year. We are so very thankful to all of you who have made it possible for us to continue to serve the young children and families in our community!
It was wonderful to see all our returning children, as well as welcome children coming to the Centre for the first time. We were able to accommodate more children this year because of the new classroom that we completed in October. (Last year our five-year-old students had class in a meeting room). We now have 114 children attending, the most we have ever had. Starting a new year is always a little challenging, with new children adjusting to a different routine and being away from family. This year we had the added difficulty of losing one of our teachers the week after we opened, without notice. Thankfully, we had a qualified, hard-working volunteer who was able to step in. Since then, things have gone smoothly and we are on track with the national curriculum framework, set by the Department of Education. We ended our first term on March 20 and completed progress reports for the guardians of each child.
Our last topic for the term was healthy living, which focused on hygiene (washing hands, brushing teeth, and bathing) and healthy food. After talking about the importance of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and encouraging those who can afford it to bring healthier snacks, the older children got to plant beetroot, cabbage, green pepper, and mealie (corn) in our garden. As you can imagine, this last activity was a favorite for the children.
As always, your support is essential to continuing our programs at Siyabonga. And if you give this week, your gift can have an even bigger impact! Starting tonight at 9:00 pm PDT (12:00 am Monday EDT) through Friday, April 12, 8:59 pm PDT (11:59 pm EDT), all online donations of up to $50 will be matched at 50% by GlobalGiving for their Little By Little Campaign. Your generosity this week can help ensure we have the funds we need to continue our program for the rest of the school year.
Thank you again for everything you have done for Siyabonga over the years. We would not be able to provide the services we do without your support. You have truly helped to uplift the lives of the hundreds of children who have attended Siyabonga since it began.
With deep gratitude and best wishes,
Khethiwe
By Khethiwe Khuzwayo | Director, Siyabonga Centre
By Khethiwe Khuzwayo | Director, Siyabonga Centre
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