I can’t believe it’s already December and that in 2 weeks time it’ll be Christmas and New Year. This has been an amazing year for everyone at Thanda- so much has happened and we have loads of exciting things in the pipeline for 2012.

Since the end of November and the beginning of December, Thanda’s staff members have been taking their children on outings as an end of year treat. They arranged to take their children to the beach (approximately 30 minutes away) as many of them have never seen the ocean and some of them don’t get to experience the fun of being on the beach or swimming in the ocean for a day. The outings involved playing games on the beach, getting to swim in the ocean, and a nice meal. They all had loads of fun.

Then on the 8^th December it was the Chirstmas party for grade R to grade 7 kids at Thanda. Unfortunately the sun decided not to make an appearance and it started to rain (cancelling the outdoor games and competitions), but we were extremely grateful to have the Thanda Library to use for the event. When I got there, Thanda staff were getting everything ready. Twin and Sandile got a lovely Christmas tree which they put up and decorated for the kids, while in the kitchen a very yummy hot meal was been cooked for the kids, so the whole library smelt of pine tree and yummy food. As the staff were busy getting everything sorted for the kids, Angela, Tyler, and Batman sat on the mat in the kiddies corner of the library and read the kids a story while some of the kids played with the cute teddy bears.

When the rain stopped, Simso went outside with the kids and they played a few games while some other children played on the jungle gym.

Under the Christmas tree Nosipho arranged the lovely stationary bags we received from Umhlanga College under the tree.  While she did this the kids were eagerly watching her, trying to figure out what was in the wrapped parcels.

The children were all very excited and eagerly awaiting what was going to happen- they kept looking to see if they could see their names on the presents under the tree.

 To start off the show, one of the basket ball players dressed in costume welcomed the kids and told them he hoped they had a good time.

the Thanda Christmas mermaid/fairy Simso

Next up was the Thanda Christmas mermaid/fairy Simso, who explained the meaning of Christmas to the kids and what the party was all about. He told them there were presents for them and that the yummy food they smelled was for them.

 The first performance was the grade R and grade 1 kids as they sang ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and one more song.

Next up was the grade 2, 3 and 4 kids who sang 2 lovely songs

They were followed by the grade 5, 6 and 7 kids who sang 3 beautiful songs.

To finish it all off was a lovely show put on by Angela and the much-loved Batman. Angela and Batman showed the children  how he sat on command and how he jumped. The ‘stay’ didn’t go so well, but the kids loved it.

 Then Twin and Melusi handed out the lovely wrapped gifts to the kids. Each time a name was called the other children got all excited and clapped and cheered for that person.

Once all the lovely wrapped stationery bags were handed out, it was time for Father Christmas to make an appearance.

Simso got the children to cover their eyes and to be quite and when they opened their eyes there was Father Christmas! His helper was Twin. The faces of the children when they heard their name being called was so cute.  Once again as each child’s name was called out, the rest of the children clapped and cheered. Some of the children were trying to feel and guess what their presents were. The look on their faces made me realize just how lucky many of us are.

After the presents were handed out, it was time for food. The staff had made a nice chicken curry, rice, coldslaw, and mash butternut. The food was as yummy as it looked. I asked Angela if this was possibly the only meal some of the children would have for the day and she replied ‘yes’, it would be. This broke my heart as I watched the children make sure they cleaned their plate without leaving one piece of rice. There weren’t enough plates so the little children were fed first and as soon as they finished, their plates were washed and used by the older children.

As all the children left with their wrapped gifts, they received a Christmas cracker each.

Thank so much to everyone that helped to make this day such a memorable and special day for the children. Thanks go to Umhlanga parents and pupils, Waltons and Rand York Castings for the wonderful stationary packs filled with crayons, art supplies, and stationary. A big thank you also to all the people who donated the lovely toys at the “Durban Poison” party @ TRUTH nightclub on Saturday 17 September, as well as 5FM, EWC couriers & Coco Loco. Thank you also to Spar in Hibberdene for their support with food.

Wherever you may be and whatever you may be celebrating, we wish you a very happy holiday season from everyone here at Thanda.

“Lots of people here think basketball is a sport for rich people only, but they are wrong! Basketball is for everyone who believes that one day he can make it, not only in basketball, but throughout life’s struggles. In my own experience I never played professional basketball before, but now I know the rules and how to bounce a ball just like a professional player would… but within your students there is a gap in their hearts that just teaching them basketball can’t fill. I want my students to love basketball from the heart so then we can face life’s challenges through it together.

Melusi

 One of my basketball students said, “To me basketball is where I get to forget about everything in my life, where I am taught about my mistakes. Basketball allows me to be proud and increases my self-esteem because of the position I play in my team. The day I played basketball was the day when my life changed, I’ve learnt how to respect others and have discipline. The kids have left bad things such as drugs and crime behind to join our team. Everyone in my community is crazy about basketball.”

Making friends through basketball

 One day one of my players said, ‘Coach I can’t stay focused on the books at school or when I’m trying to study’. Well I told him to come to the basketball court next Monday with his books. On Monday he came to the basketball court and I gathered all my players and I told them to sit in a semi-circle. I told them to grab their physical science book and then I told them to imagine that the book was a basketball ball and that someone was trying to take it away from you, ‘what would you do?’  They all said protect it and then score. I said, ‘what if you had to read the opponents defense first?’ They said read the ball and focus on it. Then they all started holding their books tight and reading them and focusing on what they were reading. I did that for an hour and a half and they all now understand how to protect your ball in the game and how to hold tightly to your book at the same time.

Warming up for a game

 I try to link their life and basketball together because just giving them fancy styles on basketball court, won’t make them the leaders of tomorrow. We are trying to win the hearts of those who are not motivated and who think the easy way is the right way. It is a strategy to help them not make the wrong decisions when they are alone and to find answers at school and throughout their future and life. Basketball to me means a tool to uplift my students, so they can see the right way and to show them that whether you are rich or poor, it doesn’t matter- you can make a difference.

Thanda Basketball Tournament

 

Another basketball student said, “Basketball means a supporter and lifeguard to me because of the help it has given to me and I’m proud of being a basketball player. It has changed my life because I can behave myself more than before and it also changed my lifestyle as I now know that being good is a good thing and it also makes me proud of myself. It has changed the situation that my community was in and it has also improved my community’s infrastructure that is why I now respect my community members”

Thanda Basketball players at a recent Tournament

 My next mission is to spread basketball in these rural areas because people think it’s only for people who live in the townships. Even though we may stay on dusty roads and have a rough court or play basketball barefoot, we know that our generation will make a change.”

“It means a lot to my future. It changed my future, now I’m a best achiever in all my subjects. It changed my community by giving me an opportunity to play and be part of a team.”- Thanda basketball student

Making food after a basketball game

 Melusi has been instrumental in helping us develop the high school curriculum, with engaging and inspiring lesson plans that change kids’ lives. He now volunteers on weekends, playing basketball with his team and he works hard to organize games against other teams. His kids are training a younger team at a neighboring school and four of his team members were recently selected to be on the Ugu district team, where they will have an opportunity to travel and receive specialized training. Melusi’s team also recently decided to help elderly members in the community on weekends. 

Melusi’s kids help out in the Thanda gardens

With the new Thanda library, the basketball kids have a new opportunity. They are some of the most frequent users of the library and when asked about the library, this is what Melusi said:

“The Thanda Library is like a home to me. It’s where my passion starts, it’s where I believe I can change the world and we can change the world. It is where my inner ideas come out; it is where the love of reading starts. Whenever I’m in the library I realize that there is something I need to do in the community out there in the dusty roads. The books I read give me warmth and strength that my generation will make a change through struggles facing us all and issues that make us lose hope. A library is a place of hope and inspiration. A library is a family, the books are your family members- they give you ideas, love, information, warmth, jokes, happiness and laughter at the end of the day you step out of the library you have the vision that you can make a change. It’s as if you now know the community has dignity and it represents the youth, those happy faces reading and laughing together inside the library. We now can stand for the community and say knowledge is what we have. If poverty fights us, we fight back with education we have. When we are all in the library we are lawyers, teachers, nurses of the community. The library is my whole life- it contains the community’s future.”

Basketball team members enjoy the library

 

Melusi having fun with Thanda kids

The town of Hibberdene where we live

“As we drive north, I am struck by the beauty around me. Everything seems to sparkle in the mid-morning heat, illuminated by the sunshine. There are some rolling hills, lush with sugarcane and palm trees, but still the landscape seems flat and wide and stretches infinitely in all directions, dropping off only into the sea, where another natural spectacular carries on in wonder. Seemingly simple, yet too complex for us to comprehend. Plain, yet full of life.

As I look to all sides and see the beauty of this bright land stretching for miles until it meets the clear, clear blue sky, uninterrupted in its full expanse above us, I realize what it is about Africa that touches us — perhaps just one of its secrets. It is the open plains, the open sky, the open valleys which ground us and give us a foundation on which to live. We feel rooted here because we are part of this land. We do not rise above it into sky-high buildings or climb below it into subway tunnels. We have not carved it; we are part of it, the way it is, and the sun beats down on us as we walk with the earth. We are like the acacias that grow from it, the animals that mark territories in it. We are rooted here. Life and death make sense here. Born from the earth, one goes back to the earth.

And it is within this landscape that we see the devastation of AIDS. Already, a fifth of children in the country are orphaned and they say it will soon be one in three. But what I see in the poor rural areas, where children or elderly grandmothers raise children, is a situation that is already drastic. What will become of this generation of children that grow up without accountability, nutrition, guidance, love, or aspirations? There are already 14 million orphans of AIDS across Africa. How can we let so many children grow up with the pain of feeling alone and the uncertainty that tomorrow will be any better, with the sorrow of having seen too much too young?

And that is how I end up on a visit overseas sitting cross-legged on my bed from childhood, typing as fast as I can. Tears stream down my face and I think ‘I’ve finally lost it. I can’t do this anymore.’ It’s just too hard to go from one extreme to the other and I think, ‘Does anybody notice? Does anybody really care?’ They say that 5 people die from AIDS each minute; each minute we think about the fact that we are out of Ziplocks, that we shouldn’t eat too much today, that the driver at that stoplight was such a jerk. The dichotomy is hard. And when Thanda continues to run out of funding every month, I am not sure what we are doing is worth it anymore.

Then I go out to the community where we are working and I watch. I sit back and what I see makes me bite my lip and cry. Twelve Thanda teachers, who just a few years ago were out of work, are now themselves designing programs that will change their students’ lives. Programs that will motivate, educate, and fill in the gaps left by too many missing parents. When I stand inside the library that we are building for the community. When our basketball coach, Melusi, posts on Facebook, ‘My generation will make a change…every time I bounce a ball I realize that basketball is not just a sport it’s a way to heal those lonely hearts without parents, to work as a team/family, to think outside of the box, to bring education closer to their hands and heart, basketball is a way [to] show how to come up with a solution in any life situation. Basketball is a lot more than a sport so let’s spread the love of basketball in rural areas”. Then I know we are making a difference.

I read recently that the UN says a third of the world’s food is wasted, that developed nations throw away as much uneaten food in a year as is produced in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the children of Sub-Saharan Africa bare the physical, permanent scars of malnutrition. As I wrote for a speech I made last year, ‘Yes, this is all foreign and very far away, but these are people. Yes, it’s all part of bigger past systems that created inequality, but we are all a part of these bigger systems that continue to play out inequalities even today. What right do we have to say that an imaginary line — a national border — determines whether children deserve basic human rights? This is not about politics, this is not about economics, this is about fundamental humanity.’”

Thank you for your support in this story as it continues.

Love,

Ang

In May 2009, I wrote…

“I was holding down the kettle lid today, desperate for a cup of coffee. It doesn’t boil unless you hold down the lid and as I stood there, hand on kettle, looking into the corner of the bare cement and noticing that we clearly have cockroaches in the office again, I thought about how my life might be different if I had just gotten a normal job. I wondered what Merrill Lynch might have for a coffee machine. I bet they have filter coffee. Maybe even a cappuccino machine. As I sat back down at my broken desk, in my plastic chair, drinking instant coffee, I looked at my computer screen and realized that it had frozen again. For the fifth time that day. Then I was told that the rats have been inside the copy machine again, and I thought about how Merrill Lynch probably has a filter coffee machine, working computers, and they probably don’t even have rats.

Then something will happen that makes the rats, my unbearably slow computer, and the endlessly appearing problems OK. And not just OK, because life is enriching here. I am living in Africa and just by being, I am influenced, confused, frustrated, and then humbled. Every day. Last year was exhausting: it was emotional and tumultuous as we threw ourselves into starting a program. This year, as our place here is becoming one rooted in people and experiences, we are thrown back to thinking about the basic, most fundamental elements in life. As Richard Dowden writes in Africa, ‘It is the prize that Africa offers the rest of the world: humility.’ HA! Is that what it’s called? Coming home at the end of every day, uncomfortable, edgy, and with all emotions running through your veins. Humility? Writing this on edge at lightning-speed on a tortoise-speed computer with a bag of cheese curls for dinner? I guess so, because it challenges everything you think, do and feel.”

Another year later, in May 2010, I wrote…

“Like all over South Africa, adults in this community are tired now. It has been 15 years since they were freed from apartheid and they are no longer second-class citizens in their own land. But they are worn out. There are still no jobs. They are still fighting for every day, for enough food to make it to tomorrow. It is exhausting.

One day, I look out from the small plot of land with two humble huts. Every hill is covered in a blanket of tall, prospering sugarcane. I ask around about life before the sugarcane plantations but no one can remember even hearing of such a time. ‘I have lived here since my sons were born. Before that we lived over there. My grandfather built the hut we lived in. He was an important man in this community, my grandfather. I have been sick for years now. Before, I could cut sugarcane and drive the trucks, but now I am sick.’  He hangs his head, slowly, like too many men I have seen. They all hang their heads slowly. It is the dismay that comes from not being able to support your own family. It is the embarrassment of relying on your 12-year-old child to bring in something to help you all survive. It is the sadness over your skinny, fragile frame, too weak to lift your infant baby and your bones so thin they look like they might snap. It is the dismay when you look at your children and realize you are dying, their mother is already dead, and there is no one to care for them. Then you look back up at me and I smile, holding back tears, mentally adding these children to the list of those we will need to support. ‘They will be OK’, I tell you, one adult to another.

I grit my teeth, like I always do. I think of what is left of this family, look out over the hills and multiply it by thousands, and then by every community in the country, and then I start to realize the damage that has been done. The damage from 50 years of being a second-class citizen, forced off your land, forced to move away from home to work in the mines and pay taxes, torn from your family for 11 months of the year. You need formal employment and cash to survive. And then I see generations repeating the same scenario over and over, families torn apart more and more with each year. And a desperate struggle to hold on to one’s tradition, to the hills and the huts and the comfort, so always traveling back to the rural areas to see a wife and children. Choices are made, love is found, and promises are broken. It is a human scenario — but one that in South Africa is leading to millions of deaths.

Still struggling to balance relationships you want and ones you are allowed to have — typical human existence — only it is the government that makes the law and decides what you are allowed to have. A government that believes you are not worth anything more than a body working 10,000 feet underground.

And so now you have AIDS. You are too sick to work anymore so you come home. Your wife is already dead. She said it was your fault. Your heart is like a tight ball of elastic, bound too tight to stretch anymore. Too tired of trying to hang on to a beautiful past during an ugly time, to please your ancestors, your wife, your children, and your love all at once. And so you hang your head. Too tired of being pulled in so many directions, while trying to survive. Your children need food, school supplies, uniforms, and clothes…

‘We should get back to the site, but it was wonderful meeting you. You should be very proud of your son. He says he wants to be a doctor some day. He will be a very kind and good doctor.’  A look of desperation. ‘He reads everything he can find — rubbish, pamphlets, books. He is addicted to reading, he soaks up knowledge. I can’t feed him, how will I pay for his university?’ I grit my teeth. ‘You have a lovely home. I hope to see you again soon.’

‘I wish the sugarcane could be cut down to make more room for new people,’ typed one student in the Thanda After-School computer program. ‘I wish my community would have better understanding about their right[s]’ wrote another. ‘I would like to see more jobs in my community. There are many people suffering from poverty because there are no more jobs. I also wish that our school could be more educational, because education is our key to success.’ How would you improve your community? ‘I would try to organize a group of youth and discuss how we can create jobs.’

Amid the tiredness, like sparkling glass in the sunlight, the children write about their hopes. They write about libraries they wish for in their community, houses that need to be fixed, clean water systems that need to be installed. I don’t know how these things will happen, but I do know that if nothing is done for these children, they will be tired very soon too.

We have lofty goals, I admit. It’s arrogant to think we can achieve them, I know. But we have made a commitment to these children and their dying parents, and we will continue. Because what we are doing is the start of something revolutionary in this community. Empowering and supporting people to help themselves. For girls to stand up for themselves. For kids to say ‘no’ to death by AIDS. For graduates to start their own enterprises. For this community to contain leaders, not dependents. For these children to have children that don’t grow up in poverty.”

So here we are today, in September 2011. We have a program that supports 325 children every day. We have an (almost-finished) building that will enable us to help thousands more children. We have momentum and energy that will keep us going for years to come, and we have the determination to impact millions more children around South Africa.

One in five South African children are already orphaned, and soon it could be one in three. South Africa needs a reasonable, sustainable solution to this crisis — and soon. Throughout all of Africa, there are 12 million orphans who could also use a support model like ours.

Recently, I wrote a quick note home…

“We spend so many of our days worrying that we’ll have enough funding to buy food for the children and to pay the staff. It is exhausting and it keeps us from the real work we are trying to do. We are trying to find a large foundation to fund Thanda, but in the meantime, it is the donations from individuals that keep us going each month as our bank account gets close to 0 again”

Our loyal supporters around the world have been with us every step of the way as our story continues to unfold. Levi’s has been amazing in helping us spread the word about what Thanda is doing and funding the Primary Education program next year- (check out https://www.facebook.com/#!/Levis?sk=app_211692855545581 ). But we still need your support to keep everything else going.

If you can offer anything, we would appreciate donations of any amount. Please visit www.thanda.org for more information on how you can creatively help out our organization. (Definitely check out the Donation Catalogue at the bottom of the page.)

Thank you very much for helping us build such a strong foundation. We are excited to show you how we’ll grow in the coming weeks, months, and years.

Love,

Ang

Hi, my name is Angela Larkan. In 2006 I founded Thanda and in 2008 I launched Thanda After-School with Tyler Howard and some wonderful colleagues such as Maya Casagrande, Jon Leland, and Holly Buchanan. After requests to hear ‘our story’, this post will be the first of a series where we’ll take a trip down memory lane and then follow up with some news from the ground. I’ll also use excerpts from letters I wrote home to show you how we got to where we are today.

Ang and Tyler in front of the newly built Thanda Library and Community Center, 2011.

As soon as I was in those communities, seeing large groups of young children running around by themselves, empty huts with four grave stones in the yard, grannies raising their children’s children, and learning that there could be more than 5 million orphans by 2015, I knew that I had to work to find solutions for this crisis. I did years of research during and after college, developing a model that uses existing school buildings, works alongside local teachers, and hires unemployed youth from the community to support orphans and vulnerable children through after-school programs.

This is how we could handle large numbers of orphans, I thought. This is how South Africa could approach its impending orphan crisis.

Running a 3-week program for children in Zululand in 2005.

Developing programs and curriculum for Thanda After-School

Happy to be in Thanda

Holly helps a Thanda student with homework

Seven months later I wrote home…

“Living and working in Africa is like being on an emotional and physical roller coaster that never stops. Each day is filled with problems — some immediate, some from 100 years ago — and then there are moments of extreme happiness. Life is raw and undiluted, and it is our job to support our students as they deal with whatever poverty is dealing that day.

 And so things always go wrong. Something breaks. People get sick. There are floods. Children become orphans. Yesterday one of our youngest students tells us there is no more food at home for the family of 14. These are the stresses that fill our days and cause us to work late into the evenings, because they are immediate and because they are life-threatening.

Then are frustrating moments. When I take a granny and her 7 orphaned grandchildren to get ID documents and social welfare grants. And we wait in lines all day, going from one department office the other, only to be told that the (disabled) grandmother must go to the city offices instead.   

There are emotional moments. When my heart tightens and tears pour down my cheeks. On Sunday our under-13 Thanda soccer team competed in a tournament of 24 teams. When they made it to the final, I cried as I watched them standing in front of the crowd of 500 people, with their hands on their hearts and their heads down, singing the national anthem. They looked so grown up, so serious and proud. With no cleats and wearing make-shift uniforms many sizes too big, this was the biggest achievement of their lives.

The best moments are what we now call ‘Thanda moments’. These are precious moments when we realize that we are helping, that we are part of something so incredibly important. When we go up to the basketball court unannounced one Saturday with one ball and soon there are 80 children from all over the community, asking if they can play with Thanda.”

Getting stuck in the mud

Thanda August 2011

It has been a long journey, but when I get a chance to look back and see what we have accomplished in three-and-a-half years, I am proud of what we have achieved. A few weeks ago Tyler and Sbusiso ‘Raah’ Msimango (Thanda’s manager) boarded a plane to present at the 2011 National Association of Child Care Workers conference. I couldn’t believe that in so little time we had taken an idea and turned it into reality.

Thanda staff training at Noah

Twin teaches gardening to new recruits

After a long wait and a lot of fundraising, we are very proud to be setting up the Thanda Library! Although the walls of the Thanda offices and Community Center are still being plastered, the Library half of the building was completed enough for six lovely ladies from the UK to come out in June and start decorating the room. They brought loads of books and posters, and spent two days helping to transform the library into a welcoming and inspiring environment for reading. The goal was to show everyone what the library could look like once completed. I was lucky enough to tag along for their visit, so here is the story…

Vistors included (from left to right): Lynn O'Brien, Genean Stec, Holly Howard, Ang, Susan Rusbasan, Tyler, Lisa Stoclet, Lynn Herbert

The trip out to the site was once again breath taking.

We arrived as 11 Thanda After-School programs were in session and got to see some of the 325 orphans and vulnerable children that were receiving support from Thanda staff at that time. The youngest children performed a song for us, ate their lunch, and then started on their lesson for the day.

The Grade 4 class surprised us with traditional Zulu dancing to a very loud drum and then they proudly sang their national anthem.

At the high school, we watched the Dance program perform and some very shy, but very brave high school students even got up to dance alone.

The next morning we were ready to get to work! Thanda’s Manager, Raah, first spoke about how this will be the first library in the area and how it will open so many opportunities for the children, “words cannot describe what this means to me, the community, and everyone,” he said.

Nosipho got up and spoke about how special Ang and Tyler are and how much the community loves them. She said the staff might be young, but they are growing and learning. She said how patient and understanding Ang and Tyler have been, as well as how they are always there for them.

Angela and Tyler

Ang walked around showing every one where each section was going to be in the library. There is even going to be an area where elders from the community can come in and record the history of the area, so that it will be preserved for future generations.  

Everyone got stuck in and slowly the kiddies corner started to come alive with book cases filled with wonderful stories and pictures on the walls. Before everyone’s eyes the library started to take shape.

Even though the building is still under construction, the ladies had fundraised for supplies and we were able to put some lovely plants and shrubs in front of the centre.  It was amazing how that little bit of color just changed the whole feel of the building and made it come alive.

In fact the whole transformation that took place was amazing!

At the end of the day, one of the Thanda teachers bought her Grade one children up to the centre. It was incredibly emotional to watch them run and skip up to the front door. “They know this place,” their teacher said. “Six months ago they had their Christmas party on the foundation’s concrete slab”. They became very quiet as soon as they walked in. Slowly and with big eyes, they looked around in awe. They quickly moved towards the pillows on the floor and the stuffed animals, holding these close to them with little smiles. Mrs. Howard started reading a story and there was silence as 30 little faces stared at the pictures and listened to the story. They were captivated and there was not a sound until the last page.

We are so looking forward to finishing the library and many more story times.

We visited a child with a physical disability this week and although she loved to read, she had no books at home for the whole three weeks of school holidays. We couldn’t help but think what a difference this library will make.

We need your help! If you would like to help us finish the library to be a place of safety and comfort where children can enjoy reading and learn, please support our current library campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/Thanda-Library  With a donation to help fund a safety guard, librarian, books, and activities for the library, you will receive a card or book handmade by some of the children!

A big thank you to Elisabeth for the lovely books that she donated to the Thanda Library.

To support Thanda’s regular programs for orphans and vulnerable children after-school, please go to http://thanda.org/donate.html

A special thank you to Lisa Stoclet for allowing us to use her beautiful photos in our blog.

“You can do what I cannot do.
I can do what you cannot do.
Together we can do great things.”

— Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Thank you!

But just one thing, on behalf of the whole Thanda family we would like to thank everyone for their support at our New York event in April and to everyone who has and will be supporting our Gala event that is taking place in May.

For this blog we decided to spice things up, so instead of a normal blog we decided to put the  quarterly newletter in its place. Now this is not just any old newsletter it’s a newsletter written by the founder Angela Larkan. I hope you enjoy it

A note from our founder:

“Thank you for this opportunity.” I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. With eyes looking down and feet shuffling, embarrassed and shy, they express how they feel. And then I see a smile. Grateful for the opportunity to join Thanda so they can learn skills, receive support, and be part of something every day. Grateful for the opportunity to continue their schooling or just have a book to learn how to read. With so much neglect, with so many millions of orphans in their country, more than anything, they are grateful to be seen and to be somebody. Children that would still be ‘forgotten’ if Thanda had not given them this opportunity.

Thanda is still growing, and this year marks a new page in our story. One where we become a leader in after school support for orphans in South Africa and where we expand our reach with our new Community Center and Library. We are already providing opportunities to so many ‘forgotten’ children, but there are still millions who need our support. Yet continuing the program becomes harder and harder financially each month. Costs add up with transport in rural areas, providing 1,500 meals per week, and paying our 15 staff who work day in and day out to support and teach these children.

We will not give up trying, but we ask you to think about these children and consider helping us so we can continue helping them. At Thanda, we can do what their parents no longer can – make them a meal, help them with their homework, give them attention every day, and teach them to dream. And you can help. Please help us give them the care we know you would like to see them have.  And for that, we say, “Thank you for this opportunity.”

YOU ARE INVITED…

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2011

Orphans Against Aids/THANDA Gala Fundraiser

We are proud to announce that Orphans Against AIDS and THANDA are teaming up to host a gala fundraiser! We are counting on this event to help fund Thanda for the rest of the year, so please buy a ticket here (link to gala page) and invite your friends.

Exit Art

7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

475 Tenth Ave

New York, NY 10018

Thanda staff and kids have been creating works of art to be displayed at the event

Cocktails- Hors d’oeuvres- Silent Auction- Jewelry- Video- Artwork by Thanda

Thanda Has a New Website!

Check it out at www.thanda.org.

Thanda supports future generations and communities in Africa by developing local, sustainable solutions to the continent’s most pressing issues: care for orphans and vulnerable children, HIV prevention, and poverty alleviation.

Please support these vulnerable children by donating online or mailing a check HERE  http://www.thanda.org/donate.html

Thanda’s Success: The Proof is in the Numbers!

In a rural area where weather affects people greatly and illness is common, average attendance at Thanda averages 90%!

       85% of students report that, overall, Thanda has helped improve their lives.

       87% of high school students believe that vegetable gardens are important and valuable.

       73% of students say Thanda makes them proud of their community.

       There was a 54% increase in accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS between March and November 2010.

       Between 2009 and 2010, 20% more of Thanda’s students said they would like stay in their rural areas after high school to make a difference in their communities rather than move to the city.

The Thanda Staff

Thanda Scholarship Winner Begins Nursing School

Khanyisile, a former Thanda student who received a Thanda scholarship to study nursing, began her coursework at Oceanview Nursing College this month. She is excited to be in school and says she is eager to make a difference in people’s lives.

If you would like to help fund Khanyisile’s next few years of nursing school, please email info@thanda.org for more information.

Khanyisile when she volunteered at Thanda After-School

Library and Community Center Nears Completion

Construction of Thanda’s new community center is underway, and we should be able to move into our new home in just a few months!

Thanda’s soon-to-be library

One of our donors has agreed to give us a matching donation of $1050 to help fund shelves for the library! If you would like to help us reach our goal of getting our books out of storage and onto bookshelves by June, please email info@thanda.org to contribute to this generous matching donation.

Thanda Offers Training to Partner Organization

This month, Thanda began offering training to NOAH, a project that supports 250 orphans and vulnerable children in IChabane. Through daily workshops over the next three months, our staff will implement Thanda’s HIV prevention and after-school programs into their project.

Noah

Focus on Agriculture!

This quarter, we have been raising money to fund and expand our agriculture programs. With courses for Thanda students, as well as local community members, Thanda’s agriculture program teaches practical skills that help to create fresh and sustainable local food supplies, decrease malnutrition, and promote self-reliance.

AgricultureThose who were able to attend the ‘MEET TWIN’ event in New York had the opportunity to hear about Thanda’s agriculture programs from the agriculture teacher himself, Twin Doyisa!Holly, Twin and CiCi

Twin went on to Oklahoma where Oklahoma State University hosted him to speak on community agriculture and learn about leadership. Twin says he feels “more equipped now with the skills necessary for me to go out there any help my organization and my community”. Twin was especially touched by the hospitality of the people he met and the support for Thanda overseas, saying that “what they shared really inspires me to do my job very well and with respect”.

Twin in NYC

 

Twin in Oklahoma

Eye Tests and uniforms!

Towards the end of 2010 Spec Savers offered eye tests for each child at Thanda and gave them sunglasses. At the start of the new year, Thanda gave school uniforms and shoes to children who could not afford them at 4 local schools.

Thank you for your support!!        www.thanda.org                  info@thanda.org

Driven by a young, active, and passionate team, Thanda After-School has a unique approach to development. Sustainable, local solutions for global issues are giving Thanda recognition as “leaders in community development.”

View from the Community Centre Site

March is turning into a very busy month for us here at Thanda, it is full steam ahead as usual and there is some very exciting news: Thanda’s Agriculture leader, Twin, is heading to the USA soon! We will be holding an event in New York City where you will be able to meet him and hear him tell you all about his life growing up in rural South Africa, Thanda After-School, his agricultural program, and how he hopes to change the way people look at farming in the community.

Our focus has been on Thanda’s Agriculture Programs this year,

Thanda children start their new garden for the year.

so we asked Twin to write this month’s blog, allowing you to get a sneak peek of his world and hear a bit about his vision for the future.

“Development of a Community by Twin”            

In some rural villages and in squatter communities near towns, people live in poor conditions and many are unemployed. A squatter community is an informal settlement which pops up on the outskirts of a town or city, the buildings are constructed from corrugated iron sheets, and there is no basic infrastructure, such as streets, drainage, or toilets. Squatter communities spring up when there is over population of unemployed people in an area; people who are unable to afford to pay rent or buy property. These people usually come from the rural areas and move to the cities/towns to make money to send back to their families. One of Thanda’s goals is to prevent people from fleeing to the cities where they end up living in horrible conditions without any work, by making their rural home lives sustainable and fulfilling.

Thanda After-School’s Agricultural Programs achieve this goal by providing basic knowledge in growing sustainable and healthy food gardens. 2011 has come with loads of fun and excitement for Thanda After-School Agricultural Program kids; they have shown lots of excitement and enthusiasm to be a part of this program. Learning how to grow food in sustainable ways is a vital life skill and it makes sense that our children are exposed to this expertise and experience within our after-school program environment.

We use a system called Permaculture, which is an environmentally friendly way of gardening and farming designed to mirror the healthy patterns of nature’s own system. This included growing crops without the use of artificial additives, such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers. It is also very accommodative way financially as the resources are just easier to find.

Here at Thanda we believe in caring for the earth. With our children’s futures in mind we look after the planet’s natural resources and every living thing. This principle is put into action by maintaining healthy soil and water systems. Considering the environment in all our decisions, making and acting only on decisions that are good for and will not harm our natural environment.

Our soil in this community is superb, as it is very fertile and the land is very accessible. We only need to take advantage of that within our local communities.

At Thanda, the previous garden we created for the Thanda kids became an income generating project, whereby the produce is harvested and sold.  The money from these sales goes back into helping the kids and community. Demands for expansion have risen up very high with more and more community members wanting to start and develop their gardens.

What we need to do differently this year in 2011 is to encourage more members from the community and surrounding local areas and schools to start create more sustainable gardens. Our goal is to work hand in hand with the schools to set up gardens on the school properties for the children to be involved in, learning the skills that have been largely lost in this community due to migration to the cities and disease. The training gardens at our new center will also be helpful in showing people effective and reasonable methods. We also want to promote having fruit trees within the yards and gardens instead of dangerous alien trees which take too much water from the soil such as “gum trees”. We are working with the local municipality and a local school to replace these trees with fruit trees, and other organizations are giving us trees for the children to plant all over the community.

Last year Thanda partnered with a local school, Sosukwane Primary,

Thanda's partnership with Sosukwane started a year ago

to get the children active in growing food for their feeding scheme.

Children at Sosukwane prepare the gardens with straw to prevent wate loss

They also use newspapers to prevent water loss

Most of the children in the surrounding schools are orphans, so a nutritious meal at school is very important for them. 

Students harvesting peppers from their garden

Organic vegetable that the kids grow in their garden

 Twin also allowed us to get a glimpse of the rite of passage for young Zulu girls, which occurred in the community recently:

“A rite of passage by Twin”

The Zulu culture is very strict! During the rite of passage (coming of age), there are gifts, dancing and singing.  The young girls have to hide themselves for the entire night until the following morning, so that none of the boys can see them.

Early the following morning all the young girls go to the river to wash away all their misfortunes ( bad luck) and they wait for older women, from their tribe, to go and help them get dressed in the traditional clothing.

Young girls in their traditional clothing

The older women will also give them lots of advice. She will also put a red symbol on their foreheads which symbolizes that they are all older now, but still virgins.

There are multiple goats which are slaughtered, the bile from the animals is then rubbed into the skin of the young girls.

Then the ceremony begins and the parents of the young girls receive gifts from friends and family members as thanks and a way to show congratulations for their good parenting skills.  The gifts are normally blankets, money, umbrellas or other items.

The parents of the young girls receiving gifts

Thank you to Twin for a very inspiring blog this month and an eye into Zulu culture. If you would like to support our Agriculture Programs and help enable us to reach more schools, there are just 13 days left on our campaign at our Indigogo website (http://www.indiegogo.com/Thanda-After-School-1). Thank you!

The picture below is  Thanda’s chicken project with Sosukwane. Thanda designed this “chicken tractor,”

Chicken tractor

which community members fill with laying chickens and put over their vegetable gardens. There is no bottom on the structure, so the chickens can scratch up the soil (natural plowing) and fertilize the garden, while also laying eggs.

This project has been a huge success  because people have always had chickens in this community, but they have only used them for meat instead of eggs.  

Freshly layed eggs

 There is a lot of potential for this project becaus people want to know more. Sosukwane sells the eggs each day and uses the money for their gardening projects.

The picture below is of a new chicken project started recently by Thanda graduates. They have started their own business raising and selling chickens, making them one of the very few enterprises in the community.

This is what Thanda is all about: giving the children and the community the tools and the knowledge they need to go out and start making positive changes in their lives and in the community.

For all of you who would love to meet Twin, he will be at our New York fundraiser on Friday 1 April at Van Diemens Café Bar, 383 3^rd Ave, Between 27^th & 28^th Street, New York, NY 10016, 6-8 pm, FREE ENTRANCE. So please come if you in the area, and meet Twin, Tyler, Ang, and the rest of the Thanda Family.

Remember the OAA/THANDA Fundraiser Gala is also in NYC at ExitArt on Friday, 20 May, $100 Tickets.

And a quotation on Thanda’s journey….

 “It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow” Robert H Goddard.

February was the start of the year for the children in Thanda-we handed out over 400 application forms to the children in the area and had an overwhelming response. In typical Thanda- unpredictable fashion, over 60 grade R (Kindergarten) children arrived for the first day back at Thanda, even though only 25 had been accepted! The Thanda staff were running around trying to find enough plates and cups for the kids so they could all have something to eat and drink. It’s moments like that which make it so worth it.

I was allowed a sneak peep into each class to see what the kids and teachers were up to and guess what? You are allowed a sneak peep too. ..

The first stop was the little kids. The Grade R and 1 class had just finished eating and were busy with their math lesson. For some of you who do not know, in some cases the sandwich the kids get from Thanda might be their only meal of the day. Each child that comes to Thanda gets something to eat; this is the reason for all the loaves of bread.

Just before classes start, the Thanda Staff gets together to help make sandwiches for their kids and mix juice for them.  Then the sandwiches, plates and cups are packed into a basket so the teachers can just grab them on their way out to meet the kids.

So back to the Grade R and 1 class, they were busy with a fun math activity that involved them having to learn numbers. On their worksheet they had a picture of say 3 apples and then they were drawing the number 3. Their teacher, Janet, was one of the Thanda Computer students when she was in high school and she spent most of last year volunteering for Thanda with the Grade R students. Apparently these little ones visited their teacher on numerous occasions during the school holidays, asking when they could come back to Thanda!

Grade 2 and 3 were busy learning about the SA flag, which they were drawing. This is their new teacher, Makhosi, who was a graduate of the Thanda Focus on Matric program in 2008.

Grade 4 were going to do some work in their books- their new teacher is Mandisa, who was a student in the Thanda Computer program in 2008.  

Next on the tour was the grade 5-7 classes. Due to a small problem with keys that day, both classes had to share a class room, which was not easy. Sandile had worked out an activity for the kids, but had to change it, so the kids were just going to write in their free writing journals.

The other class were going to be doing photo stories, where they look at a picture and make up a story. These activities provide an expressive outlet for the children, which starts the process of healing and enables them to think creatively and use their imaginations. Of course, it also makes them practice their English, which is very important because all their schooling is done in English.

Then it was off to see the high school kids. After a lot of debating it was decided that Thanda would create a dance program this year, so we headed off to see the dance class. They were busy finishing up decorating their bricks, writing what a library would mean to them. Don’t forget to buy your brick made by a Thanda student at www.thanda.org/afterschool  so you can receive one of these! Next the dance kids were going to start rehearsals because they are taking part in a competition next month.

The agriculture kids were engaged in a homework session before starting to learn about planting and harvesting. They have almost finished preparing their gardens for planting this year.

The basketball kids were busy on the court warming up and practicing.

The soccer kids were also already busy in a practice.

It’s full steam ahead for the Thanda Community Centre and Library. As you all know the Computer room is completed and the rest of the building is coming along nicely.  The walls are going up quickly and they are almost roof height. This is great because it allows you to get a feeling of just how wonderful and amazing this place is going to be once it is completed.

This is a view from inside one of the library windows- can’t you just imagine children learning inside while looking outside at the beautiful community, imagining the possibilities for their futures?

There are still a few rooms which need to be funded or sponsored, so if you want to help please let us know and feel free to pass the word around.  You can also buy a brick from our website and in turn you will receive one of those cute handmade brick made by one of the Thanda pupils.

http://www.thanda.org/afterschool/support.html

Most of you have already seen Thanda on Indigogo; if not here is the link:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Thanda-After-School-1

We are trying to reach our goal of $5 380 to fund the Agriculture Program, anything will help from $5 dollars up wards. Please help us as we have only 40 days left to raise $4915. Thank you to those who have already supported!

Thanda would like to say a very big Thank you to Hibberdene build it for sponsoring the Agriculture group with some equipment and tools for their garden.

While looking for a quote I came across one that not only put a smile on my face, but also made me think just how closely it relates to Thanda After-School. A very wise, special man once said

“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse”- Walt Disney

Thanda After-Sc hool was started the same way, one person had a dream and with passion and self-belief it has become a reality. The children and people of the community also have a dream and with the tools and guidance Thanda After-School provides, they will be able to make their dreams come true.

Remember the child within and live life with the same curiosity and believe that no matter how small your part is, it makes a big impact in ways you could never imagine.

2011 is going to be a busy year for Thanda- we have so much planned and going on. So watch this space and follow us on Twitter and Facebook if you are not already.

Just before Thanda closed in December we organized two community soccer tournaments- one for under 17 and one for over 17.

Proud teams

Referees

They were fun filled days with all teams involved playing with heart and going all out.

Thanda teachers were there to give the Thanda team support, advice, and motivation. In the end, the Thanda Team made it to the finals and came second, with Chelsea winning the tournament.

Winning Team

Man of the Match

Everyone had a wonderful day and loads of fun was had by all involved- it was a great way to end 2010.

Spectators

January is not only a time for reflection, but also a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. I had a wonderful chat to the Thanda staff to get their thoughts on this.

The staff spoke about how they have grown together as a unit. Not just with the kids they work with, but with each other; they have turned into a family.

Thanda Staff

 Melusi (Basketball coach) said that when he first started at Thanda he was quiet and kept to himself, but he is now more confident and talkative. Sandile mentioned that they have noticed how dedicated each person is to making Thanda a success. Each staff member mentioned how they have taken on more responsibility and how they have grown and learnt about themselves. Raah had the biggest challenge because he went from being a teacher to being a manager, but he loves his new position and has turned into a natural leader. Delisile spoke about how she took over the art program halfway through the year and how even though she was new to the kids, they really bonded with her and come to her with their problems. Overall the staff has grown and gained confidence in each other and themselves, and this is what makes Thanda a success.

We also chatted about what they want to do differently in 2011. Nosipho spoke about maybe focusing a bit more on the kids’ talents. Twin spoke about expanding the gardening program, by creating gardens for the kids at their homes and for people in the community. He spoke about how the kids love the program and how he can’t wait to teach them about harvesting. The first garden he created for Thanda has become an income generating project, whereby the products (red peppers, spinach, etc) are harvested and sold. The money from these sales goes back into helping the kids and the community. Melusi wants to get the girls more involved with basketball and he wants to use the basketball program to compare sports to the kid’s lives.

Overall the attitude and vibe I got was one of happiness, confidence, and determination to make a difference and bring about change within their community.  And I must admit it was contagious.

Melusi said something that stuck in my mind and had me thinking. He said that the one thing he is trying to teach his kids is that no matter how big or small or short they are, that as long as they can jump or run, they can play basket ball. And that the same applies to life: no matter how poor you are, you can still reach your goals and do anything you want to.

While at the Thanda site we stopped in to see the progress of the new Thanda Library and Community Center and it is coming along so nicely.

Community Center

We are all very excited. In the computer room the shelving has been put up and the rest of the walls are on their way up.

Computer Room

We are still looking for sponsors for the Community Assistance Office, Training Center, Equipment Room, and Playground, if anyone is interested in helping with this building. We can’t wait to see it up!

In South Africa our school system runs from Jan to Dec with the year broken up into 4 terms. So as the grade 12’s of 2010 get ready to take on the world, the grade 1’s are excited to start learning and growing.  All the stores around South Africa have been a hive of activity with parents, little kids, and even older children getting school books, clothes, shoes, etc for their new school year. Even the Thanda staff have been busy this week getting everything ready for the new year.

I came across this quote “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France

This is what Thanda does and strives to teach the kids of the community. On behalf of all the Thanda staff we would like to wish you all a very happy new year and may 2011 be as great of a year for you as it is going to be for us.

Liberty Winning Team