Merry Christmas and a great 2010

WE WANT TO WISH YOU ALL A LOVING XMAS AND MAY YOUR HEART BE FILLED WITH PEACE AND JOY FOR THE NEW YEAR

WITH LOTS OF LOVE FROM THOLA IKHAYA

KHUMBULANI, PERFECT & LILIAN

Up date our house Thola Ikhaya "find a home"

We have had some changes in our house. Tessa has left our house and now it´s just Khumbulani, Perfect and me. The plans of taking more boys in the house have changed as well as we financially can not effort it but we help some of the boys (3), we wanted to take in the house, with food parcels ones a month. I also keep a close eye on them. They all passed to their last year. I am very proud of them. Perfect passed with great marks to grade 10 if he continues like this he will become the lawyer he dreams about. For Khumbulani we have a changed plan he will not be going to do his last year at the school he went to, he will be going to study and work at the same time. Perfect has joined a dance company and has been performing a few times now (photo´s included) he realy enjoys it and will continue next year. Khumbulani started a weekend job and also works as a volunteer for an organisation which helps out animals. He works in the Music shop, they sell donated stuff to fundraise money for the organisation. He enjoys it very much as he checks all the electronical stuff that´s delivered before it will be sold. They are very busy even on their holiday. Also for next year they will help me out with the things we want to do for Khulani Simunye. Also for our house Thola Ikhaya it´s going to be a great 2010...With lots of love........

I was invited as a guest speaker for grade 1 at the school our children go to.....Look at the picture!!!!! How cute they look, the future of South Africa.

New year new start

Hi family and friends,

It´s been a longtime you had some news from me....

I would like to tell you some great news. After a few months with a lot of doubts and worries I finally got the answer on the question "Can I stay or not?" YES I will stay for at least one more year !!!!!!! I am getting help from sponsors....... Sponsors for my 5 boys school fees/transport, my teen mom school fees/transport/rent/groserries, food parcels for 3 students and help with the rent for our House "Thola Ikhaya" (Find a home).....I am so happy with all this help, I herewith would like to thank all the sponsors, Susane van Rijn, Stacie Mohagen, Organisation "Thalente", Sonsoles Garcia, Jan-Paul & Rob, Mom and Dad. Also I would like to take the opportunity to thank for all the help I received last year, as you will understand I can not do this without your help!! thank you all so much!!! There is also another change for next year, I will be helping the organisation Khulani Simunye with the field work. As my friend Lizzy is leaving South Africa to have her baby in the Netherlands I will take over some of the work she did. I am very happy with this responsibility. I will continue with all the good work the organisation does. Most important will be helping the community out with getting their birth certificate/ID books. Also I will continue with delivering bread to other organisations which we get from the factory. "Kids in action" will also be one of the activities I will do with lots of pleasure. We also would like to restart with the english lessons and create more workshops for the people from the community to make sure they learn skills which might help them with an income. We have a lot of plans for 2010 and we will still need your support to make it all happen. It´s going to be a great year !!!!!

Our house

Just to give a small up-date about our house.... We are doing great, the two boys are doing well at school and they stay out of trouble, so we are very proud of them. By selling their necklaces they are able to provide themselfs with extra´s. One of the boys is starting with his drivers licences and the other one will start dance lessons. They are investing their money in things they are good at, what gives them reason, hope in their lives and realy enjoy. Soon my mom will come to visite us again, and all of us are looking forward to see her here in South Africa again. They call her Gogo (grandmother). For the moment we can not take more boys in the house which I regret because I know another boy who realy would like/need to live with us. He is trying on his own to make a better live for himself but it would be much better if he stays with us. He is 17 years old and has made some mistakes in his live already but is willing to leave everything for a better future. But I am sorry to say that financialy we can not effort to have another boy. If you or some one you know who can help us out please let me know, it will make a difference in their lives as I have seen with the boys in our house.

New school year starting 2010

At this moment I support 6 teens to continue their education. I hope (and they say they will) go to their gratuate year next year..(School year South Africa January - December).2010 will be very important for these teens, they will get their Matric (High school diploma) and ofcourse all the soccer world cup is going on......
This year with help of my friend in holland, the Rise Foundation in the UK, family and friends we were able to help these teens to go to school. For the next year I again can count on my friend in Holland to help with financial support (and mentally), 50% of the whole year. So herewith I would like to request if there are some more people, friends, family, companies, organisations etc. who can help me out to continue with supporting these teens at school. For 50€ pm/per child I can provide them with school fees, stationary and transport. Ofcourse you can also help out by donating smaller amount for school fees 20€ pm/per child, Transport 20€ pm/per child. General Stationary any amount. Or any other donation is very much welcome.
Please help me out so these teens can continue at school.

Thank you so much in advance,

Some changes......

Good news, we desided that the other boy should stay with us permantly not only on weekends and holidays. Altough we do not have a fixed sponsor we desides that it is better for him to stay with us. We went to get his few cloths and schoolbooks at his aunties place this weekend. She was sorry for him leaving but happy for him that he can stay with us. I must say I am REALLY pleased to be able to take him away from that place. I have been here over a year now and I go a lot to the rural aerea but where he lived I really do not like it, it even makes me scared. I do would like to request if you can help us out with the grosseries. We spend per month 3500R (318€) for the 4 of us. It´s per person 875R (75€)....... Thankxx in advance. The boys have at this moment enough cloths and shoes. They received a lot from friends in spain and my dad did a clean up of his warobe. They love the shirts and sweaters. Now when they wear those cloth they say: "Hey Lil, listen to me I am your dad!" ;-)

Still clothes are always welcome because as you know I also keep an eye on some more teens boys.......

Soon I will give you an update about plans for them....I want to try to create a more stable future for them.

As I said before I am already here more than a year !!!!! I have got a visa now untill 2011. Will I stay that long ???? I have NO IDEA..... Yes I would love to but I also know that I want to go back to Spain some day....

Orders

I finally sent out the orders..... Manon, Nell, Brenda, John & Ingrid, Suzane and mom you will receive the orders in about a week. Please let me know when you receive it.

I do have also other things to sell. The boys at our house are making necklaces and a friend, Stella also started to make pins and post cards with beads. Please if you are intrested in selling it for them please let me know. All the profit goes to them directly and you only pay what you sell. I attach some pictures of the work.