Wow! I’m having to seriously question where that three months has gone since I came on board in September?! When I wake up each morning remembering that the work we’re doing is potentially keeping an orphan or vulnerable child fed and supported that day, I’m inspired to try and fit in a massive amount to ensure that that hope prevails. What a great honour it is to be working on behalf of MaAfrika Tikkun.

Rich and I would sincerely like to thank everyone who has so generously donated – and particularly to welcome our new donors this year. To our Mandela Angels – thank you so much for your big hearts and your voluntary support. We’d also like to welcome and thank the Old Sydney Holiday Inn at The Rocks for committing to the launch of our Mandela Hotels Program. (And we’re speaking with a renowned restaurant group regarding the launch of our Mandela Restaurants Program – but more on that in the coming months!). To our sponsors O’Brien Glass – can’t wait to get involved with supporting your staff next year! – thanks so much for your enthusiasm – and Rich and I promise we’ve got our training shoes ready! To our Advisory Board members Simon Buckingham and Annie Crawford, to our volunteers: Michelle Bootcov for administrative support, Yasmin Hannouf for Grant Application support, Amy & James Middleton for planned fundraising support in Melbourne, to Judith Calov and Sarah Van Wijck for pro bono design and artwork of our new brochure, to Ben Buckingham for all you’re doing for us - a big big thank you to you all.

Before I go on to share with you the exciting events and campaigns we’ve been busy planning for 2008, I must just show you some photos from my trip to our projects in Gauteng & Western Cape:

MaT’s food kitchens are supplemented by our own organic gardens. A three week training program for new gardeners was just being completed at Mfuleni when I was visiting . . . each of the sixteen gardeners was so full of self-esteem, pride and dignity at the certification ceremony and they were so excited about starting their new jobs. Everyone stood up and said something when receiving their certificates – and many stated that they’d never studied or completed anything before. Apart from learning the practicalities of irrigation and planting seeds etc, the gardeners also learned the theory of what their crops can yield. We’re hopeful that they’ll also scatter a few seeds outside their own shack doors as income generating projects for themselves. We shared in a braai (BBQ) once they’d all received certificates and there was lots of joking and laughter. It was great fun as well as a tearjerker!

This is Winnie Nkuna . . .
She is on the Angel's Programme and she and her sister are in a child-headed
household and they also both have babies. We built them a new shack and taught them how to make bread.Winnie had just been on a two-day bread-making course to contribute to the food provision for over 400 people in the community at Diepsloot. More pride – as you can see! Smelt delicious too :-)

Lunch being dished up into containers and taken to various locations in the community and food parcels being loaded up into the back of the bakkie for delivery to the sick and elderly and child headed households.

A family of eight lives in this 4 x 6 wooden shack – all on a single mattress that teeters on top of a mound of their only belongings. They’re now on a list awaiting improved housing through MaAfrika Tikkun . . .

Such beautiful children – often with huge sadness in their eyes . . . and yet somehow able to not loose sight of simply being kids.

Construction is under way with the foundations for the first of three new community development centres in Diepsloot having been laid.
The centres, Early Childhood Development, Youth Development and a Palliative Care Centre will all be in operation later in 2008. The buildings will provide hugely improved services to the Diepsloot community. Children up to six years will be cared for during the day at the Early Childhood Development Centre, children 7-19 will be provided with an array of support services including daily meals, sports activities, recreation, life skills, counselling as well as access to a library and computer centre at the Youth Development Centre. The Admin & Palliative Care Centre will be a hub for administration, planning, report writing and social work intervention. The home based care givers will be based at the centre and will, from there, visit their clients, including the elderly, orphans, vulnerable children and HIV/AIDS infected people. So good to see such huge progress taking place!

Diepsloot’s Project Leader Bessie Netsianda, who will be familiar to those of you who attended our 2007 Mandela Birthday Bash at Jonah’s in June, was recently recognised (and rightly so in my experience!) as a hero . . . please read:

http://www.myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=Bessie_Netsianda_ZA_07_ul
What an inspiring lady.

Two separate supporters have inspired Rich and I by donating and dedicating their birthdays to MaT’s Angels Program this month! It’s a great way to let friends and family know about what you believe in. Both sent out their party invites asking for donations to be made to MaT rather than receiving gifts – and have been creative with auctions/ raffles/ facebook etc to gather more funds. Thank you both!
Please speak to us if you feel inspired to do something similar . . . and click here to see our Angels Program in action.

http://www.maafrikatikkun.org.za/web/content/view/147/1/

Our first bi-annual Angels Get-Together is taking place mid December. It’s a time for sharing stories, receiving support with fundraising – and for Rich & I to show our appreciation to our wonderful Mandela Angels. Contact us if you’d like further info on the program – PLEASE!

Rich and I are expecting 2008 to be a busy year in terms of the events and campaigns we’re initiating. We want to show our Johannesburg Head Office what we’re made of here in Oz! My experience is that we Australians can be fantastic givers - when we know what to give to. So, we plan on keeping you well informed. These are just a few of the concepts in the pipeline . . .

• See our website Gift Registry. We have some new Mandela Angels about to fly! If you feel motivated to do something similar around your own birthday/ wedding/ anniversary etc – let us know! We offer lots of support.
• In the lead up to Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday next year, we’ll be initiating an e-birthday card campaign. Watch your inbox for more!
• We’re launching our Mandela Hotels Program with The Old Sydney Holiday Inn. . . as well as our Mandela Restaurants Program.
• We’re planning to be involved with organizing a fundraising African Ball through our association with the Australia Africa Business Council.
• An Art Auction bigger than Ben Hur
• The Mandela Birthday Bash
• Blackmore’s Sydney Running Festival. Start training!!!
• Donations of “Pay For A Day” to honour Nelson Mandela’s birthday and support his dream of eradicating poverty in the townships of South Africa

And there’ll be more! Your ideas are always warmly welcomed too. Please join us in the ongoing brain-storm. Our vision at MaAfrika Tikkun is to keep replicating what we’ve proven we do really well in the townships. But that will take continued commitment from us all. I hope through these quarterly newsletters to keep you feeling involved and informed – but in between times, I welcome your email or phone calls with questions, ideas or simply to catch up.

Rich & I wish you a beautiful, relaxing holiday season with family and friends and would like to thank you once again for your wonderful support this far. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

Take care and travel safely . . .

Gael