Project Report
| Jun 13, 2022
Student entrepreneur bakes up business
By Paul Montgomery | Director of Marketing and Content Management
![Timia L., has created a business baking buicuits.]()
Timia L., has created a business baking buicuits.
Christel House South Africa (CHSA) students learn to dream big and think creatively from a young age. Timia L., a 7th grader, has created a thriving business baking and selling boxes of butter biscuits in her community. But with her entrepreneurial mindset, she found a unique way to make her baked goods even more popular. Timia came up with the idea to sell the biscuits in single servings! She knew that community members would love the sweet treats and they would be able to more easily afford the cost of individual biscuits, especially during the pandemic. Her newfound customers bought the biscuits at R1 each (around 10 cents in USD) and her business started thriving. Timia credits her grandmother for teaching her how to bake the biscuits. Timia dreams of one day teaming up with her grandmother to open their own bakery, cooking treats side-by-side. Timia also wants to see the world. “I hope to be able to travel,” she says. “I’m saving money to one day visit London.”
Timia’s mom, Vanessa, is also a familiar face at CHSA. She has volunteered at the Christel House library since 2015. Like her daughter, she’s fulfilling her own dreams. Vanessa plans to become a teacher. With encouragement from colleagues, she is working as a teacher’s assistant at CHSA while taking classes to become an instructor.
![Share on Twitter]()
![Share on Facebook]()
Feb 17, 2022
Classmates support student with eye disease
By Paul Montgomery | Director of Marketing
![Cee-Jay loves art - new lenses will help vision.]()
Cee-Jay loves art - new lenses will help vision.
Cee-Jay, a Grade 9 student, has a love and talent for art. When he was diagnosed with Keratoconus, a progressive eye disease that hinders his ability to see properly, students and staff at Christel House South Africa (CHSA) stepped forward to raise funds to provide treatment.
Cee-Jay struggles to see the board in his classroom. He has only 20-25% vision but enjoys drawing and would one day like to see his artwork in galleries. “It is through my late grandfather, that I have a passion for art,” says Cee-Jay. His sight can be corrected with highly customized contact lenses, but the cost of the special contact lenses is expensive. To show support for their classmate, CHSA organized a charity run and distributed fundraising lists to each high school student to help raise donations for Cee-Jay. Working with Eyes to Eyes, a South Africa nonprofit dedicated to overcoming corneal blindness, students and staff managed to raise the targeted amount for Cee-Jay's corrective contact lenses. The lenses are now being manufactured in New Zealand. “I feel extremely happy for all the support and the money raised for my contact lenses,” says a grateful Cee-Jay. “I still can’t believe that I will be receiving them soon. With the contact lenses that I will be receiving, I will be able to draw and see clearly.”
![Share on Twitter]()
![Share on Facebook]()
Oct 21, 2021
Christel House welcomes youngest students
By Paul Montgomery | Director of Marketing
![Grade RR students welcomed to school.]()
Grade RR students welcomed to school.
More than 60 Grade RR students received a warm welcome as Christel House South Africa (CHSA) opened three new classrooms for 4-year-olds. “CHSA turns 20 this year and adding this crucial phase to our Early Childhood Development program has long been a dream for us,” says Adri Marais, CEO.
The new classrooms were made possible by a unique partnership with MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet and Builders. “We are humbled to be given the opportunity to provide Christel House and its learners with three new classrooms to provide an even younger group of children to start their early learning developments,” says Pieter Twine, General Manager of MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet. Getting children into preschool leads to better outcomes for youngsters. “Research has proven that the formative years of a child’s life are the most important and early intervention is key in removing the many barriers to success that our students face,” according to Carol Kriel, CHSA Junior School Principal. Each classroom has a dedicated teacher and is equipped with modern teaching equipment such as interactive smart board technology. Each class will also have access to a teacher assistant to ensure a high student to teacher ratio and to improve early language acquisition through English immersion from day one.
![Share on Twitter]()
![Share on Facebook]()
