Provide nutrition for 500 families in South Africa

Dear friends

Two very exciting things happened the last few months!

1.  A visit from GlobalGiving

There is no photograph, report or video that will ever compare to visiting the Centre and experiencing it in "real life".  We are always deeply grateful for the opportunity to show people IN PERSON what a huge difference their efforts and contributions have made, and we got this chance when two wonderful representatives from GlobalGiving came to see us.  This is part of the vetting process that gives YOU, our valued donors, the peace of mind that your donations are going to a legitimate cause and that we are utilizing your funds in accordance with our plea and our promise to serve the poorest of the poor through nutrition.  We were very touched by the genuine interest and enthusiasm of the Global Giving team, and learned more about the fantastic matching initiatives and corporate giving that is made possible from this website.  It also gave us the chance to talk about Missionvale USA - a registered 501c organisation based in the States that is also helping us to raise funds.  (See the link to their website below :)  Donations to Missionvale USA are tax deductible and are sent to us on a bi-annual basis.  I meet with their volunteer board of trustees once every quarter via Skype and representatives from the board visit us roughly every 18 months.  Their website and Facebook page is a great source of information about some of the other programmes we offer and we invite all of you to have a look! Of the funds they raise, we receive 98 % with the remaining 2 % covering small administrative costs like bank charges etc.

2.  Community members giving back

The second wonderful thing that happend still gives me goosebumps!  A few weeks ago, three young men from Missionvale requested a meeting with me.  Their names are Fumi, Ian and Lucky.  Lucky has just finished studying marketing and is currently doing his internship at a local signage company.  Fumi and Ian are both in their second years of study in the marketing and graphic design fields respectively.  This is how the conversation started:

"Mam, we are from Missionvale, born and bred here and we have seen the impact the Missionvale Care Centre has on this community.  We have no money to give you.  We have no clothes to donate.  BUT, we have some skills we would like to offer you.  If you have a need for marketing material, design work, or need a hand with public relations, we would love the opportunity to give back."

We had a lovely meeting and I gave them one or two things to work on and we had the follow-up meeting this week.  They arrived with a proposal and some great ideas and are going to work on some further items for us, including assisting with our Youth Development Progamme we are exploring.  As the meeting drew to a close, they shared some of their memories with me, growing up in Missionvale. They told me how the food kept them going, how they always felt safe and loved coming to the centre and the huge excitement and joy they felt around Christmas time as they knew there would be something special waiting for them at the Centre!  Their parting words struck a deep chord in me.

"You see mam, through the Centre's activities, we have been paid long before we even started working."

We hope that this lifts your spirit as much as it did ours and that you know that it is because of your support that these successes are possible.  Who knows what else will follow!

With love and gratitude from all of us in Missionvale.

Links:

• Missionvale USA Website

Dear friends

At a recent celebration, the gorgeous children in our school choir performed two songs.  One was accompanied by an African drum, played by a young girl named *Gemma.  I was getting quite choked up by this particular performance as I saw her putting her heart and soul into every drum beat and her face lit up with pure joy as she proudly sang along with her peers.  When I started working here in Missionvale, Gemma was still a little girl who used to hide under my desk!  She had such a vivacious character and we used to joke and say how we should make a TV series about her called “The adventures of Gemma and friends”!  At the time she was not going to school and I recall how terribly hungry she was. 

We got to know Gemma, her family, and her circumstances.  Although she is not orphaned, her home life is very difficult and they are desperately poor.

Over time, and because of people like you, we have been able to reach out to her and her family through practical means:  a weekly food parcel, a school for Gemma, medical care for her mother when she was ill and a safe place for Gemma to play in the afternoons.  Gemma has grabbed every opportunity with both hands and participates in every extra mural activity possible! 

It is wonderful to see her progressing so well and looking so much healthier than she did.  We are thrilled that she has taken to both academics and the social and cultural aspects of school.  However, we must never forget that she would not have been able to partake in any of these, if she did not have basic nutrition to sustain her.  It is unimaginable to think that if it were not for this centre, and for your kind, generous and continuous donations, that Gemma and her family, would have nothing to eat. 

Your hard earned contributions mean the world to us, and with every dollar, you are providing much more than food.  You are providing energy, hope and the starting point for a changed life.  We are indebted to you forever.

To see a video of the choir, click on the link below (forward 4 minutes in):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97moqk3c-Nw

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of our beneficiaries

Links:

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