Start a Preschool for 60 Children in South Africa

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the first weeks of Spring (or fall for those of us in the southern hemisphere). We opened for the school year in January, and everything has been going really well so far. We have our highest enrollment ever, as it is difficult to say no to families facing so many adversities.

We are excited to be able to proceed with a couple activities that we were unable to do during the uncertain times these last two years. We have again prepared a small portion of land and will soon be planting it. We love having fresh vegetables to feed the children for lunch. We are also planning to finish the building of a third classroom that we started two years ago and which we urgently need to accommodate the 100+ children who now attend our program. We also hope to start up our parent training program this year, which we had plans to do in 2020 before the COVID crisis hit. Our goal is to partner with our families to provide the children the best educational and developmental assistance we can both at school and at home.

Each week we have a theme for our teaching and do various activities to support the children’s learning. The attached pictures are from an activity we did in conjunction with the theme of appropriate and positive behaviors. In the picture above Asiphile, one of our four-year-olds, is leading the group reciting what they have learned this week. Thandolwethu, below, is also four years old and has been attending Siyabonga since she was two. Zizipho also has been attending Siyabonga since she was two. She is now five years old. All three children live with their maternal families and only Zizipho’s has a member of the family who is employed, her mother, though she needed to leave our community to find a job. Unemployment is extremely high in our area (well over 50%) and many extended families depend on social welfare grants for survival. The last picture is Andiswe, who started with us this year. She has a lot of energy and loves to play outside. She also volunteers often to answer questions.

We need support to continue providing services to our children and families. The impact of COVID and the resulting lockdowns created a greater need for the nonprofits working to provide services to families struggling to get by and funding here is even more difficult to find. Please consider making a donation to help us provide services to all in need in our community. And, if you give between now and Friday, April 8, 11:59 pm EDT, during GlobalGiving’s Little by Little campaign, your donation of up to $50 will be matched at 50%.

Thank you again for all your support. We at Siyabonga our humbled by the donations we receive from you. We couldn’t do what we do without you! And please remember all donations this week, up to $50, will be matched at 50% by GlobalGiving.

Kindest Regards,

Khethiwe

On behalf of the staff and board of Siyabonga and all the families we serve, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support throughout another challenging year. Without your generous donations, we would not have been able to continue providing services to the young children and families in our community, many of whom struggle every day to put food on the table. The education, care, support, and meals we provide are crucial for our children’s well-being.  

Despite a late start and a break mid-year due to lockdowns during COVID surges, we were able to keep the center open and welcome 94 children. All the staff worked hard to ensure we met our goals and finished our established curriculum. This is particularly important for the 34 children who graduated from our program this year. They will be starting primary school in January better prepared to succeed both academically and socially. We were diligent all year to continue following COVID protocols and are happy to report that none of our staff or children tested positive during the year.

I wanted to share the stories of two three-year old children who started in our program this year (pictured above). Mawande, who has asthma, had never been to school before this year. She is a very bright, jolly little girl, who is very creative and energetic. I was pleased to have her join us, since I taught her grandmother in Grade 7 early in my career. When I was taking her home a few months ago, we ran into a neighboring school principal. Mawande surprised us both by introducing herself without prompting, with her full name, age, where she goes to school, and where she lives. 

Uzonotha is the girl standing right behind Mawande. Her grandmother, a teacher at a nearby school, was very worried about Uzonotha’s development, particularly her speech, and asked us to accept her into our program last February. One of our Even Ground partners has developed a red flag assessment tool, designed to identify the needs of at-risk children, and shared it with us last year. We were so glad to have a tool we could use to help us identify Uzonotha’s specific needs so we could provide the special support she needed. She is now doing very well in school, and able to speak clearly, sing, and even recite rhymes.

Thank you again for your trust in us. As we continue working to meet the ongoing challenges in our area, as well as the additional challenges COVID brings, we are so grateful you have been willing to step up your support. If you have not given recently, please consider a donation to Siyabonga as you do your year-end giving. Working together, we can create healthier and happier lives for children and their families.

I wish you and your loved one’s health and happiness during these difficult times and all the best for the new year.

 With deep appreciation and warmest regards,

Khethiwe