Start a Preschool for 60 Children in South Africa

Dear Friends of Siyabonga,

As the year winds to a close, we are filled with gratitude. Amid endless challenges, your ongoing support brings hope to all of us at Siyabonga and to the families we serve. I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been part of our journey. Your partnership has been the driving force behind our mission.

As you may recall, this past year began with devastating rains that caused severe damage in our community, which had yet to recover from flooding the previous year. Our building and the homes of many of our families were impacted. Words cannot express how appreciative we are of your willingness to step up and provide us extra support this year. With your help, we were able to do all the required repairs, put on a new roof and gutters, and paint the building inside and out. We also rebuilt our play structure which was unsafe to use after the rains. Everything now looks as good as new. The staff and the children are so happy to be spending time here now! Additionally, we managed to complete the construction of another classroom which we had started before COVID. Our enrollment has increased from 60 to 100 children over the years, so we really needed more space.

Despite the tough beginning to the year, we managed to continue all our programs and activities throughout the year and to hold our annual events with our families. In June, they joined us to celebrate Youth Day and in September we celebrated Heritage Day. This month we had a graduation ceremony for the 29 children who are moving on to primary school. Family and other community members joined us to recognize the achievements of all our students and to see them perform.

Thank you again to all of you who helped us get through 2023 and made it possible for us to start a new year in a much better place. You make a difference!

I wish you all good health, love, peace, and joy in the coming year.

Warm Regards,

Khethiwe