The town was left far-behind us as we turned off the tarmac and onto a dirt road with the landscape opening up to reveal the most beautiful Drakensburg Mountains up ahead with open farm/scub/miele plantations as far as the eye can see.  What is it about the African sky that makes it seem so much bigger than any other?  My seatbelt was firmly on as Scilla put her foot down, we weren’t wasting any time getting to where we were going; pot-holes one side, loose cattle the other and the odd mini-bus taxi with 10 more passengers in it than I’m sure it is meant to carry slaloming down the track. 

On arrival at Mamahau there was huge excitement to see the Drop-in Centre and the Office that have been built, although thte centre still awaits a thatched roof the place is looking fantastic.  Added to which the vegetable garden was a triumph with cabbages, carrotts, beetroot, spinach and an orchard of fruit trees.  The women were busy levelling out the inside of the office and tidying up the area where the thatch was about to be delivered for the roof. 

We saw the children of Mamahau receiving their daily nutrition from the soon-to-be redundant drop-in centre.  A plate of miele and vegetables is handed out to all the children that ASAP has identified as being in need of it and it is received with much thanks.  At school they will only have received a piece of bread for the day and probably nothing in the morning for breakfast.  Some of the children have anything up to a 2hr walk to school and back and must fulfil various duties at home such as collecting water, doing the washing or herding up animals before the day is out.  

Later on we handed out some biros that we had brought for the children, there was a complete stampede as they all elbowed there way to the bag of biros trying to grab more.  These children do go to school but at school they have minimal materials and the run on the biros was very telling indeed.

Over the next few days we saw both the Mamahau and Itikeng projects in full swing.  Both their fantastic vegetable gardens are used to supply crucial nutrition to the children in their daily meal.  I was amazed at how fruitful these gardens obviously are but being so high up, nearly 6,000ft, they get a lot of sun and a lot of rain so are able to really utilise their fertile soil to the max.  Here you see the ladies of Itikeng proudly showing off their celery!

On our final day, we were invited to attend the Gogo’s lunch.  A very moving experience with much singing and speeches.  Many of them were sitting knitting or crocheting but were squinting badly, they are in desperate need of some glasses particularly with all the detailed beading or stitching. 

The whole trip was hugely affecting and emotional.  Coming from such an advanced Western society where we live life in the fast lane and where the waste in water and food is at an all time high, I couldn’t help thinking that this experience will stay with me for a lifetime.  It put a lot of things in perspective.  Let’s hope they stay that way in my head but out in Mamahau and Itikeng ASAP can really make a long-lasting difference.

My first plate (drawn at age 4).

When Andy and I decided to volunteer with ASAP, I immediately ordered a kit and packed it in my suitcase along with several other art supplies. Growing up I had so much fun with Make A Plates that I wanted to share the experience with others—and thanks to a kind donation by the Make A Plate company, I was able to do it free of charge! They were happy to wave the processing fees and donate extra plate-making kits, not to mention give these orphans a priceless gift in more ways than one.

Little boy in Mount Frere admiring his handiwork.

As our mission states, one of ASAP’s fundamental objectives is to feed orphans and vulnerable children in rural areas. For me, the words “feeding orphans” conjure images of hungry kids, fresh veggies, and a hot stove. But what I didn’t think about were the little things: plates, bowls, utensils. Often times, I would arrive while the village health workers were preparing lunch (usually semp and beans, sauteed cabbage, and steamed carrots, spinach, or potatoes). I would watch them cook, waiting for the kids to slowly trickle in from school and gather ’round for food. Plates and bowls were loaded up and passed out, and if there weren’t enough, the kids would share plates or eat in groups then pass it on to be refilled for another hungry child. It never occurred to me that something as everyday as a plate might be hard to come by.

Nutrition at Mrs. Tshalana's drop-in center in Mount Frere.

The first time we used the plate-making kits I kept the intended outcome a surprise. For an hour the kids drew landscapes, cars, houses, or obscure doodles on the round sheets of paper. Once finished, I collected their work with a promise that I would bring it back soon … and a few months later I showed up with one of the coolest surprises these kids had ever had: real plates that they had designed all by themselves.

OVC hard at work on their drawings!

Sonwabise's drawing is finished & ready to be made into a plate!

The OVC in Mount Frere were happy to show off the final product!

Many orphans have very little to call their own, usually having to share everything (from clothes to food and books) with brothers and sisters, aunts, gogos, and neighbors. But the orphans at Mrs. Tshalana’s drop-in center were ecstatic to learn that they could keep their own plates and take them home. With the overwhelming gratitude and joy the plates brought these children—and the generous support of the Make A Plate company—Andy and I took the project to another drop-in center in the village of Masupha. The results were just as creative and just as beautiful.

Girls at Mamohau working on their drawings.

Another finished drawing, ready to go!

I plan on taking the finished plates to London for ASAPs annual fundraiser in June, where several children and village health workers will be visiting England (and leaving their village) for the first time ever. I can’t wait to see them all again and show them their beautiful plates (click here for a sneak preview)! Here’s hoping this project can continue with ASAP drop-in centers for years to come.

A HUGE thank you to Make It products and ASAP!!!

]]> http://news.africansolutions.org/2010/05/15/plates-for-orphans/feed/ 0 http://news.africansolutions.org/2010/02/03/friends-academy-fall-fair-asap-tee-shirts-sell-like-hot-cakes/ http://news.africansolutions.org/2010/02/03/friends-academy-fall-fair-asap-tee-shirts-sell-like-hot-cakes/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:56:51 +0000 alex http://news.africansolutions.org/?p=199 Every fall, Friends Academy—an independent Quaker school for pre nursery through the 12th grade in Locust Valley, New York—has a wonderful fair that brings the entire community together. Through the dedicated spirit of the Friends/ ASAP student committee, led by Stephanie Batista. Grace Dixon, Brooke Hen, Nancy Karches, and Maria Wade, coupled with the support of Friends Academy volunteers and teacher sponsors (Herb Lape and Kat Christie), our committee was able to focus their efforts on raising funds for needy children in South Africa through African Solutions to African Problems (ASAP).

As our contribution to the fall fair this past October, the Friends/ASAP Committee set up an ASAP tee shirt booth. We arrived very early in the morning to set up our make shift booth—a little bit of rain did not dampen our determination, or success! We sold approximately 1,000 dollars worth of tee shirts, not to mention tons of committee-member Nancy Karche’s famous cupcakes! With the money we raised, we were able to help support a nursery school in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa.

The children of Mamohau Early Childhood Development (ECD) center/ nursery school

This particular nursery school had no books or educational supplies. The money we raised at the fair provided an entire trunk of bilingual books, toys, and supplies for the nursery school children. We were so thrilled to give this educational gift to all of them.

Brand new bilingual books for nursery students in rural South Africa!

Toddler playing with BRAND NEW bilingual books donated by Friends Academy!

Nursery school children playing with their brand new toys!

To date, the online sales of the ASAP tee shirts have raised close to 1,500 dollars, so combined with the fall fair fundraiser, the Friends/ASAP Committee is doing an incredible job! A special thank you to our student committee as well as the Friends Academy community—none of this would be possible without your support! We’re really excited to continue our work with ASAP, and are planning a spring bake sale as soon as the weather warms up.

Thanks for your support,

Maria Wade

It has been a busy spring at ASAP. As many of you know, we lost the permaculture manager at one of our partner CBOs in the Eastern Cape. A fund has been started in her name to educate her five children.

Now, onto better, more exciting news! Thanks to the generosity and support of our funders, ASAP has enlisted the services of Malcom Worby of www.happi-online.org to build two new community centres at our CBOs in Masupha and Thabaneng. Malcolm has years of experience with adobe mud brick, and his environmentally conscious building techniques can both save money and reduce the carbon footprint of a house by up to 80%. Though the structures are Malcolm’s design, the building is being executed by local villagers, and the women have cut and baled the straw for the thatch and made the mud bricks themselves. With these new skills, it is ASAPs hope that further employment opportunities will present themselves for many of these hard-working men and women. So far, the bricks have been formed, the walls are up and brand-new fencing for permaculture gardens is in place. Things are in full swing, and the buildings should be completed in a few months!

The Thabeneng ladies building mud bricks

Building the community center at Mamohau

The first Food and Trees for Africa training was held in December with Itekeng Batswadi and Mamohau drop-in centres and Maria Linden Junior Secondary School. The fences have been installed, three gardens have been designed, and the soil prepared for planting early next year.

As you know, empowering and training our village health workers and youth is one of ASAPs fundamental goals. We sponsor several trainings per year, facilitated by experts from around the globe. Though all of our trainings are successful and reported on with rave reviews, a few of 2008’s stand-out trainings were the CHMT and PYE.

CHMT—locally known as Siyayinqoba-BEAT IT!—was an incredible opportunity for our CBO staff, village health workers, and youth to become qualified HIV/AIDS peer educators. The training was intensive and covered HIV/AIDS from all angles, and at the end we gave them two DVD players to accommodate the 21-disc set of instructional videos. As we speak, the newly trained and certified participants are out in the rural areas sharing their knowledge and raising HIV/AIDS awareness.

BEAT IT! trainees getting their certificates

Partnership for Youth Empowerment (PYE) training was held at Hlomelikusasa in September. A selection of 15 youth and our younger CBO staff members were given the skills to then facilitate a camp for 30 kids in the area. The workshop, held by Charlie Murphy, was designed to help young people build self-esteem, support their peers, explore important issues, learn new skills, receive mentorship and guidance, and have fun. And that’s exactly what it did! Hlomelikusasa’s youth coordinator put the group together and has since been diligently working to strengthen a core of responsible, active youth that can be advocates in their rural areas and form strong community bonds.

We have many more trainings planned for 2010. The mood in South Africa is buzzing with the impending excitement of the 2010 World Cup, and ASAP hopes to take some of that excitement and turn it into productivity for our dedicated community groups and the children who’s lives they are constantly changing for the better.

The Holiday Tree Giving Campaign is running until December 19th–so far we’ll be planting over 150 trees! Thank you all for your support, and Happy New Year!

The two organisers, Jane Ormsby Gore and Rosie Bartlett.