Ending 2012 with a 'small' bang! 

We had a fantastic time on the 3^rd December last year distributing cereal to 163 of the most vulnerable children in the area surrounding our plot in Mabvuku.  The cereal had been donated by Innscorr and we were able to ensure that each child received something to enjoy over the Christmas period (a few of them not actually sure what cornflakes ARE but quite excited by their packet.  How fantastic it would have been if we could have given them some milk to go with it.  Maybe next time!).  

This little one was not sure of me in the slightest!  It is very interesting to note the difference between the children at The Just Children Foundation who are used to donors arriving to spend time with them and give them gifts to these children who have never seen a white person before, who live off the smell of an oil rag and who don't know what it is to receive something special like a biscuit let alone an education 

Martha ran a fantastic distribution line and we provided them with biscuits and juice and were pleased to see lots of smiling faces.  I love spending time in the field and my greatest joy is to see the smiles that we are treated with from the children.  However, many of the younger toddlers and babies have not seen a ‘murungu’ (white person) before and the smiles soon turned to screams and tears when I got too close. The other beneficiaries and caregivers thought this was absolutely hysterical but I hope that one day these little people will no longer be afraid of me but will trust me and hopefully together we can work to give them a brighter future – here’s to doing so in 2013 and to being able to celebrate the opening of our school very, very soon! 

Bringing in the new year – I see 2013 in yellow, bright and hopeful

The Christmas holidays have brought good news and bad news for The Foundations Project.  The very sad news is that our dear Martha who works so hard for The Foundations Project and gives so much or her heart and time to our work for no remuneration whatsoever lost her husband just before Christmas.  Nathan was a beautiful, gentle and intelligent man who supported us in everything that we did.  He loved Martha and his children with all his heart and I know he will be watching them in the days and years to come and be very proud of all that they are and do. 

Nathan advising me on how we should run the project - invaluable

In amongst this sadness, the hope that we have for The Foundations Project shines bright.  We had a very good meeting last year with a gentleman from the States who will hopefully be coming onboard to assist us with the building of our school at a price that we can actually afford!  After receiving various quotes that just seemed ridiculously expensive, we started to fear whether our expectations of how much we would have to spend had been too courageous!  But we think we may be onto something and hope to start building within the next month.  I know we say this often but this time I have faith that we are on to a good wicket and we are now ready to run!  With the donation of materials that we hope to receive from various donors who have already pledged their assistance, we should be able to at least build the two classroom blocks. Further to this, with the approval of our very first grant, we will be able to finalise the construction of the skills development centre for the caregivers and the community as well as the feeding programme.

Martha has found 91 orphaned and vulnerable children within a 5km radius of our plot between the ages of 2 and 6 that should be in school - we would love to help them all! 

Any building materials that are donated will decrease the construction costs, thus allowing for building of further classrooms, ablution blocks and the lighting the plumbing of the school and the centre.  If you, or someone you know, thinks they might be interested in assisting us with the donation of or discount on any required materials, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0776 404 349 or charlotte@foundationsproject.org.  We are grateful for absolutely anything that you may be able to assist us with!

In the meantime, we keep working towards our goals and are incredibly touched by those who step up to help in the attraction of funds for our project.  Nicola York will be climbing to Everest Base Camp in March/April to raise money for our first school. All the costs of the trip will be incurred by Nicola and every dollar donated will go to The Foundations Project.  If you want to find out more information on how to donate to Nicola's amazing challenge,click on following link:/mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/everestformabvuku.  And if any of you feel like doing something similar, let me know and we can help you set up your very own 'Challenge for the Children'.  

Nicola has climbed Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya but this time she is 'climbing for a cause'!!!

At the base of the mountain - cold and rather intimidating but she is up to the challenge

We look forward to being in touch again very soon with photos of construction taking place on our plot and taking anyone who wishes to visit the site out there to see the work firsthand.