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Newsletter March 2010

We are well into the New Year now and South Africa is filled with the excitement of the Soccer World Cup. The donation of our very own truck, coupled with insurance and a service warranty has been a wonderful asset. A huge thank you to Sesego Cares!

At last the realisation that Early Childhood Development and nutrition to children in the early years is critical in their development - if they are to have a successful formal school education- has reached the Corporate Investment Handbook in SA and with a change in opinion we hope that our fundraising efforts will gain momentum this year.

The focus until recently has always been on Primary Education but organisations like the World Bank and Unicef have advocated early childhood education as a poverty eradication development strategy. A child that goes through a quality pre-school, programme is more likely to succeed at school and less likely to require remedial education or be involved in crime, substance abuse, juvenial delinquency, teenage pregnancy and drugs. In other words these children have successful school careers and and are more likely to be employed after school and so contribute to positive economic growth!

At present in SA the government pays R168 per day for 365 days of the year to keep each prisoner in prison while the grade -R- grant or reception year grant is between R6-R9 per child per day for only 165 days a year! We therefore continue our work with the children at the U Bumbano Pre-school in the hope that ultimately we will get government to re-direct resources to where they are most needed. This will in fact provide the greatest return for society and ultimately the economy in SA.

 

We are enormously grateful to all the Nursery schools that continue to support us and most importantly to all of you - our faithful supporters who have carried us through difficult economic times. There are moments when our faith is tested and we wonder if we can continue the struggle but the truth is 80 children rely on the nurturing environment of U Bumbano and there is no doubt that we are making a difference. In May we will celebrate 6 years of touching the lives of the children of the Red Location and we cannot thank you enough for all your compassion and generosity.

May 2010 be a special year!

Sešego Cares donates a bakkie to Ubumbano

On the 1st of March 2010, Sešego Cares chairperson, Joanne von Zeuner, presented a bakkie to Brighter Futures for Ubumbano School. Sešego Cares and its partners donated R110 000 towards the purchase and maintenance of a vehicle. Through the assistance of the Sešego Cares and its partners; Absa Vehicle & Asset Finance, CMH Toyota Melrose, PE AUTOLOT, Motorvia Johannesburg, Motorite Warranty administrators and Absa Financial Services, this donation was made possible.

The new vehicle will help the school to collect donations from local shops and companies for the soup kitchen. This donation will at least see that the kitchen remains open to feed the numerous children and community members that already depend on it.

 

 

Joanne von Zeuner said that, "Greatness is measured in terms of service. The work that is done here by Brighter Futures is truly amazing and humbling, I am just so glad that Sešego Cares could assist. I would like to congratulate them on their new vehicle, and wish that through this vehicle of brightness, their future will be blessed."

Newsletter November 2009

It's that time of year again the date has been set and preparations are well on the way for the graduation and Christmas Party on the 28th of November. Thank you to Flemings and Little Stars Nursery Schools, based in Johannesburg, for their very generous donations towards the Christmas party.

The informal settlement of the Red Location has grown rapidly around the school and hence the school continues to serve a vital purpose. An application has been submitted to the Department of Education for additional funding to assist with a Reception class which U Bumbano hopes to offer from January next year. The school is making every effort to enhance the training of the teachers with plans to further their education already set for the New Year.

 

The community projects are continuing to be successful! An industrial sewing machine has proved to be a vital tool in assisting with the sewing lessons. Some of the parents are managing to do sewing alterations and sew small items, which has helped them to generate a small income.

Fred-Footwear is using the skills of the beadwork ladies to decorate their sandals and as we are well into summer it is a busy time of year for them. The passing tourist trade has also increased which allows all the crafts to be displayed to a wider audience.

Mohair is still being woven but alas due to the tough economic times smaller articles are being made as they are easier to sell.

The soup kitchen has proved to be a saving to the local community as many residents are living with little or no food. The sick are very reliant on the nourishment as HIV patients in particular cannot have treatment on an empty stomach. We are presently looking for more sponsorship as sadly the sponsor is no longer able to provide the soup.

2009 has been a tough year economically and funds have had to stretch a long way yet in these difficult times our role as a charity becomes all the greater. We thank Wendy Ramathe our Head teacher and her team for their unwavering commitment to making the lives of their community a little better. We thank you all once again for your interest and support! May the Festive Season be a merry one!!

Newsletter March 2009

The Pre-school has been recently renovated and the children have embraced the new environment despite the economic downturn resulting in the local unemployment rate rising. As a charity we are under increasing pressure to increase the monthly budget in order to assist U Bumbano meet the growing needs of the community and rising costs, therefore our focus this year has been to increase our regular funding. It goes without saying that this remains an enormous challenge in the economic environment. The children are severely deprived and rely heavily on the school for a daily cooked meal - often the only meal of the day!

On a positive note the Community Development Programme is very encouraging and beneficial for the community. Cape Mohair (the chief Mohair manufacturer) has commissioned the school weavers to make blankets on their behalf. U Bumbano has a stall at the nearby Apartheid Museum where their blankets and craftwork are sold to visitors. The Family Resource Centre, sponsored by the Department of Social Services, have equipped the school with a number of sewing machines, overlockers and embroidery machines and will train 10 local ladies to sew, for a period of 3 months at a time. This will help the trainees to generate a small income. The programme is expected to run for the next 3 years. The school hope to make a significant difference in the lives of at least 20 families this year alone!
While our focus will continue to be the 80 children at the school it has been a joy to help empower the local community in an effort to allow them to help themselves.

Once again a very big thank you to all our faithful supporters. Thank you to those of you that made a donation to the charity in Lieu of sending Christmas cards and gifts. Thank-you to Carol Cass and Tonia Forster for the wonderfully successful Christmas Cards sold to raise funds for the children of U Bumbano. We are forever grateful not only for the financial aid but your love and support!

 

Newsletter November 2008

We can scarce believe that we are drawing to the end of yet another school year and yes you guessed it - the children are counting the days till their annual Christmas party and graduation ceremony. It has been a fun filled and action packed year.

The children enjoyed a trip to visit a Lighthouse and the Fun Park at the Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth. This was truly a great treat and a real first for most of the children who seldom if ever get to experience such a delight. They also enjoyed a visit to Happy Valley (botanical gardens) where they were able to meet children from other pre-schools. The monthly athletics days have really been greatly enjoyed by the older children! Since the theme of Transport has been explored this year the last outing of the year will be a trip to the Airport to admire the planes.

It has been wonderful to see the community projects grow and the Mohair blankets are continuing to be hand-woven in a classroom at the school. The blankets are a stylish asset in any home and have proved popular with the tourist trade as well as with interior decorators and exclusive decor shops. The weavers have found a great contact with Steynberg Mohair and will now supply many outlets in the Eastern Cape.

A footwear company has commissioned the skills of the beadwork ladies and they are hard at work completing the beading on a collection of sandals for the summer season.

We are thrilled as Social development has approved funding for crafters through the Family Resource Programme which is due to start shortly.

We are enormously grateful to you all for your ongoing and loyal support. It is only due to your generosity that we are able to brighten the lives of the deprived community of the Red Location.

It has been 5 years since Brighter Futures was founded as a non profit Organisation supporting the U Bumbano pre-school. In May 2009 we will celebrate our 5th Birthday as an officially recognised UK charity. We are finalising the registration of a South African Registered Charity, as a trust, which will allow us to widen a support base.

Thanks again and may it be a Merry Christmas

Newsletter April 2008

It was an exciting start to the year as U Bumbano Pre-School were absolutely delighted to receive a sponsored car from General Motors in Port Elizabeth. This is an enormous help to the school, which means groceries and supplies can reach the school without the reliance on volunteers.

Business Engineering Ltd, of the UK, made a very generous donation which has resulted in an increase in the funds we allocate to the school.

SA Wines Online Ltd continues to be a very loyal fundraiser - they have supported us with various fund raising events over the past few years.

U Bumbano continues to nurture over 70 children who receive their daily cooked meal at the school.

A soup kitchen has been established with the help of the Community of Welfare which reaches out to the entire community. Wendy Ramathe the head teacher and her team see this as a real triumph as they have always aspired to not only provide care for the children of the Red location but also to provide a greater community centre for all those in need - children and adults alike.

The weaving ladies are celebrating as their first shipment of Mohair blankets has reached the USA. They are holding thumbs that their wares are well received and that regular exports will continue, which contributes to the broader community of the Red Location with the school benefiting from a portion of the profits.

Brighter Futures SA has been supporting the U Bumbano pre-school for over four years now, which has enabled us to give the community of the Red Location the hope of a Brighter Future.

Newsletter November 2007

As the children at U Bumbano eagerly count the days until the Christmas party it gives us time to reflect on some of the achievements of the past year.

Graduation Day

Proud parents

The school has continued to support over 60 children this year. The teachers and helpers have been amazing in their dedication to these children - without this the school would not be successful in bringing hope to these little lives. The children have enjoyed a number of educational outings, including Homeleigh Farm and Marine World. The highlight as always is the dolphin show and most children return to school with big grins on their faces and a little damp from the spray of the enthusiastic dolphins.

There are so many people and organizations to thank. A special mention goes to.

• Staff at Absa Bank - Port Elizabeth who have committed to help U Bumbano for the next three years and have already begun with some renovations and financial aid.
• Sasko. The school receives a monthly donation of food and porridge.
• Mr. Chetty, a local businessman, provides the children with fresh fish once a week.
• The ladies of Old Greenwich & Riverside, USA. Jo Andrews and Carol Cass held another very successful Christmas fundraiser held in the US.
• SA wines online, in the UK. Their donation came at a much needed time.
• Absa Capital Infrastructure management team for Xmas party.
• The Dept of Agriculture for assisting with establishing vegetable gardens, on the school grounds.

The school continues to serve the greater community.

• Weaving, beadwork and sewing classes are offered to the adults. The school is presently working on a small contract of beadwork for a local shoe manufacturer. Wendy, the head teacher, continues to encourage tour operators to bring tourist to the school to meet the children and buy the crafts.
• The school has approached the local Social welfare department for computers, which with the aid of volunteers will be used to train young and old within the community.

There are a lot of exciting prospects in the New Year.

• General Motors have generously agreed to sponsor the school with a vehicle. It has been incredibly difficult for the teachers to get both groceries and resources to the school.
• We are also hoping to secure corporate sponsorship to assist with monthly running costs.

Finally we would like to thank you all once again for helping sustain U Bumbano. You truly have touched the lives of children and parents in this community. On their behalf I would like to wish you a very special Christmas.

Newsletter May 2007

An informative and fun trip to the Port Elizabeth Aquarium and a Christmas party wrapped up the 2006 school year. Of the 67 children enrolled at the school last year, 25 have successfully moved on to the formal school sector and joined Grade 0. During the year 5 staff members attended an Early Learning Training Program while the Department of Agriculture also provided training in gardening skills.

The school continues to serve not only as a safe haven for young children but as a greater community centre where basic weaving, sewing and beading classes are held for adults and parents in an attempt to equip them with the skills to help them earn an income. An unused classroom serves as a weaving room where Mohair blankets and Capes are being woven. These items are truly quite beautiful and have proved popular with the passing tourist trade and even up market boutiques as far a field as Johannesburg.

An enormous thank-you to The Algoa Bus company, who not only donate R1,000 a month towards the running costs of the school but have also recently donated two sewing machines and two over lockers, which has greatly enriched the facilities.

Wendy Ramathe the head teacher continues to run classes for parents and children on sex education and AIDS. Mrs. Kwatsha, a former nurse and school administrator, helps counsel ex-convicts who are HIV positive and helps them obtain proper medical care. The team also help arrange birth certificates for orphaned children so they are able to receive state grants - often the only source if income in the home.

The school continues to provide the children with meals and a big thank-you goes to a local businessman who donates 12 loaves of bread every day. One of their greatest community aspirations this year is to open a soup kitchen to help feed the starving population which surrounds the school.

Thank-you to all of you who relinquished a Christmas or Birthday gift in favour of a donation to our charity!

A wonderful Coffee Morning was hosted by Louise Hyden, Carol Cass, Jo Andrews, and Tracey Brook in Riverside, Connecticut in the USA, raising nearly $2,500, which will meet the running costs of the school for nearly 3 months.

Special mention needs to be made of Charles Maybury (of Riverside, Connecticut, USA) who very thoughtful who forfeited gifts for his 7th Birthday, in favour of donations to U Bumbano. A generous sum of $425 was raised, which will add wonderful educational toys and resources to the classrooms this year.

There was much excitement at the school recently as Gavin Opperman, a senior executive from ABSA Bank, visited the school and was warmly welcomed by traditional dancers and all the children sporting red ABSA t-shirts. The Bank has committed to do some alterations to the school building and will be providing computers and training for all the teaching staff. This is a huge investment not only in the school itself but also in the greater community which U Bumbano has worked so hard at achieving.

It is true to say that without your support and generosity none of this would be possible.

It is with thanks to Wendy and her team that the school continues to provide hope of a Brighter Future!!

Informal photos from Absa Bank's visit to the school on 17th May 2007

Newsletter November 2006

Another school year is almost at an end and with Christmas fast approaching U Bumbano Pre School is eagerly planning their annual Christmas party. Thank-you to Pick and Pay supermarket for the cash voucher which will help with the catering expenses.

Wendy Ramathe-the head teacher and her volunteers have achieved great things this year continuing their vital support and education of the children. The school building and facilities have been vastly improved with thanks to a very generous donation of R30 000 from African Revival - a UK volunteer based charity. This money facilitated a number of improvements including a brand new climbing frame, which has every child at the school screaming with delight! The once concrete floors are now tiled and carpeted. The classrooms now have heaters, doors, teaching aids and security gates. It has been a real joy to see a once derelict building gradually transform into a cozy hive of activity providing a safe and caring environment for the children.

A very big thank-you to Kevin and Margery Gallagher of SA Wines Online Ltd and Donna Baines in the UK. They very kindly hosted bridge days which raised nearly 500 Pounds for U Bumbano.

The school has also been very successful in creating a community centre. An unused classroom now functions as a weaving room where 4 ladies weave beautiful Mohair blankets and capes. This handiwork is sold to the passing tourist trade and is helping U Bumbano to generate much needed income. Thank you to Standard Bank PE for their R1, 500 donations towards the purchase of Mohair.

We are always most grateful to all our loyal supporters. Whilst we have been successful with achieving donations for capital improvements, our greatest challenge is finding the funding for the day to day running costs, particularly as most of these children live below the breadline and are unable to pay any fees.

While we draw up our Christmas shopping lists please remember our sponsor a child program - for 15 pounds or $28 a month, a child will be fed and educated at the school. We really need your support in order to help sustain the Pre-school!

Once again we must re-iterate that 100% of all donations go to the Pre-school itself. Our only motivation as a charity is to help these children whose lives would otherwise have little or no hope.

May the festive season be a special one!

Newsletter May 2006

It has been a busy and industrious year so far. Gail Holman and Robert Hawes, from the UK, have been actively working at and with the U Bumbano Pre-School on various items from renovating to budgeting. Gail has done an outstanding job getting a regular sewing group together. The ladies have produced beautiful fabric flowers which have proved very popular and they have found it challenging meeting the demand.

The sandpit, which Robert kindly built, has been a real hit. The children spend all of playtime in it. In fact it is generally so full of children that the sandpit itself is barely visible. Needless to say there are now plans for an extension to the sandpit.

We were also delighted to add educational toys from the Early Learning Centre to add interest in the classroom. The sponsor a child scheme (see below) has received a lot of interest and we are very grateful to all those donors who are making monthly contributions in order to ensure the ongoing education and care of the children.

We are also very grateful to many schools including Holmbury St Mary's Nursery School and Querns Westonbirt School of the UK for all their kind donations. Querns held an Africa Day, which was truly enjoyed by all and raised £400. Our thanks also go to The Hill Presbyterian Church of Port Elizabeth who has also made a generous donation.

We are presently trying to secure sponsorship for teacher training. U Bumbano hopes to be able to offer a Reception class which would mean that not only would it enrich the level of education the children are receiving at the School but that even more importantly the school would become eligible for a state grant.

One of the things U Bumbano desperately needs is a reliable vehicle, vital for getting supplies to the school! If there is anyone out there that could help please contact us!

Thank you for your continued support.

Sponsor a child at U Bumbano Pre-School

For as little as R120 / £12.00 per month you can sponsor one of the U Bumbano children seen on the sponsorship page. This will ensure their place at the U Bumbano Pre-School, provide three meals per day, an outing each quarter, plus give them educational and creative activities each week.

Maybe you would just like to donate rather than sponsor? Every amount, no matter how small would make a dramatic difference to these children's lives. To make a donation and for more information, please visit the donations page or call Lee-Ann on (+44) 0208-630 9417.

Newsletter January 2006

We have completed our 2nd year as a charity. During the year we supported the U Bumbano pre-school in Port Elizabeth, South Africa with regular income as well as capital items. Funding continues to be our greatest challenge. We have made donating as easy as possible setting up a Paypal account via our website - please continue to support and refer us to your family and friends. Please remember that 100% of the funds received are allocated to funding projects.

Our present project - U Bumbano Pre-School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

A Christmas and Graduation party ended the school year on a happy note and U Bumbano is gearing up to open its doors, on 17th January, for approximately 80 children.

We visited the school, during their Christmas break, and were delighted to see the improvements made to the building and facilities in general. With thanks to Gail Holman and Robert Hawes, two UK volunteers, the walls had been recently painted and carpets placed on what were once bare floorboards. A vegetable garden is flourishing and a sandpit is in the process of being built. Gail is starting a sewing/crafts group where they hope to do beadwork, which will also provide ornaments to sell creating a much needed source of income.

Thanks to a very generous donation by Mr. Wayne Felton of Fivepoint Capital, the school will be able to provide a safe refuge for about 80 children providing daily meals and education for 2006. It is only thanks to all our generous supporters and friends that we are able to assist the preschool with their invaluable efforts.

U Bumbano has implemented a fund raising scheme - Adopt a Child. For as little as 12 pounds a month, a supporter can provide for school tuition and meals for a child at U Bumbano. We will be providing photographs and a small description of each child on our website shortly. The Pre-school is making every attempt to become self sustaining and we will be assisting them with this process.

This year, we plan to add a TV and DVD player as well as educational material to the school's resources. The needs of the school are indeed vast but slowly we are attending to each need.

July 2005 Newsletter

We are delighted to announce that U Bumbano is finally secure with a smart new Security fence and gates. Our sincere thanks go to Besom - a Christian Charity Organization in the UK who very generously provided most of the funds. This is a great stride forward as it gives us a much greater confidence that with improved security all improvements made to the school will not be lost to crime which is rampant due to the unemployment and poverty in the area.

It has given us great pleasure to assist in improvements to the school and slowly enrich the lives of these children. All the children are now receiving 3 meals a day - breakfast on arrival, a cooked lunch and a sandwich to return home with. We still hope to improve the cooking facilities which will also help in the school achieving one of its long-term aims: to serve the community in general by providing a soup kitchen. The school has been promised catering contracts - another way they may earn an income. They are in need of flooring and equipment (stoves, pots, pans etc) should there be any sponsors out there!!

The school is also desperately trying to cultivate a vegetable garden - presently cabbages are under cultivation although we are trying to organize some topsoil as the ground is little more than sand and boulders.

Sweden has invested Millions of Rands in the erection of an Apartheid Museum in the area. The school is hoping to benefit from the increased tourism and has erected a sign welcoming all visitors in the hopes that tourist donations will also assist them with funding the running of the school.

The needs of U Bumbano are still huge but we hope that in our own little way we can continue to give them the support and encouragement they need to achieve their goals and so help both the children and the greater community to rise above the limitations placed on them by poverty!!

Newsletter March, 2005

It has been a challenging start to the year for U Bumbano Pre Primary School. The Red Location in which the school is located is an extremely deprived community and with very few of the children able to afford any form of fees, the Pre-School is very dependant on outside sponsorship. With your support, we have managed to sustain their needs and so ensure that the children continue to get an education and equally importantly their daily meals-often the only meals they get are from the school itself.

Our particular thanks go to:

• Rev. Gavin Lock and the congregation of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Port Elizabeth for their generous donation and ongoing support.
• Robert Hawes and Gail Holman who have sacrificed much of their holiday in SA in order to make vast improvements to the school building. They have mended over 30 broken windows and painted many of the walls of the school which now sport pastel blue shades.
• Edufun a UK based educational toy company who are very generously donating a percentage of their profits to Brighter Futures SA. For further information please find them at www.edufun.co.uk
• The ladies in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, USA for their very generous donations at a recent charity luncheon.

It is the generosity of our patrons that allows Brighter Futures SA to continue to fulfill its mission.

Brighter Futures SA has also received formal recognition for the charities efforts from Mr. Mondi Maqula the Regional Director of Economics, Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the Eastern Cape SA.

Our greatest challenge continues to be raising funds to assist with the day to day running costs of U Bumbano as well as assisting in reparations to a rather dilapidated school building.

The children however are full of enthusiasm and we feel blessed to watch them grow and gain their independence. We hope to give them a positive start in the world and so give them a real chance at success.

A big thank-you once again to all our supporters. Without you, none of this would be possible!

Newsletter November 29, 2004

U Bumbano Pre-primary School has triumphed through yet another year.

Thank-you to The Hill Presbyterian Church of Port Elizabeth SA who kindly donated some computers. This has provided access to technology - a true marvel for children who are fascinated by a flushing toilet let alone cyberspace!

The total head count is now 91 and with an ever-growing population the building is truly bursting at the seams. The workers of a self-help building scheme are repairing the schools ceilings and doing some painting in lieu of rent - having used some of the school building for storage of building materials while their building was in progress.

Sadly U Bumbano is receiving no other sponsorship besides the support of Brighter Futures SA and we are therefore working harder than ever to raise funds to assist the dedicated teachers in striving to realize their dream. To educate these children and so liberate their community from the shackles of poverty.

Thank-you once again to all our supporters- from the generosity shown by schools to the private donors. To those of you who forfeited a Birthday gift in favour of friends donating to our cause we thank you too! Likewise thank-you to the group of mums in Malmesbury,Wiltshire,UK for you ongoing support. Be assured that 100% of all donations go to the school itself. Our only interest as a charity is to assist in making South Africa a brighter place!

Merry Christmas!

Sarah Vine-Morris
Project Leader

June 2004 Newsletter

We are delighted to announce that Brighter Futures SA was officially recognized by the Charity Commission for England and Wales on the 28th of March 2004. Our official registration number is 1103629. We have also received Inland Revenue approval for tax purposes (our tax registration number is XR78448).

We plan to launch an awareness campaign in order to raise our profile in the hopes of increasing our funds in order to further our mission - helping children living below the bread line to realise their full potential.

We visited U Bumbano Pre-Primary School in April and found that despite limited funding the school remains a ray of hope not only for the children but also for the parents in the community. The dedication of the teaching staff is truly inspiring and continues to motivate us to strive to give those children the opportunities they deserve! The security of the school however is still an area of concern and remains top of our agenda. Low cost housing is springing up around the school and as a result theft has become a real problem. The school building is also in desperate need of reparations and we appeal to anyone who may be able to assist us with building materials or labour. The greatest needs are ceiling boards, floorboards and carpeting.

Once again a very big thank you to all our supporters for the cash donations as well as the clothing donated over the last few months.

A little truly goes a long way.

February 2004 Newsletter

Brighter Futures SA would like to say a very big thank you for all the generous donations we have received to date. Each contribution is another step closer to helping a child realize their full potential and so fulfill their dreams.

Our present project, the U Bumbano Pre-primary School, is continuing to show great promise. The school enjoyed a wonderful Nativity play at the end of 2003 and bid farewell to some of the older children who will be entering into the formal school sector. Many of the children received certificates as proof of their education about the Aids virus. With the high incidence of Aids within the community, this is invaluable education and makes a vital contribution in spreading Aids awareness.

Euan Nicholl (one our South African founder members, who is actively assisting with this project) presented the children with books and motorbikes which have added to the fun at playtime!!!

The land on which the school stands is up for sale and the school, aided by sponsors, plans to buy the property and erect a perimeter fence. This will both mark the school grounds and assist with security. This is one of the areas in which we are actively involved.

We have been contacted by another Children's Charity, Chibobo Orphans, which sponsors Aids orphans in Zambia. We have jointly agreed to add a web link to each others websites in order to spread awareness and further our mission. (For more details go to www.chiboboorphans.co.za )

We are expecting our registration as a charity, with the England and Wales Charity Commission, to be completed soon.

Let's give a little back and make South Africa a brighter place!