Roedean School Volunteer Weekend

Students from the Roedean School in Johannesburg came to help Phedišang on the weekend of August 1st through the 4th. A total of 17 girls volunteered at the centres to paint murals, help cook and serve meals, learn traditional games and dances, and create a fun time for the Phedišang children. The Phedišang children taught various crafts such as making clay pots and decorative figures. On the last night, four leaders from each of the centres came to the London Mission for a braai with the Roedean students. There was delicious food, dancing, singing, and even a talent show. Everyone had a blast. The Roedean students each paid their share for the cost of the trip. Thanks to their efforts, the Phedišang centres have beautiful murals, and lasting memories of the fun they brought.

Cooking Shelters

One urgent need for the cooks at each of the six Phedišang centres was cooking shelters – proper brick enclosures to protect the cooks from the elements. We are delighted to be able to report that four gracious donors responded:  Andrew Stuart-Reckling, Kirstin Otten, Michael and Kathie O’Malley, and Imperial Logistics all came through to provide the funds for the six shelters. Thanks to these generous donations, we have been able to purchase all the necessary materials, and pay for the construction. All six shelters have been completed and are ready for the upcoming rainy season.  The children and staff of Phedišang as well as they communities they serve are most grateful.

United States Peace Corps

Starting in April, the staff and kids in Limpopo were joined by another US Peace Corps volunteer, Nick Redding. He, like Christy, is dedicating the next two years of his life to helping provide sustainable solutions for Phedišang. Nick hails from Seattle, Washington and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a masters degree in Clinical Psychology. He has a lot of experience in management and will be able to provide support and guidance for our new manager in Limpopo. He already hit the ground running and has managed to set up a working computer at each of the six centres and has already started lessons for the kids. Nick is happy to devote two years to this project and looks forward to what else he will be able to contribute.

Fundraising - Family Fun Day

On May 18th, 2008 Phedišang hosted a Family Fun Day fundraising event at Roedean School in Johannesburg. The weather was beautiful and visitors enjoyed live music from Ed Jordan (from Beautiful Creatures) and Jason Hartman as well as various music ensembles from Roedean and the Roedean Choir. Food, complementary wine, jumping castles, clowns and face painting were all part of the activities. An auction of high profile donations including original works of art and accommodations at popular lodging destinations added to the fundraising and the fun. In total we brought in approximately R54,000. We would like to thank all of those who attended the event, and those that provided a helping hand including the Roedean School for allowing us to have the event on their lawn, the girls who comprised the different Roedean music ensembles and the Roedean Choir for yet another stellar performance. Special thanks goes to Cath Hall for all the hard work she put into organizing the day. Preliminary plans for the next event are already in the works so if you missed us this time, we hope to see you next year!

2008/2009 Household Calendar/Organiser

In another fundraising effort, we have created a 2008/2009 Household Calendar/ Organizer, which is on sale now. We have approximately 2000 calendars to sell and we truly believe that every family could benefit from ordering one. The calendars start from July 2008 so you can purchase now and use immediately. Our beautiful kids grace each page and remind you that your purchase went to helping feed one of them. The cost is R200 plus shipping and we can even ship overseas. Please order through our secure website here. Note: only credit card donations are accepted – international cards are fine to use but it will be processed in South African Rand.