2020 June/July Update
We are praying that you and your loved ones are doing well during this current/continued spike in Covid-19 cases. Although the numbers continue to rise here and in the U.S., we, and our families, and team/staff are doing well.
We are so happy to share that the feeding program in Soweto is open. We are serving around 80 kids a day. We are serving meals made with the food packs from Rise Against Hunger - the organization we have been working with for the last two years, packing meal packets with teams. It is such a blessing to have these locally produced meals that taste so much better than packs shipped in, and the vitamin packets included make sure that these little ones are getting a boost beyond just the proper nutrition the meal packs provide.
Even more exciting news: after spending a week preparing and learning how to sanitize the school properly, (and even receiving a certificate!), the Kya Sand preschool opened on 6 July! We have started with the 5 & 6-year-olds, and the learners and parents are delighted to be back. All the kids have a mask, many made by Thandi and her team of ladies in Ndwedwe. Elizabeth is recording the temperature of each child every morning upon arrival. And they sanitize the school every day. There are new, foot pedal operated hand sanitizing stations set up around the school to keep little hands clean. It’s so good to see the kids back - getting fed, learning, playing.
In Ndwedwe, returning to school is starting at a slower pace. Thandi continues working with the ladies in the community, teaching them to sew, making masks for all the preschoolers and staff. We have just replanted our large Waterfall garden with seedlings and are looking forward to the next harvest in 3 months. And we’re excited to share that, thanks to ongoing donations, we have just purchased a rototiller to help with our next phase of sustainable gardening.
We’ve been so encouraged by your continued support. Thank you! To stay connected even when we can’t be together, we’ll be releasing a series of videos called Conversations with Phillip and Clive. Clive and I will l be answering questions and giving some video updates on how your continued support is working in real ways to help our communities. We hope you enjoy our first video.
