Dear (Contact First Name),
This is the first issue of The Africa Project's quarterly newsletter designed to keep you informed about the progress we are making in Nkandla, South Africa.

2008 has been an amazing year! With your help, we are providing one nutritious meal for over 1,300 students at Velangaye High School every single school day. We are also supporting the school garden project and we are building a kitchen at the school to support the lunch program.

In addition, The Africa Project supports the Sizanani Outreach Program's Home Based Health Care Program as well as the Sizanani Center, a home for up to 30 local children who have been orphaned or who are in desperate need for care.

We simply could not do what we do without your support and the support of others in our own community who have chosen to be a part of The Africa Project! Together, we ARE making the difference in the lives of children in Africa devastated by poverty and AIDS.

Thank you for your commitment. I hope that you will continue to support our efforts.

Yours truly,
Allison Hart, President

IN THIS ISSUE

Lunch Program

Notes from Velangaye

Mid-Year Report

Health Care in Nkandla

Week of the African Child

Save the Date

Our Amazing Students

Get Involved

Feeding more than 1,300 at VHS

In 2008, The Africa Project took on its most ambitious project to date.

Thanks to the generous support of you, our members, The Africa Project is sponsoring the food program at Velangaye High School in Nkandla. Initially, we expected to provide lunch for approximately 800 to 900 students. However, the enrollment at Velangaye spiked with just over l,300 students enrolled this year. We attribute the increased enrollment to three primary factors:
 
1.) The commitment of Mr. Ngogi Mahaye and the teaching staff at Velangaye. In 2007, 90 percent of the Nkandla High School seniors passed the government required metric (exit) exam. This is an absolutely ASTOUNDING achievement! Among those who passed, 76 were honored with exemptions and 54 were honored with distinctions in science, math and other specific subject areas. Mr. Mahaye told us that this was an overwhelming performance in the school's history.
 
2.) The food program. Knowing that there is a meal at school truly motivates learners. Remember, the majority of students travel very long distances each and every day to and from school and they do so on an empty tummy. But now, thanks to all of our members, they receive a protein based meal at school each day. For most of the students, this may be the only nutritious meal they will receive. This gift of food is important to the students and staff for many reasons. We also know that it is helping the students study and learn. 

3.) A sense of hope! The students and the staff tell us that the support they receive from The Africa Project is more than the food or physical improvements we sponsor. They tell us that they no longer feel alone in their struggle. They say that now, they know that there are others out there who care deeply about them and support them. They tell us that now they have hope for the future. 

In a recent email, Mr. Mahaye said, "We feel very proud of our partnership with The Africa Project and are grateful to everyone who is helping make the dreams of our learners a reality!

Notes from Velangaye

When Mr. Ngogi Mahaye, the principal at Velangaye High School, sends us emails from time to time. While access to the internet is still limited, the emails we do receive help us feel like the world is just a little bit smaller. Below is a recent email:
 
Dear Friends:
Getting this opportunity to write to you is a singular honor and privilege to me and my family. You have, through The Africa Project, moved us from a great tribulation and starvation. We are proud and walk tall with what you have done for us all. I may seldom tell you how special you are. I may not be able to reach you because you are far and far. But at least I can e-mail. The skills I acquire from you and the entire team help me a lot in South Africa. The feeding program is going very well.
Cheers. Ngogi Mahaye
 
Philani S. graduated from Velangaye in November, 2007. This exceptional young man was accepted to the University of KwaZulu Natal and is studying to be a doctor. He writes to us often. Below is the first email he wrote to us earlier this year:
 
Greetings all members of The Africa Project:
I am one who lived in Nkandla and I am a former student of Velangaye High School. When you are talking about the difficulties of living there, you are talking about the things I have experienced. I was born in Nkandla 17 years ago and I know many things about the Nkandla community. The food that you are supporting is very helpful because there are many students who really have nothing to eat. Now I am in Durban and if I can compare the life in Durban and Nkandla there is a huge difference. Now, I am a medical student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Some of The Africa Project members know me. Debbie, Eric and Marcella and many more who had visited Velangaye. I just wanted to write to say "thanks a lot!"
Yours, Philani

Mid-Year Report

Dr. Maria Lindner is the director of Sizanani Outreach, the non profit agency in Nkandla whom we partner with to deliver the services that are needed in Nkandla. Below are some of the highlights from the mid year report written by Dr. Lindner:
 
School Feeding
The service at Velangaye Secondary School is going well. Last year some 900 plus learners were getting a nutritious plate of food, but with the improved system in place the project is now catering for some 1,300. Food handlers from last year are now familiar with the required procedures. The deeper involvement and support of the school governing board is making an appreciable difference.
 
I can report progress in the feeding service with the learners themselves taking an active part, indicating that they are showing a sense of ownership. They have been given control sheets which they tick off as each learner is fed - a simple but effective routine. Feeding takes place during the morning break which has limited time and an elaborate routine would hold up the distribution of food. There are three serving points which the learners themselves identified as being most practical. The present set-up makes it easier for us making an occasional visit to the school to see how the service is running.
 
Teachers, too, can get a plate of nutritious food. They, like the children appreciate the food which the children with spontaneous brevity, describe as: "Ukudla kumnandi" -which means "the food tastes very nice." You can see by their smiling faces that they mean what they say. The school feeding service is contributing to the holistic approach which is integral to Sizanani and its outreach. With nutrition comes health issues and here at rural and impoverished Nkandla the community is being devastated by one of the highest incidences of HIV/AIDS in the country.

Getting through to the younger generation, helping them to understand and counter the powerful influence of big business consumerism and media hype and permissiveness, is a major challenge for the whole of society and for faith-based NGOs such as Sizanani. Education and peer group interaction on responsible sexual behaviour and relationships are crucial instruments of psychosocial development and moral enrichment when engaging with the younger generation.

Supporting Health Care in Nkandla

Every time we travel to Nkandla we learn more and more about the challenges local providers face in terms of delivering services to those in need. Nkandla is a municipality that spans over 700 square miles. Once you leave the main highway, roads are unpaved, very rough and in many cases extremely steep and treacherous. This combined with the fact that few in the community have transportation makes access to health care or social services nearly impossible for most. The Africa Project supports Sizanani Outreach, a home based health care program with three teams of care workers, two nurses, two social workers and one medical doctor.

In 2006, the program was operating with just two vehicles for the three care teams. In 2007, The Africa Project made a donation to purchase a third vehicle. We knew that the purchase of this vehicle would increase their ability to identify and serve children and families in desperate need of assistance. Below is an excerpt from this month's report from Dr. Maria Lindner:
 
"We cannot imagine how we coped without (the truck). It is used in all programme areas, taking caregivers to families and child-headed families, and in bringing family members to Nkandla for further assistance." She added that in addition to being used by the care teams, Sr Hedwig and the child services crew rely on this specialized transport when called out to remote settlements with bad access and terrible roads. The Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) team also use the vehicle when bringing services into remote homesteads around Nkandla. "Between January and September 2008 the vehicle logged 16,499 km (10,248 miles) at a fuel cost of R22,220 (approximately US $2,962) which reflects the steep rise in the petrol price," she explained.

The Week of the African Child - December 1 to 8

The Africa Project will celebrate The 4th Annual Week of the African Child from December 1 to 8. This week long campaign features a variety of activities including the annual Youth Conference on AIDS hosted by The Africa Project Youth Board, the City of Irvine High School Youth Action Team, and the UCI AIDS Fundamentalists.

In addition, members of The Africa Project will host special presentations at community meetings, schools, and more. If your organization, business, service club or group would like to be a participate in the Week of the African Child, please send an email to Allison Hart or Debra Bianchi.

Save the Date - 4th Annual Holiday Brunch December 7

The Africa Project will host the 4th annual Holiday Brunch on Sunday, December 7th. This is our major fund raising event for the year that supports the food program at Velangaye High School. Tickets are $60 per person (each ticket represents the cost of providing a nutritious protein based meal EVERY school day throughout the year for one child.) Invitations with detailed information will be sent in October.

If you would like to be a sponsor of this year's event, please send an email to Mariam Khosravanii.

Our Own Amazing Students

We are so proud of the young men and women in our community who continue to make The Africa Project their own! Below are just a few examples of the efforts of some of pretty amazing young leaders:

University Park Elementary School: Between January and June of 2008, student volunteers at University Park Elementary School organized monthly bake sales for The Africa Project. With some help from their parents, these young leaders baked a variety of treats in order to raise money to help feed the children at Velangaye High School. We were delighted to participate in a ceremony in June where these terrific students and their principal presented a check for $758 to The Africa Project!
 
Last year, the Coastline Community Student Advisory Council adopted The Africa Project. In the fall, the students organized and hosted a Benefit Concert, created and sold t-shirts, and organized a school wide sponsorship campaign raising more than $3,000 to support the lunch program at Velangaye High School. In the spring, a team of students and an adviser traveled to Nkandla. Each gave up their spring break and paid their own way to travel half way around the world as ambassadors from their school. They worked with the students and staff at Velangaye during their visit, learning more about the needs of these the students. The opportunity provided a unique experience for all involved. We are very grateful to have Coastline as a community partner in this effort.

In 2007/2008, the University of California Irvine Songfest, the largest student-run philanthropic program on the UCI campus, selected The Africa Project as the recipient of their fundraising efforts. Throughout the year, UCI students hosted multiple activities and events in support of The Africa Project. These included awareness activities including a showing of the documentary The Orphans of Nkandla, InspiRED - an HIV/AIDS awareness night, the Dollar Campaign, a gala at Taleo in Irvine, and their final event "SONGFEST" was held on May 22 at the Bren Auditorium. In total, these dedicated and talented students raised just over $15,000 to support The Africa Project. 

In July 2008, young people at Camp James together with their camp advisers organized a week-long service campaign designating The Africa Project as the beneficiary! Their creative efforts were amazing. The counselors even told the campers that if they raised $1,500 by that Wednesday they would swim in green Lake Shanalee - a deal they were glad to honor. In the end, the students, their parents, and the staff raised more than $5,000!