These are the 30 children we have added to the Food Progam
/Zibuse

The serving of food has started but we decided to change from bread to full meal. We managed to support 60 children today and still hope to feed around 100 children in the same budget. Here are some pictures.
We have moved the cooking from Isibani Sethu because we realized that most kids are not from arround Isibani Sthu schools as a result some small kids have to cross a very busy street before they could get to Isibani Sethu. So we decided to move it to where it is safe for all kids to have access but we will return it to Isibani as soon as kids arround Isibani Sethu have organized themselves into a number suitable to be fed. But we keep our food at Isibani Sethu.
Today it was putu and cabbage. Soem other days it will be putu and beans. We have decided on a cheap kind of food so as to monitor our budget then we may decide on the additional nutritious menu.
/Zibuse

Good news! The AKNM Foundation will be able to sponsor Thobile Mthembu with her application for the financial help called NSFAS. As I wrote below, this is the financial support given by a government organization to all undergraduate who cannot further their studies due to poor home background and financial difficulties.
/Zibuse

This is Mama Mthembu and her daughter Thobile Mthembu.They would like to convey their heartfelt gratitude over the school support that Thobile enjoyed from former children sponsorship program used to be called Khanyisani (”put on the light”) as it was initiated by Anna Karin and myself. This girl started enjoying support in 2005 when she was doing grade 5. She completed her matric in 2012 and got a grade which allows her to go to University.
It is now her wish to go to university and is aspiring becoming a social worker. Her mother is not working and her father is late. To qualify for a scholarship she must be inside the campus but to get into the campus she has to pay the registration of the amount of R4000.00, books for R2000.00, residential rent of the sum of R500.00 and R500.00 for food. She is looking for a financial help of the total sum of R7000.00 then she will be in the position to apply for a financial help called NSFAS which is the financial support given by a government organization to all undergraduate who cannot further their studies due to poor home background and financial difficulties. This is one time fee, then she is in the campus.
She wish to start her studies in January 2014 if she could get support. The girl is desperate. I wonder if anyone could give a hand. We need social workers in our community.
/Zibuse

The other day we had a Community Meeting at our center Isibani Sethu to discuss the AKNM Foundation’s activities.
On the picture you can see some of the people who attended the meeting. They expressed their highest appreciation of children sponsorship and appealed to me to see to that the programme is well handled so that it will last them long.
They also instructed me to convey their heart felt thankfulness over the idea of building them houses, saying that since Mandela time they have been sidelined and now they have hope in AKNMF that their housing problem will be solved and requeste to have this programme stepped up fo they have a great need for shelter.
I explained to them that we will invest in new houses step by step. They understood that our organization is still very new.
/Zibuse

Yesterday was another big milestone for us here in Pongola!
Outside our center Isibani Sethu we served the first children in our ”Food Program” food and juice on their way home from school.
On the pictures you can see that we got help from school grils to prepare and serve the food.
The children were so happy and thankful!
/Zibuse

During the autumn we found this article in ”Zululand Observer” http://www.zululandobserver.co.za/Pages/m34hum2.html. 

This is Nomboso Masango in front of her house. This is basically the look of the whole house. It has just been extended but not finished yet.

I found 16 children. The other 17 are brought in during the day and taken by their parents in the afternoon. The situation is terrible.

They have quite a number of needs but the most important thing is food. Some of the children are brought in by social workers. Some are left by parents who stay in Swaziland and never comes back so it is not easy to find birth certificates so they cannot access the government social grant. The rooms they have plus ones being extended are not enough. There are some children who have been at Isibani Sethu who are handicapped.

They use hands to wash for all the children.

This is the toilet they are using.

In the black plastics there are soiled pampas used by small children. They do not have place to have it disposed. The local municipality is refusing to collect it saying that it is because she is not in the township where the collection of refuse is paid for.

In one of the rooms there is an old lady who uses to stay at the hospice. She is also accommodated in this home.

I went back to that family and handed out some blankets I received from Kvarnbyskolan and hope they will be very happy to see that their blankets have done such huge different in lives of people who really needs them. Here are the photos with blankets.

I also gave some clothes from some individuals in Sweden. Here are the photos.

Some people in Sweden will remember that they did send these woolen handmade small blankets which I also felt it is the right place to give.

I also gave toys from Sweden as well. Here are the photos.

Thanks to those who contributed all the above. I hope Christmas has come early to some of the above children.

My problem with this is that it is a lot in one. There are handicapped children, there are homeless children, there are children from local community who are brought in during the day and taken back when parents are back from work. I believe those parents are paying.

It’s difficult for me to judge if this is something that AKNMF can support. She wishes to work with us but I have still been asking myself as to which part we can give support here. As I see it, the most important thing is food support.

/Zibuse

Gogo Mbatha’s house is now finished. She is very happy and very thankful to the Foundation for all support!

Thank you all in the Foundation for fulfilling the dreams of Anna-Karin! This project is really touching lives and it brings hope to the poor.
Thank you to everyone who are contributing to the fund! I hope you see the outcome of your contributions.

/Zibuse

Zibuse is right now identifying the first 30 young boys and girls that will be included in the first phase of the Children Support Program. The goal with the Children Support Program is to support them so that they can start or conclude their studies in school. The school is free of charge in South Africa but it’s mandatory to wear school uniform. Not affording to buy a uniform hinders a lot of kids in Pongola.

Each support package includes a school uniform, a pair of shoes, a belt to the trouser, a pair of socks socks and a pair of underwear.

They will get their support packages now in December to be ready for the school start beginning of January.

This is Gogo Nsibande. She stays with nine members of her family which includes six grandchildren for which four are orphans and are left in the care of this old lady. The mother to the two Gogo Nsibande’s grand children is being treated for MDR at Thulasizwe TB hospital in Ceza. One of the boys in the family is mentally ill. Gogo Nsibande has just lost her son who has been trying to build a four room house in the yard but passed away before the house wall could be of the hip size. She has got two children who are attending school one in grade eight and one in grade tend. I’m now negotiating with the house builders to finish at least one of the rooms with the support from the AKNMF. /Zibuse 

This is Gogo Nsibande.

Outside her home I met by a five year old boy who told me that he wants to be registered in school and told me his name.

Her dream is that beside the problem of food in her family she wish that at least if one room of her four room was to be completed to allow her family more space and at least one room which is not leaking when heavy rains comes.

She is standing next to her unfinished house.

What I like about her is that though she is needy, she does not sit and wait for manna. She is planting some maize so she may not go begging for food all the time . She has been working hard to plant her big garden.