Music Sand New toys & E'Pap !

Wow !! It's been a whole month since I posted ..what happened to the time ?? The kids have been on holiday for some of the time though..that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it !!

 

Happy as a sandman !

Sand in our sandpit !! What joy !!

At long last my pleas for sand for the forlorn sandpit were heard and George arrived like a knight in shining armour with a bakkie load of lovely clean beach sand !!He has since brought another load and the promise of one more next week . What a difference !! Thank-you George..you are THE MAN !!       The little one's were so excited when they arrived back from their holidays to find not only a lovely sand-pit to play in , but a whole heap of wonderful sand-pit toys as well ! This is huge thanks to the wonderful love and support from "Grandma Crys" and Karen RV from the USA !

Toys from Grandma Crys & Karen RV !

The forlorn empty sandpit BEFORE !

Outdoor playtime has just gone up to a whole new level !! You guys are the BEST !! ♥ 

Our little mini Angelina Jolie

Sandpit AFTER !!!

 

















Indoor music time is also much more fun these days ! Brian Tynan from Australia sent a lovely donation to purchase a funky little CD player..what fun to watch the kids singing their little lungs out ! They LOVE it !!

Music !!!

I don't think I have ever heard such a lively rendition of "Wheels on the Bus " . Thank-you so much Brian..your love and support is so appreciated !

..Wheels on the bus go round and round ....

Jarred putting his name on his gifts !

My two wonderful grandsons , Jack & Jarred have also both been so lovely ..Jack turned 8 and donated $20.00 of his birthday money to the kids ! What an awesome little boy ..THANK-YOU JACK..I am going to buy the little boys some soccer balls , they will remember your birthday for a very long time !! Jarred sorted out some of his toys and special books and delivered them himself ! The little ones were soo delighted to see him and he nearly got mobbed ..he showed them how to use stencils to draw with and they were so excited ! Thank-you JT ..I am so so proud of both of you !

Happiness !!!!

   More lovely donations from Sandra (Essee) in Australia and my little sister Cols in Tasmania went towards a big box of toys to start off the new term ! Wonderful hula-hoops , wooden puzzles, dupla blocks , 3 soccer balls, threading things , little cars and the CUTEST little black dollies ! What big spoils and huge excitement !!

Such spoils !

Lovely new cars..vroom vroom !!

HOW cute are these babies ???

  
The school is having a jumble sale on 4th November to generate much needed funds for their year end functions including "graduation" of the 5 year olds ! We have already collected a fair bit thanks to Lauren . A big THANK-YOU to Louwrens for his very generous bagful of wonderful clothing for them to sell plus some blankets for the little ones. You are a star Louwrens ..your support makes the world of difference ! PLEASE remember us if you are down-sizing..anything goes !

  Local sweetheart Pam knitted some little caps and made some cute bean-bags for the kids plus some lovely aprons .
The E'Pap feeding scheme is happening very slowly but never the less is still  happening !  The kids have it everyday now and the difference in their health is starting to show ! Not half as many snotty noses and little cheekbones are starting to fill out ! It is very heart-warming to see ! Rejoice told me whenever the kids come back from holidays some of them have "long" necks , meaning their scrawniness from malnutrition ! All those long necks nearly broke my heart ..we can only do our best to make sure they are well-nourished while they are at school !
I am still desperately hoping for sponsors for this scheme and would love some input from anyone with a bit of "begging" experience to give me a hand !! Bigger companies needing BEE points can get them from sponsoring us and of course it is also tax deductible !! Kevin and Sarah 's stop orders every month are so appreciated ..you two feed all those kids for a week ! THANK-YOU !!! A friend of Essee's from Australia also sent a donation enough to buy 15 packets ..Awesome friends you have Es ♥♥and big hugs to Marie ! It was Sybil's birthday as well last week and instead of a gift from us we will also buy 15 packets on her behalf  ! Happy Birthday Sybil !! I need to take more pics of the veggie garden..it is looking fabulous after the recent rains and should be starting to supplement lunch quite soon !!
WOW !! Just reading back I am over-whelmed how much has happened !! What a lot of love and support we have received ..Bless you all !!! Enjoy the pics ! Lots of love..Kay XXX

Such a busy bee !

So much fun before breakfast !

I am staying here all day !

Woo-Hoo !!!!

Birthdays , E'Pap,Hobby Horses & lots of spoils !!

ENKOSI Jill & JennyL !!!

Wow ! 2 weeks have already sped past since the last update ! We now have 27 new members and our little blog has been viewed nearly 700 times ! I think we are certainly getting the word out..good for all of us !! The veggie garden is staring to look fabulous..thank-you so much to all who donated to our seed fund. It is wonderful to see all the rows and rows of gorgeous green stuff happening ! The 18 new blankets purchased with donations from JenniLynn and Jill were very well received ..thank-you Jeanne for helping me hem them !! We have just had a very cold snap..I am sure there were some very snuggly happy little rug rats at school last week ! We also received 3 beautiful new books from Lucy & Leah Knight in Australia  (aren't those Aussies fantastic ??)Thank-you  Lucy and Leah..your books have a very special home !!  A WONDERFUL donation from the huge hearted Cornelius family in Montana USA purchased some more lovely books, puzzles , a CD and a fabulous new pot for Lorna the cook !! She was SO thrilled with her pot (her old ones leak all over the stove and cause her such trouble !!) She danced a little jig all around the kitchen and couldn't contain her glee !! THANK-YOU beautiful people..you are all just amazing !!

Love from Lucy and Leah in Australia !

Such big spoils from Montana !

New additions to the fantasy corner !

Our hobby-horses were greeted with much excitement (and a bit of trepidation at first !! The kids were'nt too sure what to make of them !! HAHAHA!!) ..once they realized what they were for there was no stopping them !! Howard made a little stand for them that Lauren very skillfully erected on the wall ..what a lovely addition to the rather sad little fantasy corner !! Lauren also taught the kids to write " I ♥U " and they were quite enthralled , running around shouting I LOOOVE YOU on top of their voices !!! 

Happy birthday to YOUUUUUU !!!

There was great excitement when birthday girl Debbie Lees arrived with all the gifts donated at her and Dave Tapson's combined birthday party ..THANK-YOU for making Siphucule your beneficiaries !! We had such a fun morning..the local rag did a little write-up , we had cupcakes and songs ..plus Debbie was treated to a lusty rendition of Happy Birthday to you in English and in Xhosa !! Sybil and Jeanne also joined in the fun..it was so great to have you all there !

LOVING Debbie's special day !

Birthdays are such fun !

 














 

Can we have more tomorrow ?

I was very very very excited to discover a fabulous porridge , E'Pap, which is used extensively in feeding schemes through out the country and across our borders. I was so humbled to discover such amazing people out there..E'pap was developed by a wonderfully caring scientist in Gauteng in his bid to alleviate starvation and malnutrition in our country. I have already introduced it to the school and am pleased to announce that Siphucule is the very first school in this area initiate it ! It has been very well received..it is so easy to prepare..just add warm water ! No cooking..no milk added..no sugar added and only 2 tablespoons of powder is enough to meet ALL the nutritional needs of a little one for the day . Best of all..it is DELICIOUS and very filling  . A packet of  E'Pap costs only R13.50 and is enough to feed 20 kids..so our school needs 4 packets a day which equates to just over R1000.00 a month ! I would LOVE sponsors for this scheme ..I already have 2 stop orders which covers a week . I am determined to get a full on feeding scheme going to provide a nourishing meal to ALL the little impoverished hungry kids in our area , not just Siphucule. It is heart breaking to discover how many go to school hungry ! A commitment of a very small amount of money each month would make the world of difference . A beautiful soul in Richards Bay..Sarah.. has very admirably given up smoking and has committed the amount that she would have spent on cigs a month to my E'Pap scheme !! Sarah ..you are FABULOUS !!! I am so proud of you !

Happy Lorna with her new pot ! ENKOSI !!!

 Sooo.all exciting lovely things happening ! We are making a difference !!! Thank-you all once again for your ongoing love and support !
Big hugs..Kay XXXX

 P.S. Don't forget to click the link on the RH side to see lots more pics in our Web album !!!

Loving our new blankies !

E'Pap trial ..think they like it ??

Veggie garden looking wonderful !

And blue for the boys !!

Lauren spreading some love !!

Spring has sprung at Siphucule !!

Admiring their spoils from Dave & Debbie's birthday !

Books Blankies and Cuddly toys !!

From the wonderful "other" Tynans !

This week we delivered the wonderful pile of books from the "other" Tynans and some from the Harrison's.. all from Australia via The Book Depository ..( WOW !! those guys from DownUnder are amazing !!)  HUGE excitement all round as you can see from the pics . It is so heart warming to see the joy that a new book brings..even though they can't read the words yet they so love looking at the pictures . They have a story time everyday and the teachers read the books and explain the story in Xhosa . Jeanne also does a pretty good job at reading to them but both her and I have a long way to go learning some basic Xhosa for "Shhhhhhhh !! " '' Sit down " " Don't climb up the book shelf" "Don't sit on your friend's head" etc HAHAHA !!

♥ Love from the Harrisons ! ♥

Another lovely treat for them on Wednesday  were 5 lovely cuddly polar fleece blankies made by Lynne Cordell and her sister Claire as well as a pile of soft toys . Thank-you so much you guys..your support and love is so fabulous !! My PayPal button is working very well and I have been getting some very unexpected love from all over the world !! Yesterday I bought more fleece fabric for another 18 blankies with donations from Jill in Bournemouth and JenniLynn in America ..how fabulous is THAT ???

SUCH joy and excitement !!

Enkosi  !!

We have a "Birthday club"  here where everyone having birthdays in that month have a combined party. August heralded  Debbie Lees and Dave Tapson's special days and they so generously made Siphucule their beneficiaries instead of receiving personal gifts !! THANK-YOU BirthdayPeople !!! Debbie is away at the moment but as soon as she gets back we look forward to delivering the pile of goodies they received !

LOVING the new blankies !!

 We also had a "Hobby-Horse" workshop last week and 5 of us made 10 wonderful , funny looking stick horses !! WAY TO GO Lauren, Jeanne, Marion and lovely Lynne ..We are all very proud of our combined efforts and will be delivering them tomorrow ..should be a great 'photo op !! (Only trouble is the little one's get SO excited I can't get them to pose and most of my pics a blurred !!! ) The "Talk of the Town " (our weekly newspaper) will most likely be there for pics ..great way to get some coverage !! Woo-Hoo !! Watch this space for pics !!

Thank-you Charlotte !

Absorbed in the lovely books !

On a not so happy note the school is really battling this month .. their grant was much less because of the July holidays (they only get funding for when the kids are present) . The Port Alfred Soup kitchen is now donating 5 loaves of bread and some soup powder 3 times week for which they are very grateful ...we are looking at ways of stretching the food budget without compromising the little one's nutrition .
 Any ideas would be most welcome !  The veggie garden is slowly looking much healthier now although only a bit of spinach is ready to eat at the moment..wish we could hurry it along !! My lovely Grand daughter Emily turned 5 last week and part of her gift were big tins of cabbage, onion and beetroot seeds ..Thank-you Em ..I hope your very special seeds grow quickly XXX The staff are fund raising like crazy because obviously feeding the kids comes first and their salaries will only be what ever is left over ..looks like they will be getting less than a R1000.00 each this month ! Rejoice has acknowledged that there are too many adults and 3 of them are past retirement age now..the committee is holding a meeting tomorrow to explain to these 3 that the school can no longer sustain them   ..all a bit depressing :(
Anyway..the little one's are a joy and we are all collectively making a difference..THANK-YOU !! Keep checking in so you can keep up to date with the latest developments !! You can follow by email now :)

..and the duck goes QUACK !! Jeanne doing a stirling job !!

Lots of Love..Kay

Balls from Bendi !

Such fun at play time today !!!

We now have 22 members !! How awesome is that ? Thank-you all so much for joining up ..it is wonderful to know you are all out there supporting and caring !!  I managed to set up a PayPal button and have received some very generous and unexpected love from USA !! I am waiting for a whole PILE of books and puzzles ordered from the Cornelius family's wonderful donation and Brenda (Bendi) Howell's donation has been used for 15 lovely bright balls ! I delivered these today..SUCH excitement !! The kids were so thrilled they even had their outside playtime extended for a while !! The squeals of delight must have been heard way across the sea to Bendi's ears !!  You guys are amazing ..you squeezed my heart and your contribution to uplifting the lives of these little cherubs is immeasurable ♥♥ A big  Thank-you also to Sandy for paying to have the book plates printed on sticky labels ..this will make life so much easier !! You are a star XX. Local boy 2 year old Noah Stowe donated 10 of his books and some of his toys and crayons ..THANK-YOU Noah..you are the man !!! The kids LOVED them !! Howard donated a gas cylinder !! Thank-you Howard..the kitchen Mama will be so excited ..you have made her life a lot easier !

A face-lift !

I am NOT letting go !!

The book corner is filling up slowly and it gives me such a thrill to see this happening ..I was overwhelmed today to receive a HUGE parcel from the Book Depository with  an unexpected wonderful gift of 15 brand new beautiful books from Adrian , Melissa Charlotte & Sophie Tynan from Brisbane !! I was blown away by this and the kids are going to be over the moon !! THANK-YOU wonderful "other" Tynans ♥..(your huge hearts must be a Tynan thing !!) That tatty old white book-case was given a gorgeous red face-lift and is now looking very spiffy..those new books are going to look wonderful in it !!

Enkosi Bendi !!

Thank-you so much to Kevin for his fabulous support ♥..he has organized a monthly stop-order which will swell our seed fund ! Your contribution towards filling all those tummies everyday will be priceless..Enkosi Kev !!

Thank-you Bendi ~ you made us so happy !!

Sooo happy !!!

WOW !! All these for US ???

The continued support from Marianne at 43 Air school of paper and craft stuff is so appreciated ..thank-you !!! We are slowly but surely making a difference ! Thank-you each and everyone of you for caring.
Love Kay xxx

New Books & Chocolate chip cookies !

Enkosi !!

15 new members !! This is so heart warming !! Thank-you all of you so so much for your support ! Thanks for all the comments too.. A Paypal button is a great idea Hoozie ..I need to go into that ! Aww Dixie..what a sweet offer ..the postage may be prohibitive though..you will have to check first ! Sarah you are an angel ..you have now been put in charge of the music corner !! Cara..you make my heart sing and it is YOU who are an inspiration always XXX Biggest thanks Sandy
for designing the little label to stick in front of the donated books..it is perfect and the same colours as our flag!

Thanks so much to Tom & Alison Barret who came to visit the school with me yesterday. We had such a lovely morning , Tom did the serious stuff going through the finances with Rejoice while Alison and I played with the kids ~I went earlier to be there for "snack-time" armed with a boxful of very oddly shaped home-made choc-chip cookies and Boy..were they popular !! But the BIGGEST treat was 20 brand new beautiful books donated by my lovely Aussie family ! The little one's were thrilled and you can see from the pics the joy that they brought ! There was also a box of Farmyard nursery books for the babies from Megan (my cute granddaughter) as part of her 2nd birthday present ..thank-you Meggie XXXX I am determined to fill those shelves and this is such a great start. I was thinking if any of our lovely overseas supporters would like to donate books they could do so through  www.bookdepository.co.uk where the postage to us is FREE !! Or www.abebooks.com have very cheap second hand books which counter balances the expensive postage . My postal address is P.O.Box 9 Bathurst 6166 South Africa  .

THANK-YOU Tynan Family  !

Next week we will have a meeting with Tom to discuss the finances and what can be done. I was happy to see that they have a valid fund raising number so we won't run into any trouble there . He looked at the roof and the leaking in the back class room and will be getting someone to give us a quote on repairing that . At the moment the cook is really battling as only one stove is in working ~ they have a big gas burner but the  cylinder was stolen during a break in last year ( they have since had Sky alarms instal an alarm system) so we need to be on the look out for a large gas cylinder and some-one who can look at the stove ? PLEASE keep collecting magazines, cardboard cartons , anything the kids can use during craft time like wool, glue, fabric scraps, beads etc etc . The Fantasy corner is pretty bare so any thing there would be wonderful !

Playing games outside

20 lovely new books !

LOVING the new books !

Window art !

Lunch time !

Bookplates designed by Sands !

Happiness is a lovely new book !

Ooooh..loving these cookies !!

YUMMO !!

Enjoy the pics and a HUGE thank-you again for all your support . Love Kay XX