Improving Kayamandi
for all its residents.
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Ever since I have been visiting Kayamandi with visitors I have always tried to put something back into this community of warm loving fellow South Africans. One of the mechanisms that I have employed is to refuse tips from visitors by asking them to rather deposit the monies they would have given to me as a tip into a fund that I established so as to accomplish the above. This fund has now developed into a section 21 company named Ikamva Lethu Benefit Association (registration number 2002/023636/08). This is a non profit, charitable organization whereby the moneys generated in the company all go to the community of Kayamandi. Furthermore those who donate to the company can also claim this as a tax rebate in their own countries. The section 21 company is managed by 5 local people in Kayamandi as well as myself. Our main focus is to try and help those in need focusing on the youth in Kayamandi, or should I say our next generation of South Africans who are going to be a vital cog in the building of our wonderful land. By operating in this small un-bureacratic manner I have found that I can direct all aid, in whatever form that it arrives in, directly and speedily to those who need help. I don't need 25 signatures to ensure that a young child in Kayamandi finds that he/she has been given a book by a visitor to Kayamandi and then finds that the book arrives 6 months after it was originally donated. L Oh no in my case the community always benefits immediately. Donations in the past have not only been in a money format as they have also come in the form of much needed books and clothing. Those who have travelled with me have been wonderfully generous in the past and it has led me to now start up our own "Kayamandi wall of fame".
The people of Kayamandi thank the folk whose names are on our "wall" for all their help no matter how big or small. The people of Kayamandi and myself highly appreciate all that these wonderful people have done for the Kayamandi community and the very least that we can do is honor them on our "Wall of fame"
THE KAYAMANDI WALL OF FAME
We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
| Amy and Kevin Lewis | Don and Cha Larson | John Dantonio and all his staff |
| Hal Bickam and Friends | Don Sewell | Julia Clarke and Martin Webb |
| Anne Boniwell and Karl Dinnauer | Espen Tandberg and friends | Liv and Mette Oye |
| Andy and Teddy Kridl | Evelyn and Gerry Brandby | Lynn, Rob and Oli Winton |
| Anoo Padte | Fred Storm | Mannie and Toots Hassel |
| Billy Sieg | Gabiati family | Mitch and Barbara Danzik |
| Cathy and Bob Ouellette | George and Tinker Shifrin | Roy and Debbie Silver |
| Christina Cheah | Hal Bickam and Friends | Sandy Singer |
| Damian and Helen Foley | Hudart family | The Minyan buddies |
| Dan and Mary-Ann Sheehan | Ian and Sandy Mullane | Tim Sheehan |
| Dave and Jill Bray | Jean and Alec Suttling | |
| Dennis and Donya Mosdell | Jean Randall and Eddie Connoly |
To gain an impression as to how the funds, clothing , books and toys that we have been donated has been utilised please click on any of the following links.
Umzwaki, Nozandile, Linda, Ivy and Felicia
The handover party
We decided to hand over all that we bought to the children of the creches and they in turn took all the toys etc back to the creches in unison after the party.
Ivy McKenzie in traditional dress.
The children of the creche's and their mothers fill the hall
Nozandile quietens her excited children down.
A future world cup soccer star?? J
Ivy leads the children in song.
The mothers of the children join in the celebrations
Cathy and Bob Ouellette
John D'Antonio and staff of Global Building Supply
Toys, books and clothes
Cathy and Bob Ouellette
John D'Antonio and staff of Global Building Supply
Clothing
Minyan Buddies
("Our Future" centre )
In Kayamandi we have identified two serious community problems in the form of:
1. Unemployment leading to many locals teens and adults wandering on the streets.
2. Poor education with regard to HIV and Aids.
It is for this reason that I found community leaders in Kayamandi to join me in establishing the Ikamva Lethu centre which very aptly means "our future". Due to the wonderful support that Ian and Sandy Mullane have given us we have been able to launch this very important project in Kayamandi.
The marketing approach of the Ikamva Lethu centre is to use the strategy of "winning hearts and minds". The approach would be implemented by attracting and targeting the people of Kayamandi, with a strong emphasis on the teenage population, to come to the centre so as to enjoy clean living in the form of playing games such a pool, darts, table tennis, table soccer as well as enjoying the use of computers in a safe, alcohol free environment. The centre will also at a later stage provide internet facilities for those who visit it. At this stage the various "township street committees" surrounding the centre have already been approached about its existence and in the process they have all shown great positive response to the project. It is envisaged that once the residents of Kayamandi acclimatize themselves and learn to "trust" the centre that they will in the same way come to trust the facilities that the centre will provide in the form of AIDS volunteers under the leadership of Peter Magena and the Stellenbosch University Aids Education department. An office will be allocated in the centre for this very important group as well a its volunteers to "infiltrate" the ranks of the visitors to the centre and subtly educate them about HIV and AIDS while all are having fun in the centre. It is also envisaged that with the aid of volunteers like Anoo Padte from Microsoft, the visitors to the Ikamva Lethu centre will be taught computer skills which will be absolutely vital for their futures. In this manner we will also hopefully be contributing to the possibility of having unemployed people in Kayamandi attain a skill level that will help them find employment in the future..
Members Involved in this initiative
At present we have secured the premises formerly occupied by the Ikaya Grocery store. We will be starting renovations to the building in late August and hope to be up and running in 6 weeks. The below pictures show the proposed building that we will be using in its original state . More photos will be published as we continue in our task of making the centre ready for all to use.
The Ikaya grocery store (June
2002) soon to
become the Ikamva Lethu centre.
Please use your arrow
keys to view this panoramic picture.
Ikaya Family Groceries soon to become the Ikamva Lethu Centre.
The view from
the Ikamva Lethu center
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keys to view this panoramic picture.
