Excitement builds for 'Munsieville's Got Talent' contest

This Saturday sees the first 'Munsieville's Got Talent' contest (township-style) and excitement is building as posters and advertising go out around the community.
The winners from this first round will compete in the final on 18 February for the chance to perform at our fundraising gala evening at the Silverstar casino in March. As this is the first time such a competition has been held in Munsieville, it's creating quite a buzz and lots of rehearsals everywhere, so check back next week for the results and photos from the contest.
We're also launching the 'Adopt an ECD' (Early Childhood Development) project, where we are working with the grandmothers of Munsieville so they will volunteer to go into the ECD centres (like our day care centres). They will sing and tell stories to the little ones, as there is only one caregiver in a centre with anywhere between 30 to 70 children. Therefore, the caregiver has no time to work with the children except to change nappies and cook their lunch and feed them, but the grannies can help to stimulate the children and the children will brighten the grannies' day too. We would also like to see it branch out to local corporates to get involved through monetary as well as voluntary ways. Corporations could have employees adopt an ECD centre and come and help refurbish it (most lack toys and may only have a worn out rug on the hard cement floor) and also read and sing with the children. Check out our Project HOPE UK Web site for more on ECDs and how you can help too.
Thanks for reading,
Michelle Webb, GSK PULSE volunteer with Project HOPE UK

Farmer, Website designer, newshound, event planner – all in a day’s work!

This week started with two successful corporate visits. The first was with Supersport to discuss upcoming sporting projects, and the second with ABI, the South African bottler for Coca Cola. The second meeting was particularly productive: not only because they offered to come onboard with the project, but also because SA Project HOPE manager Betty, after a bit of gentle nudging, stepped up and delivered the presentation. One of Betty’s greatest strengths is that when she has decided to do something, she really goes for it.
Michelle has been doing a fabulous job of advancing the charity fundraiser. Both of us will leave our assignments with a real appreciation of how to do more with less. Queen bargain hunter Michelle has not only convinced the Silverstar casino to more or less host her event for free, they have also designed and printed the invitations, and provided most of the entertainment. Now we are on the hunt for items to sell off at auction: at least we have something already to cater for the morbid: one of the law firms from Krugersdorp offered us a free will and trust writing package. I can only wonder what the private investigators would have donated us if we’d asked!
Part of the preparations for the fundraiser is our Munsieville’s Got Talent contest, where the winner will perform live at the Silverstar event. Auditions are next Saturday and then the final is on the 18th Feb. Alongside we are running a film event to promote the Youth Voice Journalism Academy. On Friday we were lucky enough to go into Primedia, the radio station we visited in November, and see Solomon, one of the young journalists, completing his two week internship. He was a bit embarrassed to see us there – like seeing your mum and dad I guess!! The news team have all been amazed by his talents though and he looks set for a permanent position.
The diversity of our weeks here never ceases to amaze me: back to back with these visits was also bringing in the district council to approve a community farming project. The site visit went extremely well, despite nearly killing the delegate on the steep climb back up from the valley!! Added to this, I’m also setting up our new website appeal, to get longer-term donations for the crèches in Munsieville, through what’s called a Community Investment Partnership. Check out www.projecthopeuk.org for more details.
Some things, as ever, are not always rosy. It’s going to take considerable effort to rebuild and regroup the seven hubs with the right people to get them working on their first projects. Local councillor elections are coming up in April, which is already posing a huge distraction. It threatens the already-lengthy approval process for the Children’s Centre, as lots of departments are giving up and waiting to see who the new bosses will be.
These challenges only serve however to make the road more interesting. The journey continues at pace. See you next week!
Neil Davidson, GSK PULSE volunteer with Project HOPE UK

Networking in Munsieville

This week we have been busy organising our March Fundraiser and have sold 5 tables of 10 - only 35 left to go - and that was without the invitation yet being printed! I am desperately trying to find auction items that would really be a draw for the event. Anybody have any suggestions? We have some of the entertainment in place and will be doing a 'Munsieville’s Got Talent' contest in February that will allow the winner to perform at the Fundraiser.
I had some great meetings late this past week with the Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Rotary Club and some of the District officials to discuss some of the needs of the community as well as the Fundraiser. It is so interesting having these meetings since with each one I learn something that seems to be of interest to someone else in one of the other meetings I am attending. When I bring up what the other person is doing or needing it seems to fit into something they are doing or interested in doing and thus makes the connection that helps network the two together for a possible solution. For example, the Chamber of Commerce got funding for a Bicycle Repair Business to help some of the rural areas and the District was doing a bicycle programme for safe bike stands in the rural areas, so I mentioned what the Chamber was doing to the District officials when I was speaking with them and they made a connection to talk. This happened three times last week and has happened several other times while I have been here and it is great to be able to help network people together. This country is filled with so much potential and is growing so quickly it is exciting to see all the changes that can take place. And if my small part can help, I feel that I have contributed something to the sustainability of South Africa. It is a great feeling.
Great news from the Journalism Academy that we set up for some of the youth of Munsieville, as one of the young men was offered an internship with Primedia who owns the radio station which we visited in November. On the first day of his internship in the new year he was offered a job! Congratulations Solomon. So there are truly some exciting things happening in Munsieville. The other project we are quite busy with is Connecting Continents where school age children in South Africa and the UK or US correspond with each other. My daughter Caroline’s teacher from last year is involved with it and her class wrote some beautiful letters on decorated paper that looked like a present to the children in one of the 5th grade classes in Munsieville. The Munsieville children in turn wrote letters to them as well which will soon be posted on our Web site for everyone to read. The 6th grade here in Munsieville did the same and it was truly an eye-opener reading the letters from them. The issues they struggle with are so different from the ones our children do - violence, rape and HIV are such a prevalent theme in their letters, while that is not something that would even cross the minds of most 6th graders in the US or UK. It just reminds us that all the work we are doing to help the children grow up to be healthy, productive adults is so imperative.
So as you can see we are busy as ever and many projects left to do in 8 weeks or less. Next week I will tell you about the Adopt an ECD project I am working on as well.
Thanks for reading,
Michelle Webb, GSK PULSE volunteer

New year, new challenges in Munsieville

It was with mixed feelings that I returned to work on the Thoughtful Path project after the Christmas break. I was re-energised by the time off, and looking forward to coming back and working with people again, capitalising on the momentum we have created with the Tshepo festival. However, I'm acutely aware of time running out, with just 7 weeks (now 6) left before I end my assignment, and lots to accomplish before then. These time constraints only apply to me and Michelle so our first challenge is going to be motivating people and moving things along a bit quicker than on just regular African time.
The second challenge is to ensure everything we set up can continue after we leave. I'm especially conscious of this for two of my major priority projects: the Connecting Continents Schools Exchange programme and the Youth Voice Journalism Academy. The former has started with kids' writing pen pal letters to their peers in UK and US. Reading the Grade 6 letters from Munsieville has really reinforced the need for the Thoughtful Path project, as amongst the normal likes and dislikes of a 12 year old, you find them confronting issues of rape, violence and alcohol-abuse from adults in their daily lives. The journalism project is going from strength to strength and some of the films and newsletters already produced are truly inspirational. We now need to build this into a longer-term project and have a film event planned for the end of this month to showcase their work and recruit new members.
For our first full week back, we've had an amazing number of early successes. Solomon, one of the young journalists, started an internship this week, working at Highveld, the radio station we visited in November. After his first day, he impressed them so much, they have offered him a permanent job! So this is at least one person I can say I have helped lift up, even a small bit. Michelle's 5000+ books collected by her daughter and friends in Arizona have set off, kindly shipped by a company called Courier IT at no charge. Michelle is also leading on Project HOPE UK's first fundraiser on African soil, on March 3rd at the Silverstar casino. It's really nice to see that some of the relationships we have been nurturing with corporates are really starting to pay off, as tables for the event are selling like hot cakes! Munsieville will be well represented too: we have a Munsieville's Got Talent event planned for February and the winner of this competition will perform live at the fundraiser. I even got my own 90 seconds of fame: our television coverage of the festival has been broadcasting all week on the Supersport channel, shown right across Africa.
Even just writing this has got me excited about the challenges of the weeks to come. However, it's all relative to the struggles that people face here on a daily basis. I found out this week that someone close to me is HIV positive. A single mum, with two young kids, the future is undoubtably going to be tough. Yet her viral load is low, she is healthy and dealing with it pretty well. But it's an example of hardship that I, and I suspect many people in the West, have little concept of. It's an important reminder for us all to reflect on our own lives and remember to be grateful for how lucky we all are.
Thanks for reading.
Neil Davidson, GSK PULSE volunteer

Project HOPE UK's director's blog on The Thoughtful Path

Paul Brooks, Project HOPE UK's executive director, has started the New Year with his own blog on The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville.
Paul plans to share his thoughts and insights with the blogging community over the months and years ahead, as The Thoughtful Path becomes the model of excellence for transforming the lives of orphans and other vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa.
Read his first post here and check back soon for more comment as this innovative programme develops.

Happy New Year!

With Christmas holidays now over, PULSE volunteers Michelle and Neil are working on a Charity Fundraiser for the 3rd of March for The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville. It will be our first one here in South Africa and our first one to organise as well. Project HOPE has been very successful in the UK with fundraisers and, with their help and others here, we hope that we can raise some money to be able to run many programmes as part of The Thoughtful Path, to help the orphans and other vulnerable children.
The Charity Fundraiser will take place at the Silverstar Casino, which is very near Munsieville and thus we hope to get businesses nearby as well as corporations to take a table. Silverstar is a beautiful casino with a fountain that is similar to Bellagio in Las Vegas. It has music playing while the fountain - supposedly the largest in the Southern Hemisphere - spurts its water high up in the air. We are working with several people to get entertainment, auction items (anyone have a signed piece of memorabilia you would like to donate to a great cause?) and celebrities (again, anyone know Madonna, George Clooney or Angelina Jolie??) to come to have a real draw for the evening.
Also some wonderful news came today that Courier IT will cover the cost of our shipping the books from the Ishikawa/AZ book drive for the orphans and vulnerable children of Munsieville. They will be so excited to get such an unexpected gift.
Check out the YouTube video of the Christmas Festival that Project HOPE UK director Paul Brooks put together. It is about 10 minutes long but well worth the time. It really shows how much fun the children had and what a blessing it was (even with all of the chaos behind the scenes) for the community of Munsieville. There were many children there who never have experienced anything like this in their lifetime. Although the festival is over, you can still make a donation towards our Early Childhood Development programme and help give the children of Munsieville a positive future.
Thanks for reading!