Meet our youngest donor: Casey Jones

Casey Jones is an exceptional little 4 year-old with a huge amount of compassion for others and a very real knowledge of the world that surrounds us. He decided to do something special to help other children after seeing charity appeals on television which clearly upset him.
Casey chose his charity all by himself and the Star of Hope appeal run by Project Hope UK was the perfect project for him. He plucked up all his courage to ask his Headmaster and the head of his school's charity committee if they would let him sell his stars and help him get the idea to the older children. He explained how he would like to sell his stars and that the money he raised would help children without a mummy and a daddy to have a better Christmas.
Casey ensured that all the children at his relatively small school (less than 50 children) decorated a star. The stars were put in the children’s bags and brought back to school the following week. He also sold stars to some of the parents at Credit Suisse, the employer of his mum, and even convinced a few of her colleagues without children to decorate a star when they were not in a meeting.
Explaining to people, especially strangers, was no easy task for Casey who suffers from autism and finds it a bit more difficult than others to socialise and communicate. He did however manage to put his point across and raised £265! He loved every minute of it and is already planning his next "mission" as he calls it, to raise more money for the children in Munsieville.
We at Project Hope UK would like to thank this entrepreneurial little boy for his efforts. We admire his determination and courage to step over his own fears to help the children in Munsieville! Casey, well done and we are proud of you!!

Brick-making machines to help build the future in Munsieville

Two brick-making machines were donated recently to the The Thoughtful Path, Munsieville by a company called Eriger. The machines will be used by a group of women to make bricks, in order to build three créches in Munsieville.
Betty Nkoana from Project Hope UK said, "There is a need for créches because the children in this community have not, up to this stage, received proper early childhood education. Project Hope UK has sent some of the women for training in childcare and development, and they will then operate from the créches that are going to be built."
On 3 October, five of the woman from Munsieville went to visit Wilkinson in Eikenhof, which produces brick-making machines. The visit’s primary purpose was to teach the women how to operate the machines. Back in Munsieville, the women signed a proposal to the councillor, to request a piece of land in Maybuye for their activities, including brick making.Councillor Paul Molapo told the women at a meeting held at the site on 12 October, that their request has been pre-approved by council. "The municipality encourages residents to use their own initiative, and supports those who do so. Once this business is registered and the quality of the bricks are approved as per the national standard, the government can use these bricks in the building of Extension 5, which is the new extension of Munsieville," said Paul.
Anna Nkunou, one of the woman involved in the project, says, "We are so happy to hear this news. We were looking for an opportunity to empower ourselves and our children, but we didn’t know what to do."
Betty said, "These women are full of ideas and energy and are determined to reach their goal. Project Hope UK is supporting them in this regard and is convinced that these women will develop a flourishing business in Munsieville."
This initiative is part of the Community Strengthening Hub of The Thoughtful Path, helping to improve the environment in which the children are growing up and empowering the community to build a better future.