Christmas is coming in Munsieville

What an exciting week! We had the Christmas Festival and Health Fair Saturday, as you all know, and hopefully you have had a chance to go to The Thoughtful Path Facebook page to see all the videos and pictures of the day.
Also this week I learned that we will be getting the 5812 Christmas wrapped books and 850 stuffed animals and toys shipped from Arizona to South Africa!! I am so excited. Gail and Gail have worked tirelessly along with our new friends, Joanne and Randy who learned about us through the news segment on the TV and proceeded to help us try and get the books here. I truly can’t thank everyone enough for all their support on this endeavour. It means so much to me and will mean even more to the orphans and vulnerable children of Munsieville. A very special thanks to our donor and to Allison Evans who helped us to get a very large contribution to help make this possible and to DHL and Courier IT who also have stepped up to the plate to work with us. As I said, it is amazing to see how a simple project turned into a phenomenal success. I can’t wait for AZ Family to do a follow-up story. I would love to see a few of the people involved be able to come out and hand out the books.
Well I will be leaving soon for a visit with my family on the East Coast and then back again in the New Year. I can’t believe that when I get back it will be only a little over 2 months of my assignment left. The time has flown by and there is so much more I want to see get done. We will be having a Charity Fundraiser in March, along with a Fun Run at the end of January and hopefully a 'Munsieville’s Got Talent' contest.
The Young Ambassadors programme that we have initiated is a priority for us to work on as soon as the children get back from school break. It will help the young people become the future leaders of Munsieville and will run alongside The Thoughtful Path as a Children’s Board, so that their voice is heard on what is important to them and their community to ensure that the programme meets their needs.
Check back early in 2011 for the latest news from Munsieville - meanwhile, have a Happy Christmas!
Michelle, GSK Pulse volunteer with Project HOPE UK.

Tshepo Christmas Festival and Health Fair

On Saturday 11th December, as part of the 10 year Thoughtful Path project, the first ever Tshepo Children’s Festival and Health Fair was held in the Munsieville township. Tshepo means hope in the local language, Setswana.
This festival was about celebrating children, Christmas, and better health for all. This was the second event organized under the Thoughtful Path following the successful Children’s International Cup in June, a replica of the FIFA world cup for the children of Munsieville, many of whom are orphans or other vulnerable children.
Most of these children and their families do not get a chance to celebrate Christmas, but this year the Tshepo festival has changed that. The festival was put together by volunteers from Munsieville, who, with the support of Project HOPE UK, organized and ran the whole event. As Munsieville is a township divided into informal and formalised settlements, one of the ambitions of the project was to bring children from all parts of the community together, no matter what their background.
To create cohesion in the community, the festival started in the morning in the informal settlement of Mayibuye, opened by drum majorettes and a marching band, with face painting, dancing and drama. It then continued as a parade, marching through all three wards in Munsieville, collecting children to bring them to Munsieville stadium. Here, the festival featured stage shows, Father Christmas, sports activities, clowns, balloons, face-painting, film shows, bouncy castles and a Craft and Health Fair, including child registration and HIV testing.

It was kindly supported by the Mogale City municipality, through the presence of the Home Affairs mobile unit, and Emergency Services and Traffic police, who allowed the children to interact with their officers. Children from the UK also participated by decorating and sending Stars of HOPE for their counterparts in Munsieville, each containing a special personal message of hope, joy and love.
Executive Director of Project HOPE UK Paul Brooks said: “This festival is about celebrating Christmas, children and better health for all, involving the whole community. Thousands of children have turned up a special day of activity, involving face-painting, Father Christmas, singing, dancing and food. A great celebration here in the African sunshine!”
Outside companies sponsored the event, included Aquafresh, Tiger Brands, PnA and Supersport, who through 'Let’s Play' televised the day and ran a sports skills activity, allowing children to improve their skills in soccer, netball and cricket, and try out rugby for the very first time.
As you can see from the photos, there were smiles all round!

Countdown to the Tshepo festival begins

The last few days before the Tshepo festival are full of excitement and anticipation, but also lots of frantic activity as everyone pulls together to make sure all is in place for December 11.

Following the clean-up day last week, Munsieville is neat and tidy in readiness for the festival, and all the behind-the-scenes organisation this week will ensure that the community enjoys a day to remember.

Stars decorated by schoolchildren in the UK are on their way to South Africa to be hung on the Christmas tree, kindly donated by the Parks Department. Tubs of facepaint donated by PnA will mean that the children of Munsieville can be decorated too!

The members of the Thoughtful Path hubs have been meeting to plan all the events for the Tshepo festival, so that it is a successful day that also has a lasting impact on the community. The 'Right to Care' organisation will be providing HIV testing and counselling, and there are several other health and sports activities planned.

It's not too late to make a donation towards the festival at http://www.projecthopeuk.org/ - and check back next week for news and photos from the big day!

Thank you for your support.

Munsieville Community Clean Up Day a great success!

The Community Clean Up Day was a campaign to bring pride and more sanitary conditions to Munsieville. We hoped to involve the entire community so that they realise that every piece of trash that they throw down has to be picked up by someone at sometime. We worked with the different levels of government to get this project off the ground. One of the real problems is they do not have anywhere to throw their rubbish, particularly in the informal settlement. Thus I am working to see if trash cans can be placed around the township on street corners and large refuse bins be brought in to put in strategic places around the township so that they have a place for overflow.
There is a lot more to do but it was a start to help them understand about littering and dumping. There are so many areas where people dump their rubbish that it is just unhealthy, unsafe, and plain disgusting! The worst has to be right next to the medical clinic. These people are already sick and then they have to pass this dumping area. I am going to try and speak with the mayor of the District about it since he is working hard on a 'green' campaign. It is one step at a time…
We are a week away from the Christmas Festival and Health Fair, a week which is going to be our biggest test yet, with all our strength needed to pull everything together for the festival. If you haven't had chance yet - please send the children of Munsieville a little hope by donating through our Star of HOPE appeal at www.projecthopeuk.org.

It's been great to see so many of you doing so - thank you for your support!

Michelle Webb & Neil Davidson, GSK Pulse volunteers at Project HOPE UK

Crunch time is fast approaching

Crunch time is fast approaching on a number of our key projects with just one week to go before the community clean up and two weeks before the children’s festival.

As we get closer to the festival, and the workload intensifies, I’ve noticed community members sometimes giving up or doubting their own abilities in the face of adversity. I guess this is not surprising when getting the next meal is the first priority. We’ve had to adapt our ways of working, to come alongside, push and boost confidence and break down the seemingly-impossible tasks into smaller steps.
What’s brilliant is having someone else in Michelle to share these experiences with - Team 'Michneil' has sprung into action and we are now splitting up to divide and conquer our never-ending list of tasks.

We’ve got the Munsieville primary schools onboard now to start school exchanges with one in the UK and one in the US. Supersport have agreed to sponsor (and televise!) football, rugby and netball skills sessions at the festival. Rehearsals have started in earnest for the acts performing onstage. The catering team has also devised its plan to feed all the children (chopping up a cow was mentioned).
Although much as the work is extremely hard, I feel we are going to get there. Please give us a huge boost by joining our Star of HOPE appeal, and donating a little in aid of the festival, at http://www.projecthopeuk.org/ and click on a "be a star".

Neil, GSK Pulse volunteer at Project HOPE UK.

Wanted urgently - book delivery to South Africa

We have 5000 books from the Ishikawa, USA (Caroline's school) book drive and over 50 boxes all wrapped with handmade bookmarks as well as age-grouped along with 9 boxes of stuffed animals for the little orphans and vulnerable children here in Munsieville, South Africa and we can’t get them here without a prohibitive expense.
Please put out on all your Facebook, Twitter, and any other social network sites you know to see if anyone would be willing to fly these books here to South Africa from Arizona for the orphans and vulnerable children who have never gotten a Christmas present in their lives.
I cannot thank enough Gail Jones, all her friends and all the children who tirelessly wrapped and bookmarked all these books. It means so much to me and would mean even more to the children who would receive them. Gail Morgan has also been relentless on trying to find an avenue to get these books to South Africa. Thank you to each and everyone who has participated in this endeavor!!!!
Please spread the word and help us find someone out there who can ship these gifts to South Africa for us.
Thank you for your support,
Michelle (GSK Pulse volunteer with Project HOPE UK).

Getting close to the tipping point

Here we are again, yet another week passed of the African adventure. Week 8 in Jo'burg has been an entertaining week. Perhaps the delirium of being only one month away from the Christmas festival is catching up with us. Michelle's antics have been keeping most of the community amused. On Monday she decided to try her hand (or more accurately, her head) at carrying one of the 15kg maize meal sacks that the women carry here on their heads. I caught her smiling bravely as several of her neck vertebrae were crushed and she took on a new hunchback look!
On the positive side, the young journalists have produced their first film - check it out here. I'm really impressed by their optimism in the face of so many problems. A primary school in the UK has come onboard now to pilot the production of our stories micro website to exchange with schools in Munsieville.
More UK schools have joined to decorate stars for the Christmas Festival. Desmond Tutu, the Patron of the Thoughtful Path, answered a letter I sent him to get his backing for the Star of HOPE appeal and has signed off a letter to some of our corporate partners.
We have also secured a Christmas tree for the festival, through the Parks Department. At first, they offered us just a branch, then the top of a tree, but I think they finally realised we needed something more impressive for the stadium where the festival is going to be. I'm very intrigued to see what we are going to end up with - I suspect it might be a distinctly African version of the classic spruce!!
I think we are also getting close to the tipping point in our way of working with the community. I've been really pleased this week that the message is starting to get through that this community has to act for itself, if it's going to improve things for children.
An example of this occurred during the festival committee meeting. The group has decided that it would like to provide a small meal for the children during the festival. Now instead of just presenting the problem for Michelle and me to solve, the group said straight off we will sort it, we will ask for the necessary donation, and make the catering arrangements. Job done. I'm hopeful that this will continue. Little by little, the community members are taking action.

Neil (GSK Pulse volunteer with Project HOPE UK)

Two new GSK PULSE volunteers join The Thoughtful Path

Project HOPE UK is very pleased to welcome two new GSK PULSE volunteers to work on the next phase of The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville, our ground-breaking programme in South Africa, following its successful launch in July.
Michelle Webb and Neil Davidson will be based in Munsieville for six months to develop the next stages of The Thoughtful Path, our model of excellence for the care of disadvantaged children.
Michelle will be working with our partners and supporters in South Africa to set up and equip the community resource centre in Munsieville, and to help establish the seven hubs which are the key elements of the model.
Neil will be working with the media both in South Africa and the UK to raise awareness of the programme and to give the people of Munsieville a voice.
Check out Michelle and Neil's blogs over the next 6 months and follow their progress as they help change the lives of disadvantaged children forever.

Gala evenings for Munsieville

To raise funds for The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville, Project HOPE UK are holding two fantastic gala evenings this autumn:

- Concert with The Vasari Singers, St Paul's Church Knightsbridge, on Friday 15th October

The Vasari Singers, now in its 30th year, is one of the UK's leading chamber choirs and has regular appearances on TV and radio as well as concerts and festivals.

- Charity Ball at The Savoy in the Strand, on Thursday 18th November
A black tie gala evening with dinner and entertainment in The Savoy, which opens again in October following a £100 million restoration.

For bookings and more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ellie Higgins on 0208 990 4052 or e-mail ehiggins@projecthopeuk.org

Thank you for your support

Archbishop Desmond Tutu joins The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville

Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has agreed to serve as Patron of The Thoughful Path: Munsieville, Project HOPE UK's signature programme based near Johannesburg, South Africa.
Speaking to Project HOPE UK Executive Director, Paul Brooks on Monday (9 August), he said that despite his very recent announcement of his intention to withdraw from public life, "the Thoughtful Path: Munsieville is most worthwhile and I am very happy to support Project HOPE UK in this vital initiative to provide a future to our most vulnerable citizens. The programme's emphasis on sustainablility and on the mobilisation of the entire community to improve the health of children is most welcome and deserves widespread support".
The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville represents a long term commitment from the Board, staff and volunteers of Project HOPE UK, aiming to create a new "gold standard" for the way orphans and other vulnerable children are supported within the community, covering every stage of child development and seeking to remove the root causes of poor health in children, including poverty, violence, lack of education and poor nutrition, in addition to disease and other medical challenges.
Archbishop Tutu, one of the most effective and respected anti-apartheid activists and architect of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, cited by some as one of the most significant factors in avoiding a civil war as the country transitioned to democratic majority rule in 1994, grew up in the township of Munsieville, host to The Thoughtful Path. He is a frequent visitor to his former home and knows intimately of the difficult slum conditions in which the majority of Munsieville residents live.

Click here to find out more about how you can become a partner on The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville.

Nearly £10K raised by our London 10K runners

With money still coming in, we have raised almost £10,000 so far from the London 10K run on Sunday 11 July.
Despite the heat and humidity on the day, over 70 Project HOPE UK supporters completed the 10 km to help raise funds for our flagship programme The Thoughtful Path: Munsieville.
Teams from Munro Forster, Fulbright & Jaworski, GlaxoSmithKline and Synergy Healthcare as well as many individual runners ran or walked the route past historic London landmarks and enjoyed a well-earned drink at the Blue Posts Inn afterwards.
Jonathan Brooks was the Fastest Male runner, finishing in 40.43 mins and Claire Grindel the Fastest Female runner with 48 mins, while Stacey Harris won a special Wooden Spoon award for making it back!
Many thanks to everyone who took part and to all their sponsors - all funds raised will be used for our programme changing the lives of disadvantaged children in South Africa forever.

Brazil vs Germany in the Munsieville Children's Cup final!

We are now there! The participating teams in the final of the Munsieville International Children's Cup are now known. Since June 12th, 32 teams and more than 500 children of the Munsieville Community have gathered at the local stadium to bring the whole fever of the FIFA World Cup to their community. Out of the 32 teams, there are two still standing! In a action-filled game played at the Munsieville Stadium, the representatives of Brazil won a crazy match over the tournament favourite, France, by the score of 5-4!

The first half was not indicative of the pace that the game would take in the last 30 minutes, as the score was 1-0 Brazil after 30 minutes. In the other semi-final, Germany won by 2-1, fulfilling their promise established from day one, that they would be part of the last game of the tournament.

For the rest of the week, the two teams will have the chance to maximise their preparation for the final which will be held this Saturday July 10th, one day prior to the FIFA World Cup Final taking place in Soccer Sity, Soweto. Talking to a few players from each team, they cannot wait for that day!

Quarter finals in the Munsieville Children's Cup

The action starts back tomorrow at the Munsieville International Children's Cup as the tournament is entering the quarter final stage. Two exciting games starting at 11.30 am which will see the surprising Team Japan facing the powerful Brazilian formation. The second game will pitch Team Slovenia against 'Les Bleus', who according to the community sports leaders, are the favourite to win the honors of the MICC!
Log back on Friday to get the results and news from the Journalist Team from the HUMANA Project in Munsieville.
To support your team in the Munsieville International Children's Cup, log on to www.hopeactive.org .

What a lucky turn out for SA

A very important game of the Group A was played earlier today at the Mayibouye Ground, pitching Mexico against Uruguay. A win by Mexico meant a free pass to the second round. A win by Uruguay meant that they were to advance to the round of 16. A tie would see each team go out of the Munsieville Children’s Cup and leave the way for the Host team South Africa to advance. In a very intense match players had to cover every inch on the football pitch, but Uruguay and Mexico were unable to sort out a winner and the final score was a draw of 1-1.

The goal scorers were Thabiso Mathibe for Mexico and Kgotso Lehlohonolo of Uruguay to tie the game in the second half. With this result, Team Bafana Bafana now advances to the second round of the MICC. What a lucky turn for Team South Africa!

Serbia creates another upset!

Team Serbia shocked the present spectators at the Mayibouye Ground this Monday June 21st , defeating the powerful Australia squad by the score of 3-2, scoring two quick goals within the first 10 minutes of the match, including a beautiful one by number 9 Sthembile Mangumt, a very skilled player! With this win, Serbia remains undefeated and gains its pass to the next round. As for Australia, they will need to wait for the result of the Germany and Ghana match to see what their future holds. Will Ghana play the trouble maker for Germany?

2 matches tomorrow at the MICC staring at 10am with England Vs. Slovenia

A productive second half for Australia against Ghana

What looked like an easy win for the Ghana Team turned out into a nightmare, yesterday, in an afternoon match at the MICC. Leading by 2-0 in the second half, the Ghana Team saw Team Australia hitting them like a tornado, scoring 5 consecutive goals to win the match by the score of 5-2! The first goal of Team Australia, the first of two by striker Sabata Mojomotse and the first goal of the tournament for Team Australia had a huge effect on the rest of the team, who after that, were unstoppable! The crowd enjoyed every moment of this game, and the hype was at its maximum at the Mayibouye Pitch, the crowd present even doing a ‘pitch invasion’ after Australia's third goal, scored by Thabise Dlomini.

“The football fever is clearly hitting Munsieville, and the kids of the community are the main actors of this. This is so great to see and to live through” commented one of the spectators at the match. Australia is now first in its pool, tied with Germany and one point ahead of Serbia. The race for the 2 spots available for the knock-out stage looks promising in group D.

To also note in day 7 at the MICC, a 2-0 victory of Cameroon against Denmark as well as a 0-0 score between the Netherlands and Team Japan. More action today in the MICC starting at 11.30 with 4 matches opposing Slovakia and Paraguay, New Zealand vs the defending FIFA Champion Italy, as well as Brazil vs Ivory Coast and Team South Africa's 3rd match against the impressive France squad, a must win for the Host Team to keep hope in being part of the second round. To support your favorite Team through a small donation, log on to http://www.hopeactive.org/

A flurry of goals on the 4th day of the Munsieville Children’s Cup

Offence was the word at the 4th day of activity in Munsieville. More than 13 goals were scored in the 3 games played at the sand pitch of Mayibouye – seeing les Bleus, Team Greece and South Korea adding... 3 points to their record.
A deceiving loss for Team Nigeria
Team Nigeria came in the Munsieville Children’s Cup with a lot of hope to make it to the second round, but yesterday’s results vanished their dream to make it happen, getting their second loss in 2 games. “ We have played a superb game, but we have been unable to take benefit of our chances. I am really proud of my team. Of course the result is deceiving but the children have so much fun. We will make sure to win the next game” said coach Abe. Next Team Nigeria game is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Surprise loss for Argentina!
Established as one of the top ranked teams, Argentina crashed in their second match opposing South Korea, by the score of 6-1. “Very hard to understand our performance after such a great opener. We will regroup this week and make sure that we are ready for game 3, which will be crucial for us to make it to the second round” said Manager Doctor Batsi after this disappointing game.
Team France on their way to the second round!
Finally, Team France still impress with a convincing 6-0 win over team Mexico, winner of their opener against Bafafa Bafafa. A well oiled football machine spectators at the Mayibouye ground were saying. France has now a 2-0 record and have not conceded a goal yet. This result does open a door for Team South Africa to make it to the second round. The challenge is big though, as their next opponent will be Team France. More action today at the Munsieville Stadium as 3 games will be played, Germany v Serbia, the USA against Slovenia as well as Team England's second match against the Algerians. To support your Team in the chhildren's Cup, log on to http://www.hopeactive.org/

Catching the 'World Cup Fever'!

Hi everyone, hope you are all doing fantastically well!

I know, I know, I have been pretty silent on the blog in the last 2 weeks – and I do apologise for it! And thanks for the many reminders people!

But believe me, it's not because things have not moved on here! So for today’s article – I have decided to talk to you about the current work being done for the launch of the Munsieville Model of Excellence, which is at the core of my mandate here in South Africa.

Anyone who has been in South Africa for a day or two these last 3 months, or even in transit for an hour or two at one of the country's airports, will have been in a vulnerable position to be hit by a very dangerous and contagious bug which is currently contaminating the whole country. Many severe symptoms have been identified, including huge episodes of fever, that the authorities have named ‘The World Cup of Football fever’! And it just gets worse... There are no available vaccines and no drugs have shown any type of efficacy either. As you can see, very dangerous this ‘World Cup Bug’! And it is expected to spread all across the world this upcoming June, reaching millions and millions of people across the globe, with some severe alerts for something like 32 countries! Watch out!!!!

Before coming to South Africa in February, I had been warned by my GSK Canada Vaccines team about this bug, and they even tried to protect me against it by giving me a farewell ‘South Africa Bafana Bafana 2010 World Cup’ jersey.

Despite the ineffectiveness at protecting me from getting the ‘World Cup fever’, I have to once again, say a big 'Thank You' to my team back in Canada: Julie, Isabelle, Alex, Cara, Mary-Sue, Angelo and Carole. This farewell gift has been a real inspiration and source of reflection since my departure – in helping me to gather insights for the second phase of my PULSE ‘Be the Change’ assignment delivery, the development of a powerful awareness launch platform within the UK and South Africa, for the Munsieville OVC Model of Excellence and its associated Partnership Investment Programme, which is also creating a lot of excitement within the Munsieville Community.

One of the big differences I have noticed in my new work environment is the very limited level of resources the non-profit sector has to develop and implement plans, as compared to the private sector. Not a huge surprise you will say! So, how will we be able to create rapid awareness around the launch of the Munsieville Model, both in the UK and South Africa, with the limited resources available to us?

After spending long nights thinking about this, discussing with my colleagues, observing and listening to what the locals had to say about this 'bad bug' which is hitting the country… I came to the conclusion that these few words, if all grouped all together in one sentence, might potentially guide us to our solution: Superior Engagement, Creativity, and …external forces! What are those external forces that are present in the environment, which by adding a massive source of creativity to them, can create a product that will reach out to people to favour mass engagement and therefore, help us to create the energy necessary to reach out our “Tipping Point’?

OK, so enough talking- let's go straight to the point! It is with a great pleasure that I formally invite all of you to the upcoming launch of the Munsieville Model, from June 10th to July 10th 2010, where you will have the opportunity to learn more about the Munsieville Model and its associated Partnership Investment Programme - by following the action of the Munsieville International Children’s Cup of Football, where 32 teams of orphans and vulnerable children from Munsieville, aged between 13-17, representing and wearing the colours of the 32 FIFA World Cup Countries, will compete for 31 days, over 64 games, replicating the schedule of the FIFA World Cup of Football. For a full month, the children of Munsieville will be the kings and queens, the STARS of the community – which is at the core of the Munsieville Model. All the community rallied behind its future: the children’s.

More to come on the Munsieville Children’s Cup very soon. And, before I leave you, a quick word of caution. Watch out for this bug...it is coming....fast! Don't say that I didn't warn you...

Talk soon

Martin

Martin Lafontaine

GSK PULSE 'Be the Change' Volunteer

A very special chat...

Hi everyone!

If the last week has been an amazing one, I don’t know what to say about this one - probably 'likkar' (the Afrikaans way to say amazing). Just learnt that this past week!

More progress has been made towards the roll-out of the Munsieville Model of Excellence, through several meetings aimed at gathering the insights and support at various levels: from the community leaders, to the district and provincial levels, to ensure the support and belief is being driven at all levels: 'Everyone Committed, Everyone Contributing.' The momentum is clearly out there!

The highlight of the week... Paul, Betty and I had the chance earlier this week to meet up with a fantastic lady, member of a very famous and influential family, in the name of Sister Mathabo Tutu, the sister of the famous Archbishop and Peace Nobel prize winner, Desmond Tutu.
We went to visit her at her house, in Munsieville – as she is still living in the family house. What an amazing woman, full of energy and so welcoming!!! We stayed there, chatted in her living room for almost an hour – time passed so quickly!

We had a great discussion around the work that we at Project HOPE UK will initiate in her community, which she was really interested in. We also discussed her brother, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and his attachment to the Munsieville community, where he once lived, taught at the local school and also, where he got married. She recommended that we reach out to him regarding the work that we will be doing in the community as he would be very interested to hear about it. So, more to come…

The 'hype' regarding the Munsieville Model is rapidly gaining more and more members of the community, and potential partners - let's keep moving forward!

Have an 'Ayoba' week everyone. Speak soon.

Martin Lafontaine
GSK PULSE Volunteer

Project HOPE UK

Give a man a fish and they will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime...

Hi everyone, what an amazing week the last one has been in the progress towards the launch of the Project HOPE UK Munsieville Orphans and other Vulnerable Children's Model of Excellence.
Several key stakeholders meetings were held during the week, where Paul (Project HOPE UK Director) and I gathered great feedback and a huge amount of buy-in to make things move forward.

We had the chance to meet with numerous people within the healthcare and political systems over the last week, from the provincial to the district level, municipality, passing by the ward councillors of the various areas of the Munsieville township, the local community based organisations association representative, the government social services dept…

Throughout these meetings, we have been able to observe what we have defined as the 'Munsieville Model Stakeholder Gene', i.e. a series of values and attitudes sought in people involved which will 'make it happen', in alignment with the Model objective, vision and... 'DNA': commitment, engaged, focused on results, agent of change, visionary, believer, accountable, team player...

The response to the Model has been amazing at every level, with the various key stakeholders all taking actions towards immediate next steps: engagement and early momentum has been created!

Paul and I also had the opportunity to meet who might become the Munsieville Model of Excellence first NGO Partner, in the name of Ms. Coleen Walter, from the Safe and Sound Organisation, an organisation focusing on early childhood development, which has recently played a major role in influencing South African national policies in this regard! Clearly Coleen and her team have the 'right gene'!

The last week has also allowed me personally to further integrate the whole essence of the Munsieville Model and its aim. I am sure that you all know the famous Chinese proverb: 'give a man a fish and they will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!' In summary, what the Munsieville Model aims to do is to push further the boundaries of this old proverb… by re-shaping the whole fishing industry through a community movement/local empowerment to make things happen, within the resources of this community to create sustainable change. The main actors being the children and the community members so that the momentum for change comes from within: Project HOPE UK being a catalyst for change. And from what we have heard and seen this week…the Munsieville community and its leaders are ready for this! They have the 'gene'!

Talk to you soon!

Martin

Martin Lafontaine

GSK Pulse Volunteer

Project HOPE UK

Departure for South Africa...

Hi everyone.

Hope you are all doing fantastically well. So here we go... Friday February 26th, currently trying to finalise last minute things and pack my stuff to catch my night flight for South Africa, the start of a fantastic adventure. A long 11 hours flight, in which I hope to get a few hours sleep… Probably not. First because I am a very bad sleeper in planes and two, the excitement to get my two feet on African soil and start the field work with PROJECT HOPE UK team members around the Munsieville Model will most likely keep me up all night.

The last 3 weeks spent at PROJECT HOPE UK offices in London have been fantastic, providing me knowledge and background to help define how I can maximise my contribution. Three weeks of listening, reading, questioning, searching… to help forge my ideas around the tangible contribution I can bring to the development and launch of the innovative Munsieville Model of Excellence.

Three weeks where I was also able to be infected with PROJECT HOPE leaders Paul Brooks and Ellie Higgins passion, conviction and belief towards the development and successful implementation of a ‘global footprint potential’ Munsieville Model of Excellence for the care of orphans and Other Vulnerable Children. And believe me…this passion and belief is dangerously contagious!

I invite all of you to follow my journey over the next few months on this page, where I will be posting regular updates, stories, photos, videos and progress towards the building and launch of the Munsieville Model.

GSK PULSE ‘Be the Change’. Count on us to ‘Be it’! Talk to you soon

Martin

Martin Lafontaine
GSK Pulse Volunteer
Project HOPE UK

Martin Lafontaine joins Project HOPE UK to work on our South Africa programme

Martin Lafontaine, currently National Vaccines Sales Manager for GlaxoSmithKline in Canada, has joined Project HOPE UK for a six month PULSE assignment. Project HOPE is in the early stages of establishing a “model of excellence” programme seeking to push the existing boundaries of care of AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children, located in and around Munsieville in West Rand, South Africa.
After spending a few weeks in London preparing the programme Martin will be located in Johannesburg, South Africa, for three months starting early March 2010. He will be contributing his project management, strategic and communication skills, in order to help create and implement the marketing and communications plan and play a leading role on setting up the first field-based beneficiary programme under the scheme.
PULSE volunteers serve global non-profit organisations locally or abroad on a full-time basis for three to six months. The programme is a win-win for both non-profits and GSK because it helps make a sustainable difference in each community served while supporting leadership development of GSK associates.
Check back next month for news from Martin in South Africa as the project gets underway.

Successful 2009 in South Africa

2009 has been a successful year for Project HOPE in South Africa. Our Village Savings Fund (VSF) programme closed after helping almost 300 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and supporting many caregivers in their struggle to overcome some of the problems that they were facing.

This extract from a thank you letter that Project HOPE received from one of the participants shows how the VSF works:

My name is Dipuo Schalkwyk. I am 50 years old. I stay with my two daughters and 2 grandchildren. I joined the VSF group in May 2009. When I joined, life was very tough because there was no one working at home. I used to go to the Catholic Church every morning to get some food. Some of the days I used to come back home empty handed because there was no food. I tried to apply for the government grant and they told me to wait until I’m 60 years. My daughters have been trying to look for jobs for many years and till today they are still at home.
I was hesitating to join the VSF because I didn’t know what it was and how it could help me. Project HOPE staff asked me to give it a try and see the result after six months. Two months after I joined, I borrowed R200.00 and we bought twenty litres of paraffin. My daughters sold that paraffin in a week and so we bought a further 20 litres for four weeks. As the response was positive, we decided to borrow R600.00 to add to what we had and we bought 100 litres of paraffin. Today I am not depending on someone to give me handouts.
Since joining the VSF a number of positive changes have occurred: 1) My health has improved and my BP is down to normal again - my secret is eating healthy and not stressing anymore. 2) We eat vegetables every day and meat at least twice a week. 3) For the first time I have a savings account. 4) I am part of the Project HOPE food gardening program where I have been given land and seeds and am growing a variety of fruits and vegetables.”

The Social Fund, a form of group insurance used by members of the group in times of emergencies was recently used to allow a participant to travel back home to attend the funeral of his father and see his family for the first time in 18 years! Here is an extract of his account of the visit:

“I was born in North West Province. When I came here (West Rand), I worked for the mines. When the mines retrenched us, I did not go back home because I was hoping to find another job. Unfortunately it did not happen like that. I am staying alone in a one room shack. The last time I saw my family it was 18 years ago. I did not have money to go there. I joined this Village Savings Fund in May. I did not know what it was. At first I thought it was a woman thing. After I attended a few meetings and got some training, I began to understand it. I started to save a little money every week. In September this year, somebody told me that my dad had passed away; I did not know how I was going to bury my dad. I told some of the men in my group about my problem, they told me that I qualified to be given money for the transport to go and bury my dad. I was so excited when I received this R200.00 to go home. Everybody was excited to see me after so many years. Thank you Project HOPE for making this possible.”

As you can see from these testimonies, it doesn’t take much to make a huge difference to people’s lives in South Africa. The achievements of the VSF will be continued in future through local organisations.

The team at Project HOPE UK thank you for your generous support of our programme in South Africa, and wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year.