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!
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