Part Two of the Note From the Other End of the Earth

Miracles at the Other End of the Earth

The sportsfield at the Vissershok school is also under construction. Earthwork (4000 tons of stone and soil was brought in to level the field) compliments of a local quarry and a construction company, the recommissioning of the waste water collection tank for irrigation and the grassing of the field has been sponsored by the Worcester Lions (UK) and a Club fundraising project. We still need tribunes, fences, new goals and something to stabilise the slopes against erosion by rainwater, but these will come with time.

June has been an amazing month: I also managed to get a clothing chainstore to donate 85 rain-proof jackets to the most destitute of the Vissershok children.


Gisela

A Note from the Other End of the Earth

An Absolute Miracle!!! The Wall Around Vivian's Creche

Dear Neil


I am now back in Cape Town, recharged after a much needed 2 weeks breakaway. Yes, our treasurer confirmed that R 8500.00 arrived on 23 July. We can now build the wall around Vivian's creche! Best quotation R 30,500. I have already received a cheque to paid the 50% deposit and will meet the contractors on Wednesday for a final site meeting. Thank you very, very much, Neil! The creche extension will be completed this week and after the builders move off the premises we will start with the wall.

The timing was an absolute miracle!!! So often I am in awe of the big plans I dream up for these projects, wondering if I ever manage to get enough funds to make them a reality. Some have taken 3 years but still, one after the other is being completed!

Please let me have all the names of the people thank?

I have asked some paint manufacturers for donations because the club wants to paint the wall and decorate some sections with childrens motives. I will take pictures and send them to you all.

Vivian Nukuzola Dlabantu-Jo Slovo ZA and Her Project ... Lions Club of Tableview

She is 47 years of age, She is a mother of two daughters … 22 and 7 years respectively … She is a qualified pre-school teacher and she is furthering her education by studying on Saturdays for her Level 4 at Cape Town College … she is in her final year of study… she operates on the thinnest of budgets a preschool, day care some times orphanage for the babys of Jo Slovo ... and she has been doing this for over 25 years ... What she needs is some help with what she does ... the best help is some money. everything that she needs to operate is available in South Africa she just has to be able to buy it, thus money to augment her costs ... not a great deal ... just some ... I have raised money for her from here ... there are some highschool kids here in Victoria taking this on as a project ...and now I appeal here on this blog to some help ...for Vivian and her kids

The Crèche: it here that she holds her preschool … what I was able to determine is that she has approximately 105 children that range in age from 0 to 6 … split into two groups … about 35 children (0-2) at her home and 65 to 70 (2-6) children at The Crèche

She is the founder and head of the Masikululeke Pre-School and Nursery School, Joe Slovo Park … Joe Slovo is an unincorporated community … that is: a squatters encampment within the area surrounding Cape Town… near Milnerton.

The people who come here are from the country side and some are from countries north of ZA as they attempt to escape the war and troubles in their home land.

She originally founded her entire operation in 1990 in an old shipping container. She did it with her own money; she was later assisted by Chuku Town, she now has a pre-school registered on small, modest premises… she applied for assistance through Ikamva Labantu… this organization supplied some money and is her only source of income presently.

The Lions Club of Tableview now assists her in her efforts … Gisela Weitz President of the Table View Lions Club and the Lions Club is a supporter of Vivian and her 105/110 children...

Here is the Lions Club in November 2008 doing what they call Kilometer of toys ... they spend a Saturday and Sunday in mid November to collect toys for Xmas gifts for kids who would other wise get nothing ...

Vivian also makes the school premise available as a collection point and shelter during fires or other disasters. One of the most major concerns in the community is fire because of the flimsy nature of the house construction … the lack of running water etc … once a fire gets started it can run a much through the community and destroy what little they in moments …

The Crèche is a 6 meter sq building that serves as office, staff, class (2)and store room.

She has a Nursery that operates in a tiny, poorly equipped house. Her home …

The two schools are open from 7 to 16h00, run by a staff of 3 plus Vivian. She and her crew also cook breakfasts and lunches for 105 children daily. they also often supplies food for dinner to the parents who themselves have absolutely nothing. Some of the children have homes and when necessary she hires transport to fetch the children from home to school.

She has virtually adopted most the children … for all intents and purposes …

Vivian is now the local authority on matters of day care and child and family care and she advises 18 other pre-schools in Milnerton and Blaauwberg area. She affectively acts as an outreach person for the Ikamva Labantu program … she operates educational programs, bookkeeping, food hygiene, the handling of social, funding and admin problems for the locals…

She empowers women.

She teaches the community responsible committee work & how to implement projects/processes.

She is the founder and leader of the Pinkster Group… A boys and girls drumming group for 7-11 year olds.

She is the founder and leader of Amajika A girls dance group for 7-11 year olds which already performed on TV and at a municipal events.

She is an advisor on Joe Slovo Park Advisory Committee, and a Member of Joe Slovo Park Disaster Committee … Communal and Pre-school Vegetable Garden Projects (also involving the school’s children)

What she is planning to do: Parent Coaching: She is a firm believer that good values start at home; Vivian plans to start classes on parenting skills and healthy nutrition, and classes for youths on teen pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, rape, abuse and domestic violence, drugs and alcohol abuse.

I met her and what I found in the midst of all these kids … she is a bubbly, cheerful, loving personality, Vivian runs the schools competently on a minimum budget and that is an understatement … with an admirable balance between good discipline and fun. She is the sort of person for whom nothing is ever too much, and she has a natural talent to create instant enthusiasm for her vast social engagement, commitments and vision.

We talked about the kids. She took me on a tour of Jo Slovo and what became apparent was that she is encamped at what we could easily call the front door of Hell. What she does every day is rush in every day and rescue little kids from some of the ugliest realities then she feeds and hugs these little people. These children would not otherwise stand a chance…

She has children billeted out through the community simply because there are no parents ... they are dead.

She educates them because she knows that education is the only route out for all these kids …

She told me stories of what some of these kids have gone through and by the end of our first visit she was in tears and so was I … and all we could do was hug each other …

I had a wriggle in my schedule later in the week … and my host Gisela Weitz, President of the Tableview Lions Club, wanted to know what I wanted to do on the Thursday afternoon … I wanted to go back and spend more time with Vivian … so we did but before we went back on a second unannounced visit … we stopped and picked up food staples for Vivian and the Kids … it was an amazing afternoon … more tears and more hugs … and a promise that would carry her story home with me and see if support and sponsors could be found …

Neil Tubb
Bright Star Canada
349 Vancouver Street
Victoria BC V8V 3T3
(250) 385 3181
neiltubb@shaw.ca
http://www.neiltubb.com/
Hendrickse Foundation
Project Hope South Africa

Late For School

Vivian, Gisela and I were walking through Jo Slovo  ... an unincorporated community with in the bounds of greater Cape Town. It was about 10:15 am and it was cold that morning.

This little guy sprang out of the shanty town off to our far left ... he just appeared from no where ... or so it seemed ...

Vivian knew him instantly and she barked at him something in Afrikaans or maybe it was Bantu ... but he knew who she was and he knew he was late ... he knew he was late for a very important date ...  

When she barked, and maybe barked is the wrong word, when she just confronted him on his tardiness ... smile ... He jumped ... it was as if his little feet took off in mid air and started to spin ... when he came down from his jump up ... he was on the dead run ... I smiled ...

He was off to school and a hot meal ...

So he is late for school ... but he is going to school ... actually the the truth of the matter is: there is a school for him to go to ... and that is what Vivian is all about ... she and her crew are making a difference ...

Creating An Opportunity For Different

To Come Into These Kids Lives ...

Here’s how you can help:

$10.00 a month can simply make a difference. why because when taken with other donations of 10 dollars it is cumulative ... then

$100.00 can buy about a weeks worth of food or

$500.00 can purchase approximately a months supply or

$1000.00 can re stock the school with basic supplies for a month or more or

$5000.00 can help hire T/A’s or fund a school psychologist to see the children who suffer post trauma stress more frequently ... or

$10,000.00 allows the school, and in particular, the teachers to focus on the business of teaching, and focus less on the basic’s of survival--things like finding chalk or pencils or paper for their kids to use ... text books ...

These children and their parents have nothing ... and when I say nothing I meaning nothing ... absolutely nothing ... the kids drink water at night to off set hunger pangs ... In one family that I met the children eat in rotation ... the boys on Mondays and Fridays and the Girls on Wed and maybe Saturday or Sunday if there is any food ...

Happy Yes ...

This one could easily rise to be Prime Minister

thumbs up is a sign of hope and happy ...

Some of the older kids at the Creche ... it was cold that day I was there

This one is around one year of age and has attititude Smile

This Young Man is less than two

these are some of the Babies that are less than two

The Kids They Know What To Do ...

Here Are Some of Her Kids ... She Knows What To Do

She Also Has A Playground ... She Knows What To Do

She Has A Garden and She Seems To Know What To Do

There is A Bantu Lady Who Lives in Creche

Having a Look at Jo Slovo

This little girl needs our help. This is her main street through the settlement of Jo Slovo ... this gives a bird's eye view of the settlement ... it is described as an unincorporated settlement, and basically people just started to squat here years ago ... Vivian took on the initiative to do something with the Children



Is there such a thing as after school play for these kids, not really ... is there such a place as after school safe places for these kids ... yes with Vivian's help ... the vast majority of people especially adults are ignorant of medical facts and it is a belief that if one has HIV/AID then if he ... has sex with a virgin then he is cleaned ... well some of these children in the Creche are children who were used for those purposes ... Others have lost their parent and fell in with adults would would care for them in return for sexual favours but a 6 years old supplying sexual favours is really sick and that is the future some of these kids have to face ... but with Vivian they have a safe place to be ...

As we walked through her community it was very apparent that she is a person who demands the respect of many if not all of her community ...

She has a dynamic that is palatable if you are near to her ... when you are with Vivian you just know that you are with some body ...

She pointed out this group of kids and that home ... and these are the people and the places she has organized to look after the children who are too young to look after themselves ...

She told me "Stay close to me Neil and you will be safe." I never doubted her for a moment ... I was told later that just a few miles away the xenophobic riots had taken place and many people were killed ...

It was a cold blustery day when I was there and there was no heat in the school ... the kids just dressed warm as they could and I know that one of the other agencies that supports Vivian supplied the cloths or they would have nothing ... It is like the front Porch to Hell and Vivian sets up shop there every day and pulls in the kids so they might have a change. Might have a chance is right up there with having Hope because without what she is doing then there is nothing ...















So can you help ... contact me at neiltubb@shaw.ca ... or 250 385 3181 ...in Canada ...things don't really work because we have to ship them there ... but dollars allow us to purchase in ZA ... and we can buy more there with a dollar then we can here ... thank Neil

Vivian Nukuzola Dlabantu-Jo Slovo ZA

Vivian with Gisela in her Garden

Vision: Vivian and her organization, small as if may be, are working together with the Lions Club of Tableview in South Africa (ZA) and the Union of Jewish Women and several other charitable organization in and around Cape Town to simply provide an opportunity for children who otherwise would not have any.

They are non profit organizations in ZA.

She had a vision and about 25 years ago she started to intervene simply because it needed to happen and it started from a cargo contain. She moulded a kindergarten, day care facility for the youngest members of her community. She now helps educate both the children and some of the adults... she also works programs to reunite families.

The children in her community; the most valuable asset any community has and she noticed over 25 years ago that the society there was consuming its children at a great rate and not offering them the opportunity for a future. This one is last for school and when Vivian called out to him he jumped and ran ...big smile on his face too.

Here is the play ground and equippment ... would like to do something creative here if possible.

I made contact with the Lions Club at the suggestion of Cleone Melnichenko a then special projects staff officer with the Cape Town Convention Center. It was a wise choice because I got past all the necessity of reinventing the wheel on how to operate in a place I had no idea how to operate in. Silken Laumann suggested that if I wanted to work successfully in Africa then it is best to find someone who is established and up and operating. She at the time was sitting on the board of directors of Right To Play. I followed her advice and it worked beautifully. They, the Lions Club had their program up and operating ... and me and my small crew took advantage of it ... so now we linked. Hence, in aroundabout fashion I came to meet Vivian

So now if I am able to raise money here, I forward it directly to the Lions Club Bank in Tableview. It goes down in dribs and drabs, generally a thousand dollars at a transfer. Since the on set of the recession it has nearly totally dried up ... but ...

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that 100 percent of what I send goes to their projects with Vivian and her kids. Our largest fee so far is the 30 dollar bank transfer the TD Charges to transfer the funds.

Gisela and the Lions Club together with the Union of Jewish Women are working in combination Vivian and her various other support and funding bodies (we) and are attempting to help her guarantee the well-being of tiniest members of her community in Jo Slovo. The stories surrounding some of these kids are horrific but they are children and should be respected for that fact.

Vivian does this. They do this by simply providing quality services to underprivileged children, the toddlers and the new born(s) too ... food, shelter, clothing and education, creative stimulation. There are times where this outreach touches base with the Parents as well. they have disperate needs too.

Vivian is a dynamo and she does what she does in a planned, coordinated, efficient and effective manner. BTW there were 64 children in the Creche that day ... 65 was the lad above who was late Smile


I have said it often but I really never actually saw it at work before but in the Creché ... ORGANIZED CONFUSION works. they have one room, divided in the middle ... lots of poopy diapers and kids learning to read, paint spell and count. It boils down to: Vivian knows her stuff. She has been doing with the kids for over 25 years and she does it well.

Did I mention that she also has a house full of 35 babys ... 0 to 2 years at her house ... more on that later

If you think you can help please call 250 385 3191 in Victoria BC or neiltubb@shaw.ca or in Cape Town Gisela Weitz, President of the Tableview Lions Club @ Work: 011 021 5578288. F: 021 5578288. C: 083 556 9818 ... or by email gisela@mangela.co.za.... Moneys are transferred from TD Bank in Oakbay to the Lions Club in Tableview ...