Summer’s here – August Update II

Support groups


After a successful move to the church, the Ezwenelisha Support Group has been doing very well and the number of attendees is increasing. One week, the group learned about the health benefits of brown bread, and even had a blindfolded taste-test to see which they preferred – with the healthier brown bread coming out on top of course! Renewed talks about making bags and sarongs have begun and some of the group’s members are eager to embark on a money-making venture, particularly after their July visit to the Khula Support Group. 


Khula Support Group is of course, still going strong. The ladies were particularly entertained by Happy Girl’s recent visit to Johannesburg by airplane. In the past few weeks the ladies have been learning about female cancers, including breast and uterine cancer, which has led to some great discussions. They even learned how to do regular breast examinations on themselves. David continues to make his regular visits and the ladies enjoy furthering their yoga learning – including headstands! 



Creche


This past month, the volunteers have been teaching the children about different cultures around the world, as well as Zulu culture. The kids have been having fun doing things like singing “The Grand Old King of Zulu” (created by U.K volunteer Louise Boardman) and learning the colours of the British, Canadian and South African flags.
The volunteers have also begun to review important lessons at all three crèches, including shapes, numbers, colours and the days of the month and year. After speaking to a local Grade R teacher who said reviewing these things are important for learners entering primary school, the August volunteers came up with different games for the kids to review these important lessons. 
After a wonderful suggestion from a few of our August volunteers, this month we made a brand new bed for Ndabenhle crèche, so the babies no longer have to lay on the mats on the floor. 



AMREF Garden


The AMREF garden has been such a success these past few weeks that we have had to start making extra stops at the garden to water the thriving crops. The CWP workers, whose garden is next to ours, even asked what our secret is – we didn’t tell them it’s using chicken poo as fertilizer! If you’ve already seen the pictures you’ll know that our spinach, cabbage and carrots are well on their way to being harvested or already being used on some of our projects, and the recently planted beetroot and onions aren’t too far behind. We’re looking forward to giving out more vegetables on Home Based Care and our 10 Families project in the coming weeks.