News & Events

STEVE VANSTONE CONTINUES HIS AMAZING RECORD OF FUNDRAISING
On occasion, individuals present themselves to us who are moved beyond the norm by the children we work with and the needs of these terrific kids. Steve Vanstone, an educator from the UK, is just such a person. Having visited the beautiful Franschhoek Valley in 2007 on a football tour with his outstanding John Hampden Grammar School squad, he was touched by the grace and skill of a group of barefoot players from The Kusasa Project. After a terrific match played at Bridge House School, a lovely private school in the Valley, which his team won, he asked if his boys could visit the school where the children from The Kusasa Project studied. The next day he and his boys were treated to a warm welcome at Dalubuhle Primary school in the township above Franschhoek. Amidst the squalor and poverty of the shacks Steve and the team played, joked and chatted with the children in the local creche as well as the older kids of Dalubuhle. Like many of our visitors, they received an indelible impr
int of the warmth and humanity which is intrinsic in the Xhosa children in this area. It was then he decided to help and has been a faithful and hugely successful fundraiser since then. The recent death of his mother as well as the challenge to ride a bike with 4 friends 160 miles offered the chance for him to continue giving to the children of The Kusasa Project. We are humbled and honoured to call Steve a great friend of The Kusasa Project!

THE SWEDES HAVE COME! IES BROMMA VISITS THE KUSASA PROJECT
The Kusasa Project & Dalubuhle Primary School were privileged to have received a week long visit from a wonderful group of people from the International English School - Bromma, Sweden http://www.engelska.se/bromma/ who were not only delivering a R90k financial contribution (raised in 1 "Day of Work" by the entire student body of IES Bromma!) to assist Dalubuhle School but also worked in the community to better understand the area and people they were contributing to. Led by the dynamic Marietta Kindberg (Principal and School Founder) the team included Deputy Head Don Christian, Math teacher and native South African Harold Carlsson and 2 wonderful students - Amanda Lάfgren & Harris Lukeman. Dave, Doug & Liesl spent a terrific week with this team, as they worked their magic on the teachers and kids of Dalubuhle as well as the children and principals of Bridge House Prep & College. The openness, enthusiasm, warmth, desire to engage and build ongoing relationships are the things
which impressed us most with the adults and children alike. In a country where great pains were taken to first build and then try to dismantle barriers between human beings, the presence of such egalitarian and caring people as our new friends from Sweden is indeed humbling. Highlights of thier trip included: the intensive letter writing classes with Grades 6 & 7 as they worked with native Xhosa speaking children to respond to the 150 letters which the Swedish school children wrote; Harris & Amanda virtually taking over the school in an exhange of song, exercise and language; Marietta's guitar song of the fisherman's wife while in full costume; the staff of Dalubuhle fully decked out in traditional Xhosa festive dress (and the songs which accompanied this); the moving reading of the essays which Amanda & Harris wrote to win the chance to join this trip - when they first read these there was not a dry eye in the house; the emphasis not on "handing out" but on building bridges, of j
ointly learning and of sharing humanity. We thank our wonderful guests for their visit. They have inspired us to continue to work hard to meet all people on a an even basis and provide opportunity to the children around us.


THE KUSASA PROJECT APPROVED AS A PUBLIC BENEFIT ORGANIZATION (PBO)
In December The Kusasa Project received a great piece of news as the South African Revenue Service (SARS) approved the organization as a PBO, allowing South African donors to make tax deductible donations to the charity. This approval, which took only 4 weeks to gain vs. the usual 3-6 months process, comes at a critical time for the group as we expand our programs, look to reach into more local schools and gain the attention of local and foreign donors who appreciate the manner of applicaton of resources, the focus on children and the emphasis on community service which is the basis of our philosophy. For interested SA donors our PBO number is 930026072.

NONDZAME SCHOOL GETS ITS BREAKFAST ROOM PAINTED
Mountains can be moved! As we move closer to establishing another Breakfast Club at a needy school - Nondzame Primary School - the trustees of The Kusasa Project were able to roust 4 teenage boys (Matthew King, Athi Mbinda, Liam & Alexander Weber) and 2 youngsters (Luc & Nico Riordan) out of bed and away from the TVs and Playstations at an early hour to spend the day painting the room which serves as a kitchen at this school. Nondzame serves 100 Xhosa speaking children near Pniel, with only 4 educators & a principal splitting duties across 7 grades. The Kusasa Project has recently put some adventurous volunteers into this school to assist with basic English teaching and to provide much needed moral support to the exhausted teachers. It is our desire to establish a Breakfast Club similar to our successful Dalubuhle kitchen. The boys were tasked with sanding walls and then painting a grim kitchen in anticipation of our hoped-for launch later this year. While we wouldnt recommend th
em for your finer painting needs, the lads not only adorned themselves with warpaint for the task, but also pulled together as a team and pitched in to brighten up the kitchen, fix a few cabinets and put in some shelving to make the room much more functional and attractive for the lone woman who cooks samp and beans for lunch each day. Watch this space for more news about this school and... WELL DONE BOYS!