| SPRING PLANNING
SESSIONS |
|
February and March were
busy months on the site of our Children's Village and Community
Center in Dennilton, South Africa! NextAid is fortunate to be
working with water expert, Dan Tormey of the Los Angeles firm,
ENTRIX (pictured on left). Dan has proved to be a wealth of knowledge and expertise in
areas of hydrology, geology, and alternative energy. He is
generously donating his time to consult with us in designing our
water infrastructure plan for the site. Dan spent 10 days in South
Africa in late February surveying the site, meeting with borehole
drillers, plumbers and the agricultural department. Recently returned
to LA, Dan is working up a plan to solve our water needs for the
center and we hope to start implementing his recommendations in the
coming months. Dan is being assisted on the ground by a new member
of NextAid's team, Matt Styslinger. Matt is about to get his
Master's in Sustainable Development from SIT Graduate Institute
in Vermont and is spending some time in South Africa, assisting with
our grant writing and environmental projects.
The crew in Dennilton
excitedly welcomed the arrival of both of NextAid's
founders, Craig Keys and Lauren Segal-Avenna who visited the site in
early March.
  
(Photos from left to right: Craig and his
newest buddies Sibusiso, Given and Ndumi, Lauren and Craig soak up some smiles with Dennilton kids, Lauren with Cynthia Nkosi, Director of Youth
With A Vision)
The trip was certainly a momentous occasion! Their
visit boasted many accomplishments including a very
successful meeting with the board of our partner organization,
intensive planning sessions and development of some very exciting
future programs to run from the center. They also made time to play with the adorable kids. NextAid and YWAV have laid
out an ambitious plan of action for this year and into next, including the establishment of a South African non-profit company to faciliate local fundraising opportunties.
Our goal
is to complete the following structures by June 2010: nursery school, 3 more children's homes, the caretaker's residence, guesthouse, playground and sports facility.Help us make this plan a reality... we need all hands on deck to raise funds for the remaining
buildings! We are planning a grand opening of the center to coincide
with the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. Do you want to celebrate with
us? We are in the early stages of planning an amazing donor trip...
let us know if you're interested. |
| FUNDRAISING SPOTLIGHT:
HAWAII KINDERGARTNERS COLLECT COINS FOR KENYA |
|
 NextAid is reliant on
the generous donations and creative, grassroots fundraising efforts
of friends like you. Every dollar counts! Students from a Hawaii
public school sought to take this idea one step further and prove
that every coin can count too. Led by teacher Serena Cross, students
from Ka'elepulu Elementary School in Kailua ran a 3-week
fundraising campaign collecting coins at the school in support of
NextAid's project in Kenya. Their efforts raised an awesome
and surprising $657 that will help us build a new multipurpose
facility and business workshop for the Kawangware Street Children and
Youth Project! If you would like to add to their efforts, you can
make a donation through their fundraising page HERE or set up your own fundraising page with a group of friends or
colleagues and help make a difference.
Now through May 15th, your donations will be worth double! Go!Campaign will match dollar for dollar, the first $1,000 raised on each individual page.
|
| Stories from the Field: Volunteer Student Groups |
Last summer, Dr. Roberts from
California State University Long Beach, took her Death and Dying course abroad
to South Africa. On June 20, 2008 the
students went to the community of Dennilton to plant trees for the center. Here are excepts from Alison Zimmer's first-hand account of that life-changing day.
---"Going
to Dennilton was perfection and then some.
I have experienced a lot of firsts on this trip and today I planted my
first tree. Getting my hands dirty and
planting something that will be there eternally is a memory that I will carry
forever. Youth With a Vision is an
amazing organization and blows HOPE out of the water. I wish we could have been there for two weeks
donating our time and money to such worthwhile people. I met a girl named Cindy who had been taken
out of her home due to her grandmother abusing her. She had burn marks on her face and arm, but I
was in no position to ask how these came about.
I got to watch her sing/dance on stage and I could see how much she was
enjoying her day. She thanked Jody and I
multiple times for being there and kept asking when we would be back"
----"It was
so hard to say good-bye and walk away from a place so loving. As a class we need to do something for those
people. We have hundreds of pictures to
send, money to donate, and education to provide. If this trip is to continue in the future, I
highly suggest more time at Dennilton.
Before we left I had two older women ask to have their picture taken
with me in the middle. Before I walked
away they told me their names and asked if I could email them a copy. I told them I would and then they made me
promise. I instantly felt pressure to
follow through with the promise I made when they said, "don't disappoint
us". These people have taught me so much
about doing the things I say and never making an empty promise. They have little more than their words to
depend on and I highly respect that. I
will leave Africa being more careful with the things I say and whom I say them
to."
The Long Beach State Students that visted Dennilton last summer have been fundraising toward the guest house. Help them raise money so that they can build it this summer! | |
