catja
New Member
Posts: 16
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Post by catja on Feb 8, 2008 16:43:31 GMT 10
I like the green and gold one
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kris4josh
Junior Member
There's So Much to Be Thankful For
Posts: 63
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Post by kris4josh on Feb 8, 2008 17:00:31 GMT 10
Hi Guys I thought I'd bring this over from FOJG it is from Andrea who works with the Syawela Ark on behalf of JGF. this is her latest report and provides information about the People our little group will be striving to help. there is also some basic information about N.O.A.H. (Nurturing Orphans of Aids for Humanity) under who's care Siyawela now falls.
A happy 2008 to you all! Thanks for your patience in awaiting an update from me. After Noah adopted Zamimpilo as an 'Ark' in 2006, the centre has required this period of time to make the transition (under Noah's guidance) from what was essentially a chaotic, ad-hoc emergency shelter for 86 kids into an organized and sustainable community-based facility which could serve many more kids with a greater range of services. It has required patience on all of our parts to wait and see how things would evolve. I am very pleased to be able to report to you now on the extraordinary changes that have taken place at the centre. Let's start with the new name...Siyawela. When Zamimpilo became a Noah Ark, it had to change its name because it turned out that another ark was already named Zamimpilo! The Zulu word Siyawela means "we are crossing over". This name was chosen because it was such a fitting metaphor for the transition that the center was entering into, and also for the centre's mission of bringing children from lives of difficulty and uncertainty into ones of safety, health and hope. You may recall that before Noah came into the picture, the centre had 86 children sleeping on the floor and eating all meals there, and was receiving no regular funding at all. The unpaid staff was hugely stressed and exhausted, and as a result Faith Mthethwa, the volunteer director, suffered a serious stroke. I am thrilled to tell you that Faith has made a significant recovery, and after a period of recuperation has returned to the center and resumed her role as Director. She and the volunteers receive regular training from Noah, and they are now supported by an active board of community members. Once the centre was able to place the original 86 children with families, it was able, with Noah's assistance, to focus on identifying other AIDS-related orphans and vulnerable children (OVC's) in the Kwa Mashu community who were in need of services. This is where Noah's model of Ark-building has really made a difference, because so many of the estimated 1.7 million South African AIDS orphans have been 'invisible' to the system, many of them living on the streets or even acting as heads of household for their younger siblings. Once a child has been 'registered' to an Ark, they can become documented citizens and be placed in a home, where the Ark volunteers will make regular visits to check on the child's care and well-being, help the family secure social welfare funds, school uniforms, and other assistance which makes it possible for these poor families to care for these children. The kids are truly adopted by their community, and the Ark becomes a community-within-a-community where they can be encouraged, supported, counseled and validated by being surrounded by other children in the same situation as themselves. There are now an astounding 726 children registered at Siyawela Noah! Of these, 427 come to the centre daily. Those who do receive a nutritious meal. The 299 children who cannot reach the centre each day are given an immune-boosting porridge for a daily meal at home. Of the children who come to the centre daily, 90 are of preschool age and stay all day; the other 337 come every day after school. There are now organized activities that the children participate in such as art, dance and sports, along with homework supervision and counseling. Siyawela is now the second largest of Noah's 112 arks! In addition to financial and organizational assistance and oversight, the affiliation with Noah is bringing numerous special programs to the children at the centre. Among them is the GoLD Peer Mentorship Program, which identifies teen leaders and trains them to mentor others (especially related to unsafe sex and HIV prevention) and special programs such as an HIV-orphaned childrens' photography project.
There is no question that NONE of this would have happened without the involvement of Grobanites for Charity and the Josh Groban Foundation. Your initial gifts to Zamimpilo were like a life preserver and a lone beacon of support for a small group of Africans who were struggling to save some of their orphaned children. Because we were able to keep them going and connect them with Noah, Siyawela is on its feet and able to serve so many more of Kwa Mashu's AIDS orphans and vulnerable children. There are no longer children residing at the centre, but many more lives are being saved now. Hundreds of formerly invisible children from this community are now being looked after. Some of these kids are HIV+; they will now receive regular health care and antiretroviral drugs. Counseling and peer mentorship that the teens receive will greatly improve the odds that they will refrain from unsafe sex and help to control the spread of the AIDS pandemic. You are doing heroic work here. The news gets more exciting, because there is so much more to do. The Josh Groban Foundation is now an Official Sponsor of Siyawela Ark. The Foundation receives regular reports from Noah, which monitors the Ark's progress,oversees its budget, staffing, etc and makes recommendations for future growth. In addition to assisting with the centre's operating expenses, there are MANY more projects at the Ark that will not happen without us. For example, the humble building is bursting at the seams, and really needs to be improved in order to allow for greatly enlarged number of kids and all the different activities being offered now. A covered outdoor pavilion can be a place where children eat so that other activities can take place inside the building. More kitchen space! More playground equipment! The list goes on. It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be involved with this project on your behalf. With the continued enthusiasm and support of the amazing Grobanite community, we can continue to make a real difference in these childrens' lives in this far corner of the world.
Noah (Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity) is a registered not-for-profit organisation with the sole focus of building the capacity of communities to care for their orphaned and vulnerable children. The Crisis It is anticipated that by 2050, the AIDS pandemic will be the most significant factor to have shaped humanity in this century. South Africa is one of the most severely affected countries in the world, with over 5 million people infected with HIV/AIDS in 2005. Parents are dying before their children are adults, severely impacting the number of orphans that are left behind as a result. This means that South Africa is, and, to an increasing extent, will be, a country populated by a large number of orphans. There are currently estimated to be 1.7 million orphans in South Africa (Actuarial Society of SA), This number is predicted to rise to over 2.5 million by 2015 (in a population of 50 million), creating a humanitarian challenge on a scale that no nation has ever faced before. The Solution In response to the realisation that we face an ¡§epidemic of Orphans¡¨, Noah, Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity, was conceptualised at the end of 2000. The sheer number of orphans ruled out traditional charitable or institutional models of care. Our model is designed to reinforce the communities who are already caring for the orphaned children in their midst. Noah¡¦s model is one that starts with an approach by a community to Noah to assist them to care for their Orphaned and Vulnerable children. Noah assists in mobilising the entire community to this challenge resulting in the formation of a committee of community leaders to focus on the children. They are trained in the needs of children and in turn recruit a volunteer group. This group are trained and then find and register the orphan children in their community. They assist these orphan children to obtain birth certificates and apply for child support grants. Volunteers then continually check up on the circumstances of the children and refer them to the appropriate agency as needed. This functioning web of community support is an Ark. Noah currently cares for over 33 000 orphaned and vulnerable children within 112 Arks in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. Our Arks comprise of 2 things Community Leadership and trained volunteers and together the provide the following 6 services to our children „h Registration „h Home visits „h Accessing grants „h Food gardens „h Feeding schemes „h Resource Centres providing „h Day care „h After care The future of South Africa depends on what kind of citizens our orphans of AIDS grow up to be.
((( hugs )))
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Post by aussie105 on Feb 9, 2008 15:27:08 GMT 10
hey kris thanks for posting that...just thought i would let you and everybody else know, i won't be on here for a couple of days..i start driving to brisbane tomorrow..ugh 12 hours in a car, not fun..and it might take me a couple of days before i get settled in and get internet again...so i will chat to you all then...kirstyxx
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Post by aussie105 on Feb 13, 2008 20:34:52 GMT 10
Hi all...i've arrived safely in brisbane and now im at my college..and yes i've joshed my room...went to phantom of the opera today..and it is soooo amazing, or as i said to my mum and interval "this is friggin fantastic"....so any brisbanites, check it out....so how things going here..
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Post by morgan on Feb 13, 2008 20:49:33 GMT 10
great to hear you arrived safely. do you have other roommates? im seeing phantom in sydney so glad to hear it was awesome
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Post by aussie105 on Feb 14, 2008 7:13:42 GMT 10
yeah i have 9 other people in my unit..only a couple have arrived though but there all very nice...you will definately LOVE phantom, im hopefully going again in a couple of weeks..
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kris4josh
Junior Member
There's So Much to Be Thankful For
Posts: 63
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Post by kris4josh on Feb 19, 2008 19:41:48 GMT 10
<<<<<<<<SIYAWELA UPDATE>>>>>>>>> I have now FINALLY managed to set up a bank account for our little group...so......we can now go ahead and FUNDRAISE....to get the ball rolling as I mentioned a while ago I have 4 Gorgeous Josh Calendars which were donated to us by Terri aka obiwancanoli on FOJG.....see pic........which I will sell to the person who offers the most money....The starting Price is $25 au for each calendar......PM me with your Offers.......This will run from now until the 25th.....so come on Guys....start Bidding..... EDIT: ok here is the pic of the calendar....showing each monthI'll post the bids for each calendar every afternoon
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Post by aussie105 on Feb 20, 2008 15:02:46 GMT 10
oh this is great kris..i have a question, how will the donations be paid..um cuz i know if i bid i can't pay by credit card cuz im 17, so i just wanna know what are my options...thanks kirstyxx
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kris4josh
Junior Member
There's So Much to Be Thankful For
Posts: 63
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Post by kris4josh on Feb 20, 2008 16:35:43 GMT 10
Kirsty,
I'll be able to give you the bank account details..and you can deposit money into the account at any National Australia Bank
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kris4josh
Junior Member
There's So Much to Be Thankful For
Posts: 63
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Post by kris4josh on Feb 20, 2008 16:38:39 GMT 10
I hope everyone has started putting their spare change into their Aussies for Siyawela Jars...you'll be amazed at how quickly the money mounts up..that's where I got the money to open our account...from my spare change jar....we have $50 in there lets build on that....Think of the Children....."don't let them go it alone"
It's proving to be a little bit difficult to keep posting the calendar auction bids...so I'll just collect all the bids and then announce the calendar winners...hope that's ok?
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Post by aussie105 on Feb 21, 2008 14:24:01 GMT 10
i have started putting like my loose change in my piggy bank...its only like 5,10,20 cents but it will add up eventually....dam being a uni student, you never have enough money lol..kirstyxx
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Post by morgan on Feb 21, 2008 14:34:49 GMT 10
i started my spare change jar, its not got much but its a start.
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Post by rosette on Feb 21, 2008 17:32:56 GMT 10
It's proving to be a little bit difficult to keep posting the calendar auction bids...so I'll just collect all the bids and then announce the calendar winners...hope that's ok? sure thing, im ok with that
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kris4josh
Junior Member
There's So Much to Be Thankful For
Posts: 63
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Post by kris4josh on Feb 21, 2008 20:25:57 GMT 10
i have started putting like my loose change in my piggy bank...its only like 5,10,20 cents but it will add up eventually....dam being a uni student, you never have enough money lol..kirstyxx That is sooooo cool Kirsty.......every Cent helps..thank you so much..and you are right it WILL add up..doesn't matter how long it takes. (((hugs)))
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kris4josh
Junior Member
There's So Much to Be Thankful For
Posts: 63
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Post by kris4josh on Feb 21, 2008 20:28:33 GMT 10
i started my spare change jar, its not got much but its a start. Hi Morgan As I said to Kirsty.....That's great!!! thank you soooo much as well and you will be amazed at how much loose change you can save up..I've had coin jars going for years...the contents have come in very handy at times You Guys Rock!!!!
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