Exciting News From Seeds of Light
Seeds of Light News May 2018
Letter from the Director


 

It has been just over 4 years since I joined Seeds of Light, and what a special time it has been! I have felt inspired, moved and awed on a daily basis - not only by the courageous community we serve, but by the phenomenal team I've had the privilege of working with.
 
Unfortunately, due to family circumstances, I have had to make the difficult decision to relocate to Johannesburg. This means that I will be relinquishing my role as Director as soon as I've found the best candidate to take my place.  
 
When I do eventually hand my torch over, thankfully it won't be a final goodbye. This is because I shall continue to sit on Seeds of Light's Board of Directors. 
 
Although I'm sad to be leaving, I have no doubt that Seeds of Light will continue to grow and flourish under the new Director's leadership. There are just so many passionate individuals who are committed to continue making a positive difference to the Acornhoek community.
 
There is still much to be done, and there is a wonderful team in place to carry on the work we've been doing. Of course, their efforts depend upon your continued support. Thank you for your generosity over the past 4 years - you have changed so many lives for the better. I look forward to hearing many more success stories about this wonderful organization. 
 
Please enjoy the latest edition of our newsletter, where we share all the programs and projects that we're currently involved with. Please  follow this link to our website to donate to any of the projects that touch your heart.

Love and  gratitude
Wendy Fraser
Director, Seeds of Light


Art classes spark creativity and boost self-esteem for children of all ages



This year, our art classes have continued to provide Acornhoek's children with an opportunity to explore their creativity and build self-esteem. 

We have been working on the illustrations for a children's book on river pollution written by a recent Peace Corp volunteer in our area. The book will soon be published and we can't wait to see the final result in print. How exciting for the children to be part of this amazing project! 
 
Some of our high school artists took part in the local Hoedspruit Art Eisteddfod and it was wonderful to see how well they performed together with students from schools with far greater access to resources.
 
One of the pages of the children's work that will be included in the children's book that is due for  publication later this year. 
Our adult group who participated in the Butterfly Art Project training last year has been enjoying sharing their new-found skills with the children at their schools and in their communities. 
 

Thank you to The National Art Council for funding this important project.
 
Would you like to donate art supplies or money for future field trips? Please click here.

Seeds of Light's Saturday girls' classes have expanded

This is our 2018 grade 8 and 9 group. We used balloons to learn everyone's names.
Our Saturday Girls' classes have been so enthusiastically received by the girls and the community that we've expanded the program this year to accommodate more than 30 girls in grades 8 and 9. The girls are keen to improve their Mathematics and English but are also encouraged to embrace their creativity and learn problem solving and critical thinking skills. We include life skills education, access to our expanding library and a camp once a year.  We are also excited to welcome Nthabiseng Mosenohi as the new program manager for this program. She has become an important mentor for the girls and an important addition to the Seeds of Light team. 
 
One of the program's goals is to expose the girls to many different experiences that they would not normally be exposed to. At the year-end function last year, the girls visited a local rehabilitation center and were able to enjoy a close encounter with the animals. 

The girls who have been attending our classes for more than 2 years have graduated from this program, but we won't be leaving them out in the cold. We will continue to mentor these young ladies and provide them with textbooks and supplies, education support, and career counseling. These girls are going on an exciting trip to Johannesburg this year to learn about history and science. They will be visiting the  Cradle of Humankind , the  Sci-Bono Discovery Center and the  Wits Planetarium . 




This month we're focusing on poetry, with some of the girls preparing to present poems at the Hoedspruit English  Eisteddfod. We are lucky to have Kellyann Conway, a published performance poet, teaching the girls how to write and perform their own poetry. 

Would you like to sponsor a girl to attend these classes or contribute to buying equipment and books? Please  click here.

The Ekurhuleni Center for Orphans and Vulnerable Children starts two important skills development and income generating programs

The new garden at The Ekurhuleni Center
The ECOVC have gone into important partnerships with the Timbavati Foundation and the Hoedspruit Rotary.  

The Timbavati Foundation together with the Isenberg School at Umass (ICF) and 'Into Africa Safari' have provided a shade net and planted a vegetable garden to ward off the drought. The garden is flourishing. This project aims to promote self-sustainability. 

The Hoedspruit Rotary has donated sewing machines and is teaching the carers some easy sewing projects, which can then be taught to the children. 
The Hoedspruit Rotary is also running reading programs to help the children learn to read using the library.

A new Cub and Scout group at Seeds of Light's New Dawn Art Center

One of the Ekurhuleni Patrol leaders teaching the new group of Scouts.
Seeds of Light has sponsored training for leaders to start a new Cub and Scout Troop at our New Dawn Art Center. This gives the young children and teenagers of this area something to keep them busy after school and to develop much needed life skills. The program that we work with is especially designed for rural children and is excellent in developing self-esteem and self-discipline. The Cubs and Scouts will also be able to access Seeds of Lights library books so that we can encourage reading in an area where children have very little access to books. 

The patrol leaders for the Ekurhuleni Scout group came to help orientate the new group leaders. This is a great way for the children at Ekurhuleni to show their commitment to the program and in that way develop confidence. 
 
Seeds of Light's partnership with Unembeza Boutique Lodge extends Seeds of Light's reach to surrounding regions.


Seeds of Light is excited to partner with Unembeza Boutique Lodge to provide beautiful reusable and washable sanitary pad packs to rural schools further afield. The ladies on the staff at Unembeza have been given a chance to choose the school for the sanitary pad handout. As these ladies come from areas outside of our usual Acornhoek area, we are able to expand our reach to areas that don't have any support. Last month it was Phendile's turn, who works in housekeeping. She chose Cummingmore Primary School in rural Bushbuckridge. 
 
The feedback from the teachers, parents and girls is so positive ... even calling us "angels sent from heaven"! This shows the huge need for these packs that will last the girls up to 4 years, helping to prevent missed school days and ultimately high school drop-out. 

Thank you Unembeza!
All the grade 6 and 7 girls from Cummingmoore Primary School received reusable and washable sanitary pads that will last them up to 5 years.


If you are inspired to fund raise for our work, please let us know and we will help you. We have videos, brochures, stories, everything you need to make it a success. Contact Wendy at:  info@seedsoflight.org.  If you'd like to donate today, please CLICK HERE TO DONATE.. In the USA and South Africa, your donations are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.    
 
Contact Details:

For South A frica, contact Wendy:  Mail: P.O.Box 282, Hoedspr uit, 1380.
Phone: 076 488 2745 Email:  solloveinaction@gmail.com

  For USA, contact Dhari: Mail: Seeds of Light, 223 N. Guadalupe #275, 
Santa Fe,  New Mexico 87501
Phone: (505) 424-8844   |  Toll free in USA/Canada: (888) 989-3552
   Email:  info@seedsoflight.org   | 

Please visit our website: www.seedsoflight.org 

Seeds of Light: 
email:  info@seedsoflight.org; Website: www.seedsoflight.org
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