Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters of iThemba School Capricorn,

From left to right: Lungili Mki and Agkubile Mki

As the kids return from their winter break we want to give you an update of what has been happening in and around the school for the last couple of weeks.

Back in April, Rita Diop (Help Alliance) and Jens Allendorff (Lufthansa) visited iThemba to do a follow-up with Wilfred and Agkubile, two iThemba children the “Lufthanseat” magazine has been following since last year.

They were amazed at the positive changes and the development they saw in our children since their last visit.


They talked to parents and teachers who are very happy about the children’s language and social skills but at the same time worried about the situation in Vrygrond, where the crime continues. You can read the entire article here (in German).

Together with Rita and Jens, we also had the Lufthansa Sport Club “Two Ocean Runners Hamburg” visiting us. They participated in the 56km “Two Oceans” marathon in Cape Town and wore iThemba Shirts to raise further awareness. On top of that, the team brought toys and 1549 Euro in donations, for which we are truly grateful!

Another special day was the 28th of June. Lufthansa named the new Airbus 380 after the city of Johannesburg and the inauguration flight was dedicated to our joined HelpAlliance/ GTS Group project iThemba (click here for the Lufthanseat article). Shortly after the official naming ceremony, the Lufthansa flagship took off (with numerous guests and journalists on board)on a scenic flight to the Western Cape. They flew  over Cape Town, Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope.

Our new iThemba movie was shown at the gate and  special amenity kits were designed for this flight. We managed to collect close to 7000 ZAR on donations for our preschool.

Birgit Thümecke

We are grateful for all the support - be it a helping hand, a media contact, financial support, an information stand or encouraging words from the other end of the world.
 
For the summer holidays in the northern hemisphere, I wish you and your families a happy, healthy and peaceful season.

Warm regards, Birgit Thümecke

PRINCIPAL REPORT - VERONICA

Before the winter holidays our children received their reports and the Grade R’s parents were invited to a parent-teachers meeting at the school to discuss their children’s progress and behaviours. The sisters from Living Hope and the Health Department paid us a visit in June and July with their “catch up” campaign. By checking the children’s teeth and measuring their arms, they could  see if the children were malnourished. Two weeks ago the sisters returned and continued with injections and de-worming.

On the 4th of June we organized a bazaar on the school premises, which attracted a lot of parents, friends and visitors from Vrygrond and other parts of Cape Town.

Our children loved the jumping castle and we were prompted to explain why it had to go back. The open day was a huge success and we managed to raise 5924 ZAR for iThemba. We are very happy with our 7 new bikes and the new kitchen stove, which was finally delivered and installed. A big thank you to everyone who was involved in getting us the stove, we really appreciate it. And thanks to our care keeper, Colin for his handy work which resulted in our seesaw looking brand new! It continues to be one of the children’s favourite playthings.

Our cook, Faeza has left our school and our gratitude and appreciation goes to Lena (the previous assistant cook) who has filled her boots and is doing an amazing job in the kitchen. We have since offered the assistant cook position to Charmaine and hope she will fit in with our family and have a long and happy stay with us. Colin attended a Biodiversity and Forest Ecology workshop and our assistant teachers Thandi, Nangi and Emily graduated on the 16th of June. The ceremony took place in the Athlone Community Centre and we all had a wonderful time.

VIEW REPORT

Media

If you watch our iThemba movie you get a feeling of the atmosphere at school, the laughter of the kids, the excitement of everybody involved with iThemba and what it means for the community.


The film had its premiere at the A380 inauguration flight and can now be found on the website, here.

We have also updated the website and our facebook page.

Join our new iThemba School Capricorn Facebook Fanpage to stay in touch and keep up to date with what is happening at iThemba.

We have met a number of goals with regards to development and job creation at iThemba. Veronica steps out of the classroom as of September and takes up the full-time role of School Principle focusing on staff development, building relationships with primary schools and the growth of our successful project.

Barbara Meyer

A Muizenberg resident by the name of Barbara Meyer joined iThemba in August as the Project -Coordinator.

Barbara will ensure that our sponsors are well looked after, she will be focusing on fundraising, media activity and who knows, we may just be able to grow even further!

Support the iThemba School of Capricorn

The school continues to rely on sponsorship and donations. It only takes a small amount of effort to make a big difference in the lives of these children.

Support iThemba and become part of this important project by

Donating school supplies
Make a monetary donation

Your donation will help to secure the expenses for the running of the school and to ensure the daily education and nutrition of the kids.

SOUTH AFRICA:

Bank:	Nedbank, Business Southern Peninsula
Account name:	iThemba School
Reference:	Capricorn
Account number:	1232 117 633
Bank code, “Bankleitzahl/BLZ”:	123209
SWIFT Code:	NEDSZAJJ
* Donation receipt available

OUTSIDE SOUTH AFRICA:

Bank:	Frankfurter Sparkasse
Account name:	Help Alliance e.V.
Reference, “Verwendungszweck”:	Capricorn
Account number:	2000 29 223
Bank code, “Bankleitzahl/BLZ”:	500 502 01
International Banking Account Number IBAN:	DE 89 500 502 01 0200029223
Bank Identifier Code BIC:	HELADEF1822
*Donation receipt available / "Spendenbescheinigung" möglich

Besides the conventional way of donating money, there are many other ways that you can support us.

iThemba School Capricorn is part of the South African MySchool Initiative and by signing up for a MySchool Card, money will be donated to us every time you shop and swipe your card at over 2,500 participating Business Partners (e.g. Woolworths, Engen, Waltons etc).

If you have a MySchool card already, you can add iThemba School Capricorn to your account. If you are not yet a part of my school, visit www.myschool.co.za and complete the Supporter Card Application form.

Please help us to make a change in our communities and better the lives of those in need. A sincere thank you to all our sponsors and helping hands in 2010!