Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters of iThemba School Capricorn,

Nine months ago, on March 5th 2010, we officially celebrated the opening of our school in Capricorn (near Cape Town, South Africa). Since then, with your support and helping hands we made great strides in providing a better learning environment for 50 eager children. I would like to take this opportunity to review the past year and our joint achievements.

We are proud to say, that the little group of “rascals” from the Capricorn community have been transformed into fully fledged learners who enjoy studying and paying attention during class. The breaks are filled with laughter and lots of fun - mainly coming from the brand new sandpit and the playground!

A lot of work has been done over the past year and the GTS staff, Help Alliance and many other volunteers dedicated their time and resources to build a better future for the children in Capricorn. The school has finally been certified by the Department of Social Development and receiving the certificate is a big milestone, as the school now qualifies for a state subsidy. We are excited to announce the opening of a third class which will ensure education for an additional 25 children.

Birgit Thümecke

Registration with the Department of Social Development

In October, the final inspection by the Department of Social Development took place. After many months of hard work (especially by school facilitator Martin Dyers and principal Veronica Nicholas) we received our Certificate of Registration.

With the Certificate, iThemba is now a fully registered institution which enables us to apply for State Subsidies!

Four officials inspected the school over a period of time and monitored the improvements.

They were very impressed by the facilities and development.




Linked to the inspection, the fire and rescue department paid the school a visit and took the kids for a ride in the truck around Capricorn. It was an exciting day for all of us!

Opening of a third class

We and Help Alliance are very happy to open our third class in 2011 and provide proper education to 25 more children of the Capricorn community. It has been a long and challenging process, which was made possible due to the generous contribution of our donors and sponsors.



At the beginning of next year Veronica, the school principal, will continue recruiting kids from the Capricorn community for our third class and talks with parents are already in progress. Our school has turned into a sustainable project and we look forward to securing education for 75 children.

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
Bank Identifier Code BIC:	HELADEF1822
* 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!

The way ahead

Finally, after a very successful year, the school closed its gates on the 8th of December with a year end party.

Santa Claus paid the school a visit and handed out presents, which the GTS staff had great fun in preparing and packing. Sitting on Santa’s lap and receiving a big present was a really emotional moment for all involved.



Our aim for the future is to continue to provide a top class education for the children of Capricorn. We will pull all strings necessary to preserve a warm and friendly learning environment as we believe that it is our responsibility to provide a brighter future for those in need.