YOU CAN SPONSOR A YOUNG PERSON FROM A CHILDREN’S HOME OR PLACE OF SAFETY TO ATTEND AN ADVENTURE DAY FOR ONLY R300!!

A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO THE GENEROUS FRIENDS WHO TOGETHER (SO FAR – 9.12.09) HAVE MANAGED TO SPONSOR 33 YOUNG PEOPLE!!

AND NOW (11.12.09) IN TOTAL, 60 PLACES HAVE BEEN SPONSORED!!!!!! HOW WONDERFUL – THANK YOU ALL SOOO MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

(11.12.09 – 11am) Can you believe that we have just heard that another 24 places have been sponsored by a corporate – TULLOW OIL. Thank You! That brings the TOTAL TO 84!!!

Click here to see the list of sponsors so far…

A few things that come to my mind today is the shocking statistics that South Africa is still holding the highest infection rate in the whole world. It gets me wondering, with all the work that people are doing in the HIV field, what is it that we are missing?

What we’re doing right is:

INFORMATION SHARING

Information about infection and treatment is widely available in multiple languages.

ADVOCATING FOR ARV’S FOR ALL

People are fighting really hard to get the right medication to the right patients.

NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION

Organizations are educating people about the benefits of good nutrition.

GOVERNMENT BUY-IN TO SOCIAL WELFARE OF THOSE INFECTED AND AFFECTED BY AIDS

Certain social benefits are made available in the form of grants.

So, on a larger scale, what are we missing? I think that the psycho-social impact still needs a lot more work to be done.

Educo Africa, working in this particular arena, finds that discrimination, stigma, disclosure, and infected people believing that their life ends with the HIV+ test result, is still huge. Discrimination towards HIV+ people increases the stigmatization, and almost forces people not to disclose their status due to their fear of being alienated or attacked. This undermines their feelings of self-worth and confidence.

Educo Africa strives to break these chains that hold people prisoner to these beliefs. Together with the education, nutrition, and treatment, we can make a real difference. Working together, we can have a more holistic impact on the life of people who knows their status, whether negative or positive.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY OUT THERE WORKING TOWARDS BUILDING AN AIDS-FREE WORLD!

Siphelele (Sphesh)

Sisonke Project

Duncan’s Plea

With no disrespect to the incredible work being done by other organizations, I believe it is much harder to sell the idea of the plight of the human spirit compared to the noticeable shortages in other areas of life. The human spirit isn’t tangible. The disfigurement of the soul is not as easily visible as a physical disability, yet it may be more debilitating.

Where other needs are more easily identifiable, I believe that the general public shows greater support in aiding/assisting financially because the results of their giving is clearly visible and immediate. For example, houses are built, blankets are bought, food is supplied, new equipment is acquired, etc. And yes, these are all needed and most appreciated, and I certainly encourage the continued support of these campaigns.

But, I wonder, how do I show you somebody who needs to “find” themself? How do I show you somebody who needs guidance, direction, or self confidence? How do I show you somebody who needs to work through emotional trauma? Most of all, how do I show you the results of Educo Africa’s work?! I want you to see what can be done! The healing, empowerment and training that is possible for these people, who so desperately need it, is right here.

The results of supporting Educo Africa may not be directly visible and tangible, but I believe that the triumph of the human spirit touched by Educo can most definitely BE FELT! It may be conveyed by a broad smile, a song in the heart, a newfound courage, a positive attitude, and making a true connection – one human being to another.

You can be certain of one thing, for sure, supporting Educo Africa and its work, you’ve become part of a positive change in our youth and future leaders. The investment return you’ve made on a Human Spirit is invaluable!

Okay, this was my little two cents worth.. I just felt the need to share it because I believe in the two cent’s value. 

Chez

KUDOS TO THE SUPPORTERS OF EDUCO AFRICA WHO HAVE ALREADY DISCOVERED THE JOY OF INVESTING IN THE HUMAN SPIRIT!

Hi All

I’m a huge fan of the Mother City Living blog. You can find out all sorts of interesting “green things” tucked away in its pages. Today’s post is about talks held in Newlands called Green Drinks.  It sounds like fun (with a purpose), you may want to check it out…  Click here for the Green Drinks page on the Josephine Mill website.

Chez

Hello Everybody

I get tons of newsletters in my inbox daily. I usually scan read most, but this one caught my attention and thought I’d share it with you:

“Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home, a feature documentary about the environmental impact of the huge amount of rubbish we produce in our households every day, will be shown at the Labia on Orange cinema in Cape Town on Sunday 16 August at 6:15pm, on Monday 17 August at 8:30pm and on Tuesday 18 August at 8:30pm.

Concerned for the future of his new baby boy Sebastian, writer and director Andrew Nisker takes an average urban family, the McDonalds, and asks them to keep every scrap of garbage that they create for three months. From the plastic bags they use to the water they drink out of bottles, from the air pollution they create when transporting the kids around to using lights at Christmas, the McDonalds discover that for every action there is a reaction that affects them and the entire planet.

“Household waste is a huge factor in the degradation of our environment. There is an unspoken and ongoing acceptance of extraneous packaging, for instance, mostly in the name of branding, resulting in tons and tons of garbage that we really can do without and this is visually portrayed in the film,” Nisker explains.

“Society is tired of waiting for slow moving politicians and corporations to implement change, but the truth is we don’t need to wait. From the bottom up, the time has come to change our own worlds starting at home and to send a message to the polluters that we have all chosen a green path. Viewing Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home empowers audiences to make those changes, now, by making simple lifestyle choices,” says Nisker.

Everyday life under a microscope has never been so revealing. By the end of this trashy odyssey, you are truly inspired to revolutionise your lifestyle for the sake of future generations.

The screenings will be followed by a facilitated audience discussion. Tickets are R20 and can be reserved by calling The Labia at 021 424 5927. Reserving tickets is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment.

This event is presented by The Labia and While You Were Sleeping, a Cape Town-based non-profit film collective committed to bringing progressive, non-mainstream documentaries with important social and environmental messages to South African audiences.”

Contacts:
The Labia:
021 424 5927
 

While You Were Sleeping:
Andreas Späth
084 772 1056
Andreas_Spath@yahoo.com
www.whileyouweresleeping.wordpress.com

Maybe I’ll see you there!

Chez

This place drums with no beat,
humming with a gentle wind.
Stretching to a seeming eternity,
this is my affection back to thee.

Black emissions and ignorant beings
on a daily hustle are far from here.
No time restrictions what would be
an urban crime, is a piece of bliss for me.
Never have I felt this at home.
Never have I felt this at peace.

Creation from human hands emulate
the beauty touched by he who
transcends life. This crisp sweet
air renews me. This is my
love song to thee.

Have you heard that a town in Australia is banning the sale of all bottled water? To find out more, read this article that I found on IOL. This has made me sit up and think.

Bottled water in comparison to local tap water has a much higher carbon footprint . This is due to the manufacturing of the bottles that hold them, and the fact that they have to be transported from its source to your local store.

Now you may, like me, actually taste the subtle differences between water from different sources.  I prefer water that has a slightly higher acidity than water that is too alkaline based – I find it fresher on the tongue. If I were to taste test in order to compare some bottled water to my local (household) tap water, I am afraid that the bottled water wins hands down.  However, as I am well aware, the water that comes out of my tap is perfectly safe and more earth-friendly. I can’t bear the thought of my carelessly large carbon footprint crossing my mind with every guilty sip of bottled water. So what should I do?

Firstly, I could investigate the water at each tap in my current household. I discovered, in my childhood, that different taps in our house let out different tasting water. (My favourite was the kitchen tap during winter, and our front garden hose – all year round!) Even though I’ve grown up now, perhaps I don’t only have to drink water that comes out of my kitchen tap…

I could go to my father’s house and fill up my empty 5-litre water bottles with water from that heavenly garden hose, making use of the many empty bottles standing around in our garage. (I could also TAKE my bottles meant for recycling TO the recycling bin!!)

I could buy bottled water that comes in glass bottles (much better to recycle) – but they are a bit pricey and I don’t particularly like their taste anyway.  Instead, I could buy a water filtering  jug and filter the water that comes out of my tap, or even have a water filter fitted to my kitchen tap itself. (I love those!)

But now for the convenience of having that bottled water in your handbag for those thirsty moments beyond your garden gate… I’ve heard that the plastic that our bottled water comes in shouldn’t be used over and over again, as it may become harmful. Here’s one article (of a gazillion) to read about plastic bottles, that I found on About.Com. I think the answer may be to purchase some stylish stainless steel water bottles of different capacity to have in my handbag and on my office desk.

I’m going to try something different – I’m going on a non-bottled-water diet starting NOW. Why not join me and see how well we do? I really DO want to be friendly with the earth!

I am beginning to believe that even the smallest measure counts - that the little I do every day will have an impact on our climate and the state that I leave the planet in once I’m gone. Some may say that I suffer from a misguided self-importance – I say, we are ALL that important! If every one of us went on a non-bottled-water diet for just a week, imagine how much we could reduce the carbon footprint!

Well, that’s my piece for today. I salute the Australians for attempting to change the status quo, and wish them all the best in their endeavour.

Chez

for Educo Africa

Educo Africa CEO, Trevor Johnston, being handed the cheque by celebrity guests, Vicky Davis and Nico Panagio.

The multi-million Rand Adventure Centre sports a rain chamber and cold weather room with which to test its top of the range outdoor gear. To keep children occupied while parents browse through the store, is an interactive laser game; a large, beautiful fish tank; a climbing wall; and a permanent display of some of nature’s wild wonders in the form of tarantula in a glass cased spider farm. Cape Union Mart chose wisely to partner with Educo Africa who also has a vested interest in the outdoors where our Personal Leadership Development programmes with youth take place. Educo Africa, however, has the privilege of being able to introduce its beneficiaries to eight-legged creatures and fabulous freshwater fish in their natural habitat; take participants rock climbing and abseiling off genuine rocks, and also test outdoor gear in very real rain and sometimes snowy conditions!

Educo Africa is very grateful for being recognized for the work that we do. Here’s hoping that a symbiotic relationship between Cape Union Mart and Educo Africa blossoms from the mutual love and respect for the outdoors.