This time next week, the first of our international volunteers arrive in the country, and we should have the full team assembled within a couple of days after that (we’re hoping the threatened strikes in the UK won’t effect our London contingent).
Huge thanks to everyone who has been getting involved in the fundraising. We have had a great response from around the world, and hope to see more people get involved with donations to assist with the cost of the building materials. We have not reached our goal yet, so please encourage your friends to contribute to the project. It all adds up.
The guys at the hospital are getting excited. Pete from the Jabulani Rural Health Foundation asked me to post this message:
I just wanted to drop the team a line to say thank you in advance. That goes for those raising funds and for those coming out here to build. Thank you for using your New Year holiday period, for raising money and for committing yourselves to helping us out.
The Jabulani Foundation are proud of what we do in Zithulele and we have big plans to further that, but accommodation is a big limiting factor. We need badly to bring in skilled people to work alongside and train local people to develop this place in terms of healthcare, education, job creation.
It is difficult to raise funds for things like accommodation, as opposed to individual projects (like a pre-school or milk for malnurished children). What you are doing is facilitating incredible change in Zithulele. The accommodation is going to be able to house 4 health professionals and/or volunteers. I have seen what just one person can achieve here. Each one of those four (and the four after them) will make a sustainable difference on the ground and that you have seen the benefit in enabling that to happen is quite something. It strikes me as selfless as you will not be giving the milk to the starving baby yourself and getting that instant, feel-good reward. The baby will get the milk though and the child will get the pre-school education and more HIV positive patients will get onto anti-retrovirals and we will provide jobs and more people will learn how to grow more vegetables better and we will open a library and plant trees…
So thanks.
And for the team coming out here, we are going to work you hard. Bring suncream and a hat.
Pete
We have a few more arrangements to make. Bags to pack. And then we will be heading for Zithulele. I will continue to provide updates, so remember to check back here. Have a great holiday time, everyone.
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