KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng surrounding areas, South Africa 15-19 July 2021.

Hope SA responds to crisis

HOPE SA foundation, an NGO in South Africa has worked tirelessly to ensure that the hungry had a hot meal. With over 200 000 meals served since the onset of Covid-19 in Gauteng and KZN, Hope SA has impacted lives and given hope to communities.

Recent riots and looting in KZN and Gauteng, have resulted in the shortage of food supplies and basic necessities. With food distribution centres emptied and burnt; our blood banks looted, the trail of destruction has even left children and infants without food or diapers.

“I am grateful to the selfless South Africans and International organisations who have contributed to Hope SA foundation. Through this, HopeSA has been privileged to undertake the ongoing task to assist the needy” Namritha Sivsanker-CEO HopeSA Foundation.

This weekend Hope SA distributed in excess of 3000 food relief hampers for families, babies and pets, throughout the hardest hit areas in KZN.

It is so heartwarming to experience the spirit of selfless giving and unity amongst our people in South Africa and the international communities.

IT IS THROUGH YOUR KINDESS THE FLAME OF HOPE WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT LIVES.

Please contact Namritha Sivsanker at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to donate.
www.hopesa.org

Loskopdam, South Africa – On Saturday, 3 November 2018, Loskopdam, A Forever Resort hosted their own fishing competition. The competition, Catch for a Cause raised funds for two NGOs, Boikano Disablity Care Centre near Groblersdal and Middelburg Care Village.

With more than 100 entries the day was filled with sunshine, lucky draws, good food, swimming and entertainment including a performance by the band, Vancout. An awards ceremony took place after the competition for winners of the two biggest Carp and Mudfish alongside a junior boy and girl who won themselves a bait boat. The heaviest fish of the day was a Carp weighing in at 3, 34 kilograms.  

A total of R49 300.00 was raised for each of the two NGOs. However, one loyal fisherman took it up a notch and made a donation that raised the total to R50 000.00 for each of the two NGOs. “As much as this was a jovial family day, we couldn’t help but get emotional when we handed the cheque over to the two NGOs as this money will help approximately 130 children”, said Monica van der Linde, General Manager at Forever Loskopdam. 

“Our hearts are so grateful to each and every person and child who attended the Catch for a Cause, we are also thankful to have had incredible sponsors who made this day possible  for our community and would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Seagull Lifestyle Products, Boude & Blaaie, Outdoorsman Witbank (Andre Booysen), Frik Geyser, Sand & Klip, Macy’s & Fiyas, Isabel & Alwyn Pretorius, Mbidi Lodge, Action Car Traders, Janet Sweets – Squeezy, Musketeer Engineering, Pentagon Security, Pretoria West Trading, Pest Control Specialists, Promoworld, Lucy and Andre Tlam, Aubrey van Wyngaardt, Legend Liquors Witbank, Midas Middelburg, Vleismark Groblersdal, Wurmhoekie (Rudi Stoltz), Forever Badplaas, Warmbaths, Swadini and Mount Sheba, Forever Resorts (PTY) Ltd, Heneck Sacks, Tevo as well as Buco Middelburg”.   

“We would also like to extend a special word of thanks to our Service Providers Radio Kosmos, SAPD Waterwing (Capt. Grobler), Legacy Emergency Services, Columbus Fishing Club, Loskopdam Nature Reserve (Andre Hoffmann) and our passionate Forever Loskopdam Staff”. 

In celebration of Teacher’s Day on 05 October next week, Adopt-a-School Foundation hosted a teacher-themed Big Books event at Qhobosheane Primary School in Diepkloof, Johannesburg today. This was the first of five such events aimed at developing reading, writing and creative skills in learners across South Africa.

Grade six and seven learners excitedly coloured, collaged and completed activities using Croxley-sponsored stationery at the event. The learners unleashed their creativity in the hopes of having their work added to a children’s book called Thembi Discovers the Magic of Teaching. Participants competed to win a cash prize for their writing and a party for the most creative class. 

“Teachers are arguably the most important factor in a learner’s education. Unfortunately, South Africa is facing a shortage of qualified teachers,” says Banyana Mohajane, head of programmes at Adopt-a-School Foundation. “This, amongst other factors, is a key contributor to poor education outcomes and can be linked to South Africa’s recent global ranking as one of the worst in the world for a reading literacy study**,” she continues.

“The sad reality it that impoverished areas suffer most from teacher shortages, which leads to overcrowding, as one teacher is often tasked with the instruction of more than one class at a time. This, in turn, contributes to an achievement gap that disadvantaged learners may never hope to cross,” says Mohajane. “To help bridge this gap, we employ a unique Whole School Development (WSD) approach to school development. This involves holistically improving the school by focusing on the academic, infrastructural, social, and security environment in which a school operates,” she continues.

Zanele Khubeka, an educator at Qhobosheane comments on the changes she has noticed at their school: “Before Adopt-a-School came to Qhobosheane we lacked motivation and were understaffed, with too few teachers and too many learners. Since they adopted us, we have received planning, infrastructural and resource support. I have never been prouder to be a teacher than I am now, and this is reflected in my instruction and my learner’s performance.”

Since its inception in 2002, Adopt-a-School has focussed on upskilling their 2 335 educators, through the provision of workshops, tools, assessment and guidance. The intention is that this leads to national improvements in reading, writing and arithmetic results. The success of these interventions are clear, with an overall improvement of 8.4 percentage points in all Adopt-a-School’s Matric pass rates over the last seven years. 

“By upskilling, motivating and supporting teachers, we are ensuring a prosperous future for our learners and taking pressure off an already over-capacitated system,” concludes Mohajane. 

Magic fans to be dazzled by SA’s biggest magic show and charming school holiday programme

For Immediate Release

The College of Magic, Cape Town's only magical arts organisation, is gearing up for a fantastical June with two of its signature mega magical events - the Imagine!Family Magic Spectacular at the Artscape Theatre on Saturday 2 June 2018 and its awe-inspiring school holiday offering, the 2018 Traditional Children's Magic Festival from 27 to 30 June 2018.

The only one of its kind in the world, the College of Magic will provide the young, and the young at heart, with a wondrous escape into a world of fantastical make believe and guaranteed winter family fun with the following must-attend shows:

• The Imagine!Family Magic Spectacular, South Africa’s BIGGEST magic show returns to the charming Artscape Theatre in the Mother City on Saturday 2 June 2018 at 12pm and 2h30pm with an all-new conservation theme: Imagine a Magic Future. Prepare to be captivated as a cast of over 50 enthralling illusionists, jugglers, mimes, clowns and more perform never-before seen feats and dazzling classic illusions in this magical extravaganza.
• The 2018 Traditional Children’s Magic Festival invites Cape Town’s families to escape from the freezing cold into a fantastical world of magic at the College of Magic’s warm and mysterious Victorian Manor in Claremont from 27 to 30 June 2018. Magical hijinks are the order of the day as the cast take Festivalgoers on a whirlwind tour of the century-old Manor with jaw-dropping magic shows, hands-on interactive workshops, thrilling games, magical photo opportunities and more!

Celebrating 38 years of teaching the art of magic and its allied arts as well as vital life-skills to children and adults in 2018, the College of Magic is excited to celebrate a month of magic with Cape Town’s families:“We’re taking magic to the stage and a theatre-going audience and inviting them back to our home of magic for a peek behind the wizard’s curtain over the course of a month. It really is the perfect blend of family entertainment and bringing people of all ages and areas together. Magic is the ideal entertaining tool for expanding consciousness and furthering holistic education beyond our immediate personal day-to-day life. We look forward to sharing this magical experience with our audiences in June.” says Yolandi van Jaarsveldt, CEO of the College of Magic.

Witness the impossible made possible with the College of Magic this June:

Tickets for the College of Magic’s incredible June events are vanishing fast so be sure to book yours at www.collegeofmagic.com/tickets.

The Imagine!Family Magic Spectacular tickets are R165 with discounts for family bookings.Tickets for the 2018 Traditional Children’s Magic Festival are R100 with discounts for family bookings.

For more information about the College of Magic, please visit www.collegeofmagic.com, call +27(0)21 683 5480 or follow them on Facebook.

Do4SA, a non-profit and catalyst for the promotion of humanitarian efforts in South Africa, is producing a monthly online publication, The Altruist. Designed to provide readers with information on innovative, sustainable solutions to local problems, The Altruist aims to inspire entrepreneurs to support humanitarian efforts in South Africa Each edition of The Altruist will feature innovative approaches used by charities, NGOs and individuals to uplift communities and individuals out of poverty.

“There are some amazing people and organisations out there doing life-changing work,” comments Asif Mohamed who heads-up Do4SA development. “But there isn’t a platform for their work to be shared with corporates who are looking for sustainable solutions that make a difference to invest their CSR budget in.” 

Focussing on uplifting people and communities out of poverty, The Altruist covers stories relating to food security, healthcare, education, early childhood development, women’s issues, adult education, highlights the work of social entrepreneurs and more.  “

We want to become the go-to publication for the philanthropist,” adds Mohamed. “Now we’re live, we cannot wait to hear from people across the country and discover the work that’s benefitting the lives of millions.” 

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