Thank You ‘Paul Newman Foundation’!

We recently received a phone call from the Paul Newman's Own Foundation reporting that the money we requested for 5 Braille typewriters for the Tshilidzini Special School was granted. We can’t wait for the Staff to return from their Winter Break on Monday when we will share the good news with them. PNF has already mailed the check to us so we will wire the money to TSS “as soon as”! Thanks again, PNF and everyone who made this donation possible.

Nelson Mandela Day

Friend Julie, Peace Corps Volunteer working at VMS, has just shared pictures of her involvement in ‘Nelson Mandela Day’. Nelson Mandela devoted 67 years of his life to the service of humanity, as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa. Each year, on Mandela’s July 18^th birthday, the UN joins with the Nelson Mandela Foundation in calling for people throughout the world to spare 67 minutes of their time to helping others.

This year, in celebration of Madiba’s (Mandela’s beloved nickname) 94^th birthday, three (3) of the Vols from the SVA as well as Julie, Khathu, Woo and Susie installed a fence around a young boy’s garden in Mudunungu. He is a hardworking member of our Children’s ARV Support Group and his garden provides food for his entire family. Our industrious gardener needed help in keeping the cows and goats away from his precious vegetables.

Thanks to our VMS group this garden is thriving.

Please help us spread the word about Limpopo by sharing this with your friends, family, and colleagues. The people of Limpopo need our help and by simply sharing this, we can change their lives for the better. “SharingIsCaring”

Scottish Vols Return to Limpopo

Good News! Just heard from Rebecca, the South African Project Coordinator with the Student Volunteers Abroad program. Student Volunteers Abroad is a student run, nonprofit organization based out of the Glasgow University in Scotland  www.gla.ac.uk/clubs/sva We met one group of these amazing young students at VMS last summer where they were staying and a definite friendship ensued. Rebecca recently reported that this year’s 8 Volunteers safely arrived in Tshikombani on July 9^th. They will be calling the Halfway House at VMS “home” for the next 8 weeks. The Vols are currently busy setting up their project(s) timetable and will send us information and pictures as soon as possible. Join us in wishing them “Good Luck!"

Please help us spread the word about Limpopo by sharing this with your friends, family, and colleagues. The people of Limpopo need our help and by simply sharing this, we can change their lives for the better. "SharingIsCaring”

Back from a Quick Trip to South Africa

Stacey and Troy, our Australian friends, arrived in JoBurg on June 17^th. After a whirlwind tour of filming South African ‘hotspots’ which included our very own Tshilidzini Special School (TSS), they’ve finally landed back in Sydney….anxious to share their photos and ready to create their video for us.

A brief e-mail from Stacey revealed the disparate feelings we also had when we first visited TSS. When one first drives through the gates of the school, the immaculate grounds, friendly staff and smiling children do not prepare you for the lack of books, supplies and proper equipment needed to run a school for children with special needs. While teachers asked for a “CD player, soccer balls and a pump, scales for weighing their students and books, books, books...” they are obviously unaware of the host of special equipment, supplies and services available to special needs students in developed countries.

Stacey and Troy clearly felt the love and dedication provided by the entire staff at TSS but unfortunately, “love” cannot supply these children with essential wheelchairs or braille machines much less missing shoes and socks, cutlery for meals, and sheets for their bare mattresses.

As our HFL friends share more photos, video clips and information about TSS in the coming weeks, we will stream it straight to you, our loyal followers.

This and That....

We are anxiously awaiting detailed news from Stacey and Troy, our film duo friends, who recently returned to Australia after filming a short documentary at the Tshilidzini Special School in the Limpopo Province. A brief e-mail from Stacey acknowledged a successful venture with “details to follow”.  Although TSS staff and students are currently on Winter break, School Manager Maluma managed to contact us with this exciting news: “I can’t wait for school reopening to brief you on Stacey and Troy's visit. Thanks for connecting our school with such wonderful couple. The filming they took is going to bear testimony to the visit. They also managed to visit all three sections of our school and they were impressed with what we are doing.”

We can’t wait either, Maluma!

Last Friday, Asst Principal Jeff O’Hara of the Hinesburg Community School paid us a rewarding visit. HCS is a PreK thru 8^th grade school located in Hinesburg, Vermont. Mr. O’Hara is interested in having his students partner with HFL in a worthwhile venture  (yet to be determined) which would not only be beneficial to HFL but to his public-spirited students as well. We are currently brainstorming ideas on what specific projects would have a constructive impact on his students. Hats off to Mr. O’Hara for seeking an innovative and collaborative way to cultivate compassion among his students and to promote human welfare. Please feel free to share with us successful school/charity endeavors you’ve encountered.

News has just reached us that our favorite Scottish Volunteers will be leaving for Venda next Sunday to begin their 8 week venture in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The Student Volunteers Abroad program is a student run, not-for-profit organization based out of Glasgow University. They send teams of volunteers abroad to various countries with the intention of working with local groups on sustainable projects for the relief of poverty. We were honored to meet and team with last year’s industrious volunteers while we were visiting VMS. The volunteers come from many different academic backgrounds such as medicine, law, and education. After 6 months of fundraising, 8 volunteers will once again spend 8 weeks in Venda staying on-site in the VMS halfway house. Their work will focus on activities at the rural Jumbo School, Vhutshilo Mountain School and the Tshilidzini Special School. We feel honored and privileged to have forged a lasting bond between this amazing organization and HFL. Stay with us as we try to chronicle their efforts to bring positive change to the Limpopo Province.


Please help us spread the word about Limpopo by sharing this with your friends, family and colleagues.  The people of Limpopo need our help and by simply sharing this we can change their lives for the better.  "SharingIsCaring"