It's been a busy July: first up was the summer BBQ which raised a little shy of £1,000. We are immensely grateful to the vicar of Fulham for the use of her shady garden which came into it's own on a hot afternoon.

Chairman Ade sizzled sausages to perfection on the braai, our trustee Rob and treasurer Jer staffed the bar, and friends and wives helped with the catering. 

Vice-chair Christina is about to sample a burger, not the first time she had tested out Aid's braai-ing skills and the burger passed muster.
Quite obviously as well as having a  really lovely afternoon we couldn't not think about fund-raising and made a particular plea for supporters to set up a standing order to give a small amount regularly (and huge thanks to those who did on the spot). It is so much easier to spend money wisely and well when you can budget for what you income is going to be.

The following Saturday saw the trustees gathering to consider our five-year strategy, more than ably led by trustee Adrienne Hall.  
We pondered our values, our vision our mission and who are partners are. When challenged to suggest what are goal(s) might be in five years time "changing 100 lives" was debated and embraced with enthusiasm. 
There is a lot to digest, and there will be more from this session in future blogs.

The new logo is not for us, we're sticking with our elephants and an African sunset. This neat needle and thread combo is for the Sewing Skills Workshop in Grahamstown/Makhanda which we are supporting.

Please find them on Facebook  ​https://www.facebook.com/SewingSkillsStudioSA and like and follow them, they are doing a great job.

The last blog ended with a note that more would appear in a week or so ... then covid struck, not badly, but enough to put us a bit behind.

A long overdue job was to go through the website and update where necessary – this has now been done. The exercise was a salutary reminder that websites get out of  date if you don't keep on top of them.

One of our reflections on our trip to South Africa was that we are a small, young charity still finding the best way to work. In terms of cost-effectiveness, paying a stipend for a keen young trainee who is trained through on-the-job work experience is a winner.
Our experience with African Musical Instruments was a good one, and we would like to do more of this kind of sponsorship that enables good quality training and real job prospects. The system isn't set in stone, and we would welcome enquiries or suggestions from anyone who would be interested in partnering with us.
​The next project doesn't have to look like the last project, but it should reflect our learning as to what works best.
​Do get in touch if you are a business or run a business in southern Africa and would be interested in partnering with us.

Despite the gradual lifting of various restrictions, here's a sight I wasn't sure I'd see anytime soon. But here we are. Three of Khanya's trustees on a slightly grey day in the Grahamstown/Makhanda township. 
From left to right, Adrienne Hall our newest trustee, who brings a wealth of experience of fundraising, Ade Lusmore chair, and Christina Thomas, vicechair. In fact, Ade and Christina had never met Adrienne face-to-face until the day before this picture was taken. It was good to spend time together and show Adrienne what Khanya has been able to achieve.
The local authority hasn't covered itself with glory during the pandemic and the amount of rubbish in the streets and potholes was sad to see. Though in fairness we should add that the main streets in the centre of town had been resurfaced.

Here we are with some old friends:  Christian Carver of African Musical Instruments, Jane Bradshaw, friend, supporter and organiser for Khanya, Ade our chair, Saki, our former apprentice and now a proud and skilled member of staff at AMI, and Christina, the vice chair.

Time and time again we were reminded that Zoom will only get you so far. AMI had always said that taking on Saki was a one-off for them. However, as we chatted  we realised that there may be further scope for collaboration. Nothing is set in stone, but a friendly chat over a cup of coffee revealed an opportunity that business via Zoom wouldn't have.

There is much to relate about our trip, the first for two years, too much for one posting, and more will follow in the next week or so.

The last few months of 2021 were quiet ones for us, save for the excellent Christmas Quiz. 

​At the end of December, our chair, Ade Lusmore wrote:

As we come to the end of this second strange year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support.
 
It has been a difficult year for us here in the west but we are in a pandemic and it is so much worse in the developing world. Khanya has not stopped supporting its projects in South Africa, indeed we hope to expand into Botswana in 2022.
 
Khanya can do nothing to help train young people without the support of people like you. Fundraising has been difficult yet again this year and Khanya is extremely grateful to everyone who has donated money to us in 2021, particularly the nine people who give on a regular basis.
 
Our Secretary has been working tirelessly to find more ways people can support Khanya. Obviously you can donate through our web site www.khanya.org.uk, regularly or as a one off but now you can also:
 

• Nominate Khanya on Amazon Smile UK and we get a tiny bit every time you shop;
• Buy greeting cards and e-cards for any occasion through www.makingadifference.cards. Even if it may be too late to get Christmas cards, it’s still not too late to send Khanya supporting, eco-friendly Christmas e-cards!
• Donate on Facebook, through our page or set up your own “fundraising event”, for your next birthday for example!

We wish all our supporters a Happy New Year

When you have the ambitious idea of starting a charity and making a difference, you need to find trustees. When you start as small as Khanya did, you look to friends and associates with open hearts, and ideally, useful skills.

Martin McGann was a close friend of mine and Ade Lusmore, we knew him through our church, and when we asked him to be a trustee he had no hesitation in saying 'yes'. At the time he was a barrister, he hadn't been to South Africa and knew little about it, but his natural inquisitiveness soon brought him up to speed and he was invaluable sorting out the legalities of bank accounts and charity registration and legal agreements with our partners in Grahamstown. 

When it came to fundraising, whether in person or on line, he was always willing to help. The picture above is from 2019 at our Call my Bluff winetasting fundraiser, Martin is on the left with fellow trustees, Emily and Rob Fryer.

In September 2020 he gave up the law and started training for the priesthood. He hoped to do a placement at Grahamstown Cathedral to see for himself the environment and society in which Khanya is trying to work.

Shockingly, we heard on 20 July that he had died, he was 37. 

There is a big hole in our lives and our hearts and the Khanya trustees will miss his wise counsel and sense of humour. Thank you, Martin, for your encouragement and support, may you rest in peace.

Last month Linda Ngamlana retired as principal of Amsango Career School. Many of us in the UK have known Linda for a while. We met her when volunteering at Amasango, or hosted her on one of her fundraising trips to the UK for the Friends of Amasango.
Linda was instrumental in pushing forward the development of the skills workshop at the school, understanding the importance of giving young people the skills and the  hope and confidence to use those skills in the wider world.

The new acting head is ​Dr Girlie Shadaya, Zimbabwean by birth but now living permanently in South Africa. She completed her initial teacher training in Zimbabwe. She holds a Certificate in Education, Bachelor of Education (Special Needs Education and Mathematics), Honours in Education, Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy. All her higher qualifications’ focus of interest has been on children with special educational needs.
 
She worked as a teacher in Zimbabwe from 1993 to 2008. She then moved to South Africa and taught at Nombulelo Senior Secondary School in Grahamstown. After a brief spell in Cape Town she came back to teach in Grahamstown at Amasango Career School in October 2014. She was appointed deputy principal in June 2018 and has now taken over as acting principal on the retirement of LInda Ngamlana.
Having sat in on some of Dr Shadaya's lessons at the school, I know she is a good teacher and has high expectations of her students. She also understands the importance of offering a vocational path to non-academic students.
We wish her well in her new role.

Thanks to the generosity of others, the school has been able to acquire a new container from which to teach beautician skills. We are hoping to play our part in this exciting new venture by training a hairdressing tutor. 

In normal times we would have been in South Africa in January or February, but this year it was not to be. Of course, in "normal" times you can go to South Africa at any time of year. But the heat of summer is very welcome after Christmas.

Here you can the view from our favourite bar at Kenton on Sea, where much good thinking on behalf of Khanya has been done.
However, in 2021 we had to do our thinking from our sitting rooms and back bedrooms, or in Ade's case, from his garden shed. So, we've been tidying up our admin and are currently trying to get to grips with a CRM (client relationship manager – a fancy expression for a database).
We've also been contacting other charities working in our areas to see if there are ways we can work together, and also to try to learn more about what constitutes best practice for a small charity such as ours.
Of particular interest, and mentioned with grateful thanks for the time individuals took to talk to us are Cecily's Fund which works in education in Zambia, and the Donald Woods Foundation in the Transkei.
Roll on next January when we hope the sea and sand, as well as many productive conversations will be possible again.

Mbulelo Lukwe and his Sewing Skills Studio trainees have moved into premises in Huntley Street owned by the Rivers of Life Church. Huntley Street incidentally was the birthplace and home of St Andrew’s College Grammar School until 1859. The church, under the leadership of Pastor Innocent Matepo, previously conducted the Living Streams Sewing project as part of their social justice programme. The church has partnered with TGP to ensure the facility is used and the sewing programme continues. The sewing studio is equipped with seven sewing machines including an overlocker and an industrial machine. Sabelo Bill (TGP Sewing Consultant and Nombulelo High OB) is so filled with excitement he can barely sleep at night. Sabelo and designer, Hilary Mohr, are capable of teaching the trainees to produce a wide variety of products at the Rivers of Life facility. Thank you to Pastor Innocent and the leadership team of the church.