Ade was back in Grahamstown Makhanda briefly in February. He was able to visit Amasango and see the hairdressing and beauty skills salon in action.

There was practical as well as theoretical teaching going on, it was good humoured and the students were clearly enjoying the new course. 

Ade was also trying to finalise the details of the forthcoming brick-laying course which was due to take place in the early months of 2023 but will now take place later on in the year.
It's good to be able to report also that Ade was able to meet Jane Bradshaw, inspiration and mentor to Khanya. She is now in Johannesburg in very well deserved retirement.

In September Ade was in Grahamstown/Makhanda briefly. Then in November Ade and Christina were in South Africa together for nine days. All good intentions to write about our visit were overtaken bye Christmas - so here is a better-late-than-never brief run down.

First stop, the Sewing Studio and here we are, left to right, Christina, Robyn Cooper who organised the last iteration of the course, Sabelo Bill tutor, Sipahle, star pupil and Ade. We are standing in Jane Bradshaw's lovely garden. and has now moved to Jo'burg where we wish her well.

Next we went to Kenton to meet Tanya Fouche - seen here with Ade - who hopes to get a sewing project off the ground with a little help from us.

These beautiful cabbages were grown by Masimini who has been teaching his neighbours to grow their own. It wasn't clear if there would be a role for us in this small but important project, we are keeping in touch and will wait and see.

From Grahamstown/Makhanda we drove north through the Eastern Cape and the Transkei - where the roads are challenging to put it mildly. We went to the Donald Woods Foundation. At the moment the foundation is inactive and the facilities we saw are mothballed. But they hope to start up projects again in the next year or so, and there may be some possibility of partnership with them down the line.

We are freshly back from Greenbelt and any day now Ade will be flying to South Africa, he is going for the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in Cape Town, but will also spend a few days in the Eastern Cape saying the briefest of 'hello's to our partners and friends there. 

In some ways a chance conversation at Greenbelt in 2017 was the spark that led to Khanya. Ade and I had spent a fortnight volunteering at Amasango Career School at the beginning of the year. That August bank holiday, over a pint at the Jesus Arms, Ade said he couldn't get out of his mind that many of the learners wouldn't go on to high school and would have a trade or skill with which to earn a living. He was thinking about going back and talking to a few people, he said.

Ever one to grab an opportunity for some winter sun, I invited myself along for what turned out to be a fascinating visit. We returned knowing that we needed to raise some money and to do that we needed to have a proper organisation charity).

My desire for a bit of winter sun led me to something infinitely more worth while. Ade's trip to the Rugby World Sevens will be so much more than just that. Visits to partners in South Africa, no matter how short, are valued by them and always valuable for us.

As for Greenbelt – just in case you were wondering, it's a faith, justice and arts festival. Where else would you be able to hear refugee Gulwali Passarlay above (The Lightless Sky), Richard Dawkin, Rowan Williams and Caroline Lucas in the same weekend, learn felting and willow weaving or join a pop-up choir?

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