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July 17, 2004 posting, by Jim

We haven't written for a couple of months while we were in Edmonton. This is a brief update for that time.

During our visit to Edmonton from May 15 to July 6 we visited with family and friends, reconnected with the Edzimkulu Board and members, and worked with the fund-raising committee to raise money for our operations in the 2004-5 fiscal year.

Events in Edmonton included a fund-raising dinner attended by almost 350 people, interviews with three radio stations and the Edmonton Journal, a pot-luck dinner in our old neighborhood in Edmonton, a fund-raising dinner at Larry and Marg Rathnavalu’s home in Camrose, a talk at Robertson-Wesley United Church, and a volleyball tournament. Many people took receipt books to raise funds in their neighborhoods and from friends, and all-in-all individuals contributed a total of nearly $65,000. We are very grateful to all the people who worked on these events and to those who contributed to helping the people of Ndawana. The Eugene Brody Fund at the University of Alberta contributed over $1,100 and we have a grant proposal at the Wild Rose Foundation for $25,000. Several other small grant proposals are under way. Our budget for the year is about $130,000, and with another 9+ months for funding the rest of the budget, we seem to be in good shape for this year. Given the relatively large cost for the community centre, this should be our largest budget for the next several years at least.

While we were in Portland, Oregon to visit our family there (Mark and Cynthia and Carol and George), several people watched the video and contributed to our program, and we made contact through Cynthia with an organization that electrifies rural villages. This group has worked in Asia and Central America and has intentions to work in Africa in the future, so we have hopes of working with them toward electrification of the homes in Ndawana.

Collecting Thatch.

We’re back in South Africa, as of 9 July, and there is much to tell. The women of Ndawana have collected some 13,000 bundles of thatch to roof the community centre (of about 30,000 needed), we have been offered gum poles for the roof at no cost from a forestry company, and we are doing research on producing building blocks made of soil and cement to be produced by the people of Ndawana. As usual in Africa, things move slowly, but we are very encouraged by our progress so far.

At our first meeting of the team on July 12th the beading women and the Ndawana team members produced a feast as a welcome home. There was singing and laughter and eating together, and we were very touched by their kindness and their warm welcome. We miss all of you, and still this does seem like home, at least for the next several years.

Yesterday we (all the Canadians, most of the Ndawana team, and Mtunzi of our household staff) went to the wedding of Sibongile and Lindile in Centacow (story to follow). Lindile, having recently left the University of Fort Hare, will be our project manager, and Sibongile is the program director of the Women’s Leadership Training Program at Reichenau. They will live in the cottage recently occupied by Chris’s mom Marg. We greatly look forward to having them close here, to help with the work, offer their advice, and continue to be our very good friends.

That’s it for now.

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