Preparing toys for the Sikhulakahle Toy Library

On a cold and rainy 'summers' day the Family Facilitators came to LETCEE in order to prepare the toys for their very own Toy Library. The Family Facilitators are very excited that the Toy Library for their community is nearly ready and they cannot wait to use the many toys that they have helped to prepare!

Community participation and community ownership, how far have we come?

As an Organization I feel that we manage to get the consultation process right most of the time but then there are times like today when one realizes that in an effort to meet funding requirements and deadlines we make decisions without knowing whether it suits the community or not.

Today is a case in point. We needed to have a meeting with a group of our family facilitators and last week we phoned each of them to say that WE had decided the meeting date would be today, Tuesday 2nd November. Not one of them told us at the time that the day was not suitable, however this morning we were told that it is in fact pension day today and thus our meeting venue would probably be used for pension payouts and our family facilitators would either be collecting their own grants or assisting the families that they work with to do so.

Initially I was irritated and wondered why we weren't told sooner. However when thinking about it I was reminded that we didn't ask the facilitators if the day was suitable for them and we just informed them of the date. I know that if we had asked them they would have given us an alternative date there and then. I then began to think about how easy it is to slip back into old ways of thinking where we tell communities what and how they should do things.

Such a small incident has made me very aware that we constantly need to evaluate how and why we do the things that we do. We also need to reflect as to whether we are actually achieving what we set out to achieve. It always amazes me how reflecting on such a simple incident can bring much insight into our behaviour.

I just had to smile...

Yesterday I was totally inspired by one of our Family Facilitators, Prudence (Sho) Ngubane who ran an entire morning session with a group of children using resources she had made. These ranged from a skipping rope, a ball, shakers, counters and matching cards all made from waste such as plastic, cardboard, plastic bottles and paper. The only 'bought' item that she used were wax crayons.

The children were totally captivated by their morning activities and I was once again reminded that we don't necessarily need expensive toys when providing ECD to children. We need practitioners who are creative, innovative and have a passion to see children reach their full potential.

Taking Initiative

This is our caterer Mamsy Dlamini.

Today she proudly came to work, with her certificate - a course which she did whilst on leave learning about cooking and baking.

Mamsy saw the course advertised in the newspaper, and decided it would be good for her to further her knowledge and skills. We respect the way she used her own initiative, to further develop herself!

Mamsy joined LETCEE as a shy young women. Today she is a vibrant, confident, important member of our team . Last year Mamsy prepared over 20 000 lunches and dinners for our learners!

We are looking forward to the cheesecake she's promised to bake us this week!

What are we REALLY doing for children with disabilities?

Yesterday I was at a network meeting where the topic of discussion was around children and disability. As the various presenters spoke and questions were asked, I was transported back to my first year at University where we were told that people with disabilities were only disabled because of their environments. The fact is that the environment or the community are the disabling factors and not the person's functional difficulties.

As the meeting progressed I was shocked to hear what little in roads had been made in a city in terms of removing these barriers as opposed to those that have been made over the past 7 years in the Umzinyathi District in Kwazulu-Natal. After being told that the Department of Education did not see a need for special schools in Umzinyathi District, there is now a registered special school in Msinga and an informal special school in Umvoti who are in the process of registering. In some areas people have successfully advocated for taxi owners to stop charging double fare for people in wheelchairs and therapists and parents alike have been able to quote Educations White Paper 6 back at the schools to enable children to access mainstream schooling, despite their difficulties.

So the question I pose to myself and others is this....Have we become complacent in advocating for the rights of these children and families or are we persevering through some difficult processes to ensure that more and more children in South Africa have access to the opportunities that every child deserves?

A hard hitting reality

Over the past couple of months I have been busy with LETCEE's new website and this has meant that I have been looking through photographs of many of the families that we have been working with over the past two years. As I began to recognise the same children coming up in the photographs (with very happy faces I might add) I noticed that they are still wearing the same clothes (jackets and pants) two years down the line. The clothes have faded a little and they only reach half way down the children's arms and legs. Wow, it made me realize that though we have an ECI programme, maybe greater effort needs to be placed on family resources and sources of income generation so that these families can generate their own income to provide for basic needs such as clothing for their childen.

Making a difference in a different way...

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend a meeting looking to help inform the policy on Community Care Workers from the Children's Sector perspective. A small group of people from different areas of the sector spent the day looking at the draft policy, alternative models and a way forward in terms of addressing the issues that these crucial workers face. What a privilege to be a part of making a difference for these amazing people who consistently make a difference in the lives of many in the most rural communities without much recognition or compensation. I know these processes take a long time but I once again have some hope that we can make a difference in this way....we just need to persevere.

Small beginnings... great success

This is Norah Ndumo. She came to visit LETCEE today to say thank you. Norah started her ECD training with LETCEE in 1996 and completed her Level 4 certificate. Today she proudly shows us her NPDE and Advanced Certificate in Education and is still continuuing her studies, completing her B. ED honours. She is a Grade 3 teacher at Cosh Primary School, and is on the commitee of the creche which she orignally started at.

She says it all started with LETCEE and wanted to come and thank us for the strong foundation we layed- without it- she would have never got this far. She says she still remembers what she learnt whilst training at LETCEE, and uses this in of her assignments- she still refers to her manual and notes.

LETCEE is incredibly proud to hear of Norah's achievements- what a wonderful surprise her visit was! Good news stories like these certainly make the work which we do WORTH IT!

Amazing women

After meeting with the Family Facilitators of Eshane yesterday I was once again humbled by their dedication to the children they visit and the community from which they come. These women face many challenges in their work and home lives and often we just jump into work mode not stopping to listen to their challenges and difficulties. As these women shared their troubles with us and one another they emphatically stated that despite these challenges they love their work and would not want to change that for anything. It left me amazed at their resilience but also wondering how we can better support them and honour them for their dedication to other people, prefering others above themselves!

Developing people

One of our core philosophies at LETCEE is to ensure that we are constantly assisting those we come in contact with to develop to their full potential be they children, caregivers, learners or staff members. It is exciting to watch people grow as they realize just how much they can do and achieve.

In the past week however I have once again had to reflect that growing people often means that they move on from LETCEE and the vital roles that they fulfilled here. This is truly bittersweet! On the one hand we get behind them, cheering them on and on the other we are very sad to see them go. This is the case with one of our committee members from Siyabathanda Abantwana who left last week to go and study nursing in Pietermaritzberg. We are so glad that her dreams are being fulfilled but we are aware of the huge gap she leaves behind. I guess her moving on opens up the opportunity for someone else to begin to reach for their dreams...

Positive feedback

Another group of LETCEE Level 4 students have completed their modules of training and will soon hand in their portfolios of evidence for final assessment.
The feedback in the reflections after training were incredibly positive, here are exerts from 2 learners...

"This course teach me how to handle and develop a child. It also help me to get more knowledge how to plan my activities. Now I do not have any problem to stand in front of the children because I know what I'm going to do with my children. I know how to work and communicate with children and the parents and how important it is to involve the parents in the ECD Site. I will encourage the other practitioners in my site to come and get what I got in Level 4, and I'm going to implement my knowledge in my site." - Nompumelelo

"When I started Level 4, I was willing to go extra miles, gain more knowledge about this course and to know better about Early Childhood Development. Look at where I am today: I have knowledge about a lots of things I have not known before, I know about teamwork, how to be a good ECD teacher and to to apply my knowledge and better understanding to the learners. And this is not the end for my carrer, I still want to get more knowledge. This course has changed a lot of things in my life." -Hlengiwe

Something to smile about

Yesterday I was at a meeting in Pietermaritzberg where the topic for discussion was "Supporting the Elderly Caregiver." Unbeknown to me a former LETCEE student (who graduated at the end of 2009) would be sharing about how she was working with and empowering Gogo's in her community. She explained that the creche's do not have toys and so she took it upon herself to show the Gogo's of the children in the creche how to make toys from waste. She had learnt this skill whilst studying at LETCEE. She also shared how the Gogo's have taught other Gogo's in the community as well as practitioners at other creches. It made me smile as I began to realize that we often do not even begin to understand the impact of what we do!

Buddies, here's what some other people had to say...

I was amazed at the impression the the Buddies had on the leaders who ran the camp 2 weeks ago and thought i would share some of what they said, as it has been a huge encouragement for me.

"As these kids overcame every obstacle we put in their way, as they saw and took opportunities that never seemed, even to me, to be possible, and did it all in record timing, we strove to make everything harder. We blindfolded key players, tied kids feet together and used any other method we could think of to handy-cap these amazing young people.
All of them were friendly, polite, respectful, good listeners, and I was blown away at how obedient they all were, both boys and girls. If given the choice, I would rather this group on a camp then any other group of similarly aged people that I know." Jess Goodall

"They gave the impression that it doesn't matter what you throw at them, they will overcome it. They rose to every challenge. The leadership capabilities of many of the kids were easily seen. It was a really special bunch of kids that came through as intelligent, persevering and strong kids." Jason Tame

"For me as an immensely proud South African, it gave me great joy and even tears to see this generation that is more interested in the well being of the community than in personal gain or hate....For me as an Afrikaner it was also great sharing a bit of my culture, and experiencing theirs and it was on the talent night that I realised what Madiba was talking about when he said 'The Rainbow Nation.' Something like that is only possible through friendship and contact, and I believe that these kids have been primed to be that contact!They are truly starting to shake off the bonds of racism and prejudice and with constant mentorship as is provided through LETCEE, these ghosts of the past could disappear altogether." Rudi Ackerman

We took the Buddies on camp so they could learn and grow but i think they can be very proud of what they taught and gave to those leading the camp. Well done!!

Buddy Camp 2010

Last week the Community Projects staff headed off to Busisa Family Adventure Camp in the Karkloof with 22 of our Buddies from Matimatolo and Mbuba for a week long camp. The Buddies had an absolutely amazing time and really astounded those running the camp with the way that they worked together. Even in very difficult situations they encouraged and built one another up rather than putting each other down which, according to the camp leaders, is what often happens when they run these sort of camps with teens. It really made me proud to be working with these kids and encouraged me as to how much the Buddy Programme is actually shaping the lives of these children and building resilience.

The reality of working and living in South Africa

Just last week one of our Family Facilitators walked into my office to tell me that one of the children we work with had passed away the day before. He was a lively 13 year old boy who had a disability yet his difficulties never stopped him from engaging with others :) The news of his death really shook me as I asked myself, "Why, he was so young and full of life?"

This incident got me thinking that barely a week goes by where someone in the 270 families we work with or the Family Facilitators or Committee members families passes away. As much as I know that death is a natural part of life, it is the untimely loss of life that affects me. Again I am reminded how we need to equip our Family Facilitators, Committee Members and Students to enable them to deal with their own loss so they can help and support those they work with!

Students celebrate Soccer Friday

In preparation for the world cup soccer events, LETCEE celebrated soccer friday by conducting an enrichment theme workshop with our level 4 students. They will now return to their pre-schools and do the ideas and activities with their children. The students learnt how to make vuvuzelas from recycled plastic bottles and how to use all the promotional adverts to make educational games and puzzles. They had lots of fun singing soccer songs and making their own makarabas.

National ECD Alliance Curriculum launch

Gill, Iris and Charmayne at the National ECD Alliance Curriculum launch.

World Play Day 28th May 2010

Friday the 28th of May 2010 is World Play Day. World Play Day was instituted by the International Toy Library Association in 1999 and has been celebrated in over 30 countries every year since then. This year, the theme is Creating a culture of play. Creating this culture includes giving children the time to play, understanding that children learn through play and that play is a crucial part of normal development. Adults are encouraged to provide safe spaces to play, take time to play with a child, and make sure that the whole family play together often. We should also make sure that traditional games are passed down to the new generation

Last week LETCEE put out an appeal to the schools and residents of Umvoti to help children play this World Play Day by donating educational toys to LETCEE, Sikhulakahle and Sibathanda Abantwana's Toy Libraries. Today we receive our first donation of puzzles, another reason to smile!

What's next for Mbuba Toy Library?

Now that the container has arrived, LETCEE and the Sikhulakahle Committee are making plans for the next phase of the project. This involves laying a concrete slab in front of the Toy Library, building a ramp up into the library so that children with disabilities can also access the library, placing a roof over the top to provide shade, putting up shelves and painting the container. So much work....but the reward will be seeing how much joy and fun the children of the community get out of using the Toy Library.

Mbuba Toy Library begins to take shape...

It was with much excitement today that we headed out to Mbuba to witness the delivery of the container that is to serve as the Sikhulakahle Toy Library. We met the truck about 15 kilometres outside of Greytown and led the driver to the Mbuba Community Hall where the Toy Library is to be situated. There was much curiosity as the truck was positioned and the container moved by crane onto the concrete stands that had been built for it. As I stood back and watched the children's excitement as to what was going on it made me realise once more what an impact this Toy Library can have on the Mbuba community. It made me smile...

Soccer Friday

Getting ready for 2010 World Cup Soccer- we are learning the Diski Dance. What fun!

Laughter, sharing and fun: together as one :-)

Friday afternoon was 'catch-up time' for the LETCEE team. We met over lunch, for a sandwich and story time. Everyone has been very busy and we've been traveling all over- across the province, the country- even overseas! It was a chance for everyone to share their experiences. With much laughter we heard many interesting stories of things which happened. Everyone really enjoyed the chance to hear what is happening within the organisation and just how much we have been stretching our wings.
Being so busy, it is so easy to miss out on these times together, and the opportunity to learn from others experiences, we hope that this will be the first of many get-togethers, so we can make sure we stay on the same page... and remain a close-knit family.

The team who went to Ingwavuma shared a fun game, which we all played. With much laughter and enjoyment it certainly meant leaving for the weekend on a high note...

The Dream is slowly becoming reality...

In January this year LETCEE received the amazing news that the Toy Library for Mbuba had been fully funded and that we could now begin the process the Mbuba community has been dreaming about over the past 2 years!!

We got off to a slow start....meeting with the committee, obtaining permission to occupy land from the Inkosi and waiting for the committee to identify people in the community to do the building work.

Last week Bracken Timbers levelled the area for us, thanks Andrew :) and just yesterday the materials for the stands on which the Toy Library will be positioned, were delivered. Building starts on Monday!

136 Students trained last week!

Last week (12-17 April) was an incredibly busy one for the LETCEE training team!
Not only did we have a module of Level 4 training happening at our centre in Greytown;
we also had 5 of our team venture off to Ingwavuma.
We were asked by Ingwavuma Orphan Care centre to conduct training for 110 Family Support Members.
Our team each trained a group of FST's in the basics of Early Childhood Development, covering topics like why we need Early Childhood Interventions, child development, children's rights, child management and learning through play . For some of the women, it was the first time they were receiving any form of training.

We recieved positive feedback...
What have you learnt that will be most useful in you work?
"All what I learnt will help me to improve the knowledge of those children" -Zodwa

"I have learnt about the rights of children and their needs. This is important. ... About abuse and to listen to the child if he or she wants to tell you something." -Thulile
What did you learn this week, that you will now change in the way you do your work?
"I change the way which I see the family, I will respect them. " -Goodness
"I will listen to their problems, be polite, giving them a smile."
"I have learnt a lot of things that will change in my work, listening to the kids and make sure of their rights." -David
Other comments?
"The course was good and our facilitator was easily approachable. I hope we will have another training." - Thabsile
"More training like this will be of great value to the FST's" -Hlengiwe
"Because LETCEE is an organisation that has strong programmes in social and community development, we ask you to come again to help us. We like to develop our communities."

A gentle reminder

This sign appeared at a taxi stop in Matimatolo about a month and a half ago. We have asked various people but have yet to discover the story behind the sign.

On days like today where we headed out into the community for a workshop that we were really looking forward to, only to find that two people arrived and it had to be rescheduled.....this sign makes me smile and reminds me to leave the frustrations of the morning behind before driving back into the office and tackling the rest of the day.

I will continue to search for the story behind the sign and share it when I have found out...although the unknown is perhaps more intriguing than the actual story behind it all :O)

Taking things to a new level!

This past week was an exciting one for the training team, we started our brand new Level 5 group. Venturing into something new has been a daunting but positive experience for all of us!

Training at Level 5 was not an intention to begin with- however having developed a good relationship with so many women who we have trained at Level 4- they came to us asking when and whether we would consider helping them develop further. We knew that we couldn't let them down!
We decided that we would pilot a small group of 15 for 2010 in order to try the new curriculum.
The opportunity has been filled with many learning experiences for all.
We have been attending training, in order to facilitate the curriculum. This has been a good reminder of what it's like in to be back in the classroom on the receiving end!
Offering this course has also given 2 of our fieldworkers the opportunity to join, so they can further develop themselves and get a higher qualification.

The ladies left module 1 feeling challenged, yet excited about whats to come. We are all interested and looking forward to continuing the journey.

When you hit the dirt road just stop and ask for directions...

There have been many occasions whilst managing LETCEE's community projects where I have had to go out into various communities on my own to find a place I have never been to before. This is often a daunting task with a limited Zulu vocabulary, however I am always astounded at how the task is always completed.




Just this morning I had to drive out into a community I have not been to before to fetch a letter from the Inkosi's home. The directions I was given were: drive to Dalton...check, then take Fawn Leas road and drive until you hit the dirt road...check and then stop and ask someone how to get to the Inkosi's home...what?


However, yet again I stand amazed at the friendliness and helpfulness of a community who do not know myself or LETCEE. A lady who had been waiting for a meeting to start took me right to the Inkosi's house just to ensure I got there safely. These experiences always remind me to take a look around and see how I can help the people (friends or strangers) that I come in contact with everyday.

How long is long enough?

Recently one of the caregivers in a family we have been working with since 2007 approached her Family Facilitator and LETCEE's Community Development Facilitator and thanked them for the input they have given her and her family over the past 2 1/2 years. She went on to tell them that she feels her family is able to care for themselves and believes that LETCEE should move on to help another family just like they have helped her.

WOW! What an encouragement!!! It is encounters like these that remind me why we push through many difficulties and continue to walk alongside families and communities as they rediscover hope and begin to run with the many resources they already have.

It's stories like this that make me smile...

The road lies that lies ahead...

Last week I had the opportunity to drive some of our training team to Nquthu to do some visits and assessments for training which we have done in the area, for the Aids Foundation.
It was really good to be back in the field. Doing home visits instead of pre-schools and sites, reminded me of some different aspects of the work we do- particularly the poverty, extreme conditions which people live in and the incredible hunger for education.

Driving to one of the households, we picked up the Community Motivator to save her walking the +-8km to get to there. I asked her to direct me- which she did... until I came to a halt- not seeing a road in front of me, but rather long grass.

My question was "where to now" - her reply "just go straight"
I laughed- but realised she was serious.... she said she thought there was a road underneath the grass- but not many cars go on it.
Saying a little prayer and hoping that I wasn't about to put the work vehicle in jepordy, we slowly moved forward. Arriving at our destination- I realised that I had just been taught a great lesson, an analogy for our work in the ECD sector...

sometimes we have a desired outcome- but aren't sure how to get there. sometimes we need to step out in faith and 'make our own road' - it might be that we are going where few have gone before, or perhaps revisiting an old path... but if we don't try- we would never know. Perhaps, if we are daring enough to set a new path, others might follow.

It was wonderful to visit the various households and see home based ECD in action, and the difference it's already making in the children's lives. We have been priviledged to train the 15 Community Motivators, as the Aids foundation start a project based on our Siyabathanda Abantwana model which was researched, written up, and been given best practice status by UNICEF.

All you need is love...

An experience today left me with the lyrics from the Beatles song, "All You Need is Love" echoing in my mind.

Today we had the privilege of taking one of our funders into the community to visit a family involved in the Sikhulakahle programme. When we were standing outside waiting for the mornings activities to begin, one of the children (he is almost 3 years old) came and stood next to me and grabbed a hold of my hand. He did not want to join the others this particular morning and climbed up onto my lap. Upon being asked whether he would like to play he simply said no and was quite happy to sit quietly. This little boy today just needed some love and attention.

This incident again reminded me of how important our Family Facilitators work is. Many of the children we work with do not live with their parents and their caregivers are burdened with caring for many children with minimal resources. The visit by the Family Facilitator provides these children with a couple of hours with an adult who sees the children as their main priority and provides them with love and care that they so desperately need.

One does not need unlimited resources, fancy toys or a lot of money to make a difference in another persons' life. Time, attention and a willingness to give of yourself to another...so, All You Need is Love.

Finding inspiration

Sometimes when you're feeling disheartened; a little encouragement is all you need. Sometimes you find that bit of encouragement in the strangest of places...
Whilst sitting in a waiting room, paging through a jewelry catalogue I stumbled upon this quote:

"You never stand so tall as when you kneel to help a child."

What an awesome image and how true!

At LETCEE, all our work is about helping children is one way or another - sometimes it seems difficult, complicate or overwhelming...this quote came as a reminder and inspiration- we need to remember to stand tall, believing we are making a difference to the future!

What makes you smile??

There has been some discussion in the LETCEE office as to what are the kinds of things that happen during the day or week that make one stop and smile and give a sense of, "This is why I do what I do!" Working in the education sector and in communities one often gets wrapped up in all the challenges and the 'next step', that one can become very disheartened amongst all the difficulties.

So this discussion has made me stop and ask, what has happened in the last couple of weeks that has made me smile? This reminds me of the well known story of the starfish by Loren Eisley where there is a boy on the beach who is throwing starfish back into the sea to save them. A man asks him why he is doing it because he will never be able to save them all. The boy replies, "No, but I can make a difference for this one....and this one." He says this as he continues to throw the starfish one by one back in to the sea.

Many days I feel like the man who thinks that the boys' actions are futile BUT when you can help one family access healthcare, education, documents and provide support and see how the family is transformed, then I feel like the boy who says, "No I can't save them all, but I can make a difference to this one."

So one of the things that makes me smile is to stop and think about the individual lives that I have had the privilege of being a part of and where we have been able to facilitate some kind of positive change. I am reminded once again that it is not only about the large scale impact or number of people we are reaching BUT about the sustainable changes that affect the quality of life of individuals and families.

Something to ponder

As South Africa has just recently commerated 20 years since Nelson Mandela's release from prison and the huge changes that have occured in our country I began to reflect on what a privelege it is to be doing the work that I do. Just this week it struck me as I entered a home for a meeting how welcome I was in this home. I was there to observe and learn from a group of people very different to myself. I had nothing to offer except friendliness, respect, a smile and a willingness to learn. I began to realise that my generation and those who come after us are so privileged to be afforded these opportunities and how many of the older people who were severely affected by apartheid walk in a sense of forgiveness just as Mandela has done. We have plenty to learn from the elders in our communities, our own parents and grandparents and especially from those who have had a different life experience to the one that we have had.