Sponsorships - Your sponsorship funds making dreams come true SPONSORING THE FUTURE- EMPOWERING GIRLS! Touching letters written to YOU from our sponsored kids that you WILL want to read This year we have chosen to help sponsor the education of several girls. Their letters to YOU speak for themselves. (Words from the heart that might just trigger a few tears of joy!) Thank you for changing their lives. Thembeka Tshawekazi Gola wrote: "Yesterday the councillor at Eden called me and told me about an anonymous donor who helped me, I didn't understand and she told me that someone has settle my fees for the rest of my business college this year...and I was crying the whole time didn't know what to say :) :) :) and i have asked who is the anonymous person then she said she cant tell :) Was it you- Colors? I really don't know where to start or end, but i would like to take this opportunity and thank you very much for a big surprise or say a Opportunity for Dreams to Come True UPDATE: Good news! Because of you, COLORS' sponsored child Verna is currently completing her 1st year at an amazing UK accredited Drama & Music Academy (International Trinity Guildhall) here in South Africa. COLORS has known Verna from St. Mary's Children's Home over the last 10 years. A HUGE thank you to all the members of Verna's educational foster family for making this once in a life time opportunity possible!
blessing that you have blessed me with...thank you very much for your support i really appreciate it this means a lot to me. I had some difficulties in paying my fees because i only have one parent who is everything. I am concentrating on passing my Eden CPBA (Certificate in Practical Business Administration) and that requires a lot of work Activities, & Assessments. Verna wrote: "Thank you my educational foster family for supporting my dreams. Without your help I would not have this bursary allowing me to go to college, as I grow up in a foster home & I do not have a family that can help me. I will do my outmost best in school as I am very committed. COLORS family help absolutely mean a lot to me, as it gives me a chance to change the poverty cycle that many of the children from children home fall in to. I won t let my circumstances stand in my way. I promise to not let you and other donors down. Once again thanks for taking notice of me i now feel blessed knowing that the is someone out there who takes a good look at me and spot something great /different. Thank you very very much, i so wish to give you a proper thank you face to face. God Bless you! Yours Sincerely Thembeka" Mhwa, Verna Maerman XOXO"
============================================================= Elton s Story: Beating the odds Meet Elton: Elton is an amazing young man who has grown up in a children s home in George, South Africa. Elton s lifelong dream is to become a paramedic, but he was told that because of his grades in science plus the huge expense of the training, this would not be possible. However, Project COLORS recognized Elton s dedication and persistence to achieving his life goal. With this, Elton was paired with a sponsor to receive a full training scholarship through Project COLORS Sponsor a Life, Education Fund. It was only through pairing Elton with a sponsor, that Elton s dreams could now become a reality. We are proud to announce that Elton has just returned from finishing his Basic Ambulance Assistance course in the Eastern Cape and is now registered with the national ambulance association. Elton is currently home in George, fulfilling a 6 month internship with George Ambulance Services, where he seeks to find further employment, so he can help his two teenage sisters who have babies on their own. Imagine living and being raised your whole life in a South African children s home! Can you picture the challenges you would face and the struggles you might find later on in life? But, what if there was someone there to help you at the end. Elton s Sponsor Mr. Lesley Choyce has travelled to South Africa to meet Elton after hearing of his achievements in pursuit of his dreams. When Elton finally met his sponsor, Mr. Choyce asked Elton why he wanted to be an ambulance assistant so badly...and Elton replied, "I just want to help people and have a job I can be proud of." For a youth like Elton, growing up at a children s home next to a hospice, he was exposed to death and dying every day. There are always hearses and ambulances coming through the gates. Sunyata Choyce, Director of COLORS, then asked Elton, "What was your most stressful moment volunteering in the evening shifts on the ambulance?" Elton replayed "Catching babies...sometimes the babies like to come out before we reach the hospital so I need to catch them."
WOW...what a life changing experience for young Elton. It is through sponsorships like these that our community can begin to be uplifted through our youth taking action and believing that they can make a difference. We hope that more people will STEP UP and assist others to reach their dreams so we can hear more of these good news stories...and less of the bad ones. 2 Xhosa teachers sponsored to attain their early childhood development education certificates. Alice and Violet! Alice is currently in her 2nd year of this program and will graduate in 2013. 2 young refugee youth from Congo & Zimbabwe were provided with tool kits to continue to make amazing jewelry after spending 10 days with the project COLORS mentorship program. They were given Anthony Robbins motivational listening program to continue their personal development training, not to mention portfolios highlighting their CV's and community projects. 2 youth from Cameroon were sponsored new book bags filled with college supplies as they are starting at Tsiba business school in Cape Town. Youth provided with a teachers training and skill building kits to use with pre-scholars (Below: Chanique with her teaching kit) 3 children of the Silvertown village sponsored to go to pre-school. Thank you Ali for organizing the sponsorship of these 3 boys and one small girl. STORY: Lwazi Gqili is still at Alice s chresh and doing very well, eating his epap and peanutbutter each day. As his immune system is compromised, this is very important for him to have good nutrition to build his immune system.
Two children have taken the other sponsorship spots as they were seen buy the local community to need the months help. Toddlers Vuvu Gqili, Lwazi s little cousin, and Chloe Katsbye, the most giggly, smiley and cheerful little girl in the creche, are now both attending pre-school and eating nutrientenriched food. Prior to this sponsorship, they could not attend pre-school as their parents were always drunk and never paid the tiny school fees needed. The children just wandered the streets all day hungry until someone came by to care for them, & received no education. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Madagascar- 3 boys going to school for 3 years! Seraphin, Anicet and Rico (and mommy) from Fort Dolphin, Madagascar. They live in Madagascar, in the town of FORT DAUPHIN, south east of the island. Spencer Segula has sponsored these boys to go to school for the next 3 years through COLORS and our contact Anne at lavasoa Madagascar. Without this sponsorship these boys would continue not to go to school. Re-opening pre-schools through teacher sponsorship!: 2 Eastern cape Transcape preschools were re-opened in the rural villages on
the Eastern Cape thanks to the sponsorship of 2 teachers for 2 years. DEAR TERRY CHOYCE, Thank you for sponsoring us to work with the children. Without your donation the pre-schools would still be closed STORY: 2 years ago I visited a rural village in the Eastern cape. The village had NOTHING...really dirt, cows and a lonely empty shell building and seas of children covered in dry mud everywhere..(12 hours from where I live now) Through a local hostel on the cost COLORS sent funding to coordinate with a New Zeland volunteer to& hire 2 teachers to open 2 pre schools in this and one other village. Terry Choyce was the main sponsor of this as we committed to a 2 year upliftment program to get their pre-schools running again. This new year they will be eligible for government funding! I will be returning to this project to see what has happened with our fund and this program personally. COLORS e year commitment is now,however, we will continue our help in a smaller way now in terms of once off donation of skill building supplies, a repairs tool kit and 1st kid kits for there projects as these things fall under SAGAs funding. Please read the report from them attached thanking COLORS for helping the last 2 years with the preschools!!!! Thank you Terry for making this possible as they would not have been open or started up with out you. " The Preschool of Mdumbi Education on Centre is one of the Transcape s strongest programs. They are working very hard to prepare a strong foundation for the future education on of the children in this community. The contributions made in Quarter 2, and Quarter 3, have made all the difference in the lives of the students. Thank you so much for your continued support, time, and effort you given to us throughout the years. Without your dedication, our children would not have the privilege of attending such a strong preschool. Thank you very much for the help you are giving us and keep the school going and the children in our community happy. Transcape, Eastern Cape, September 2012" Foster home, COLORS youth made it to Canada despite the odds! : Felisha Magraff was off on a Canada World Youth exchange program in Camrose Alberta! Felisha was part of COLORS mentorship program and sponsored by COLORS, Volunteer Centre, CWY, the Canadian Government and SAGA for this once in a life time opportunity to work in Canada.
Sponsored youth: "I want to take this opportunity and thank you very much for paying my school fees (partial year Eden Campus Certificate in Practical Business Administration). Its means a lot to me I can now focus on my studies. During my studies i have also been busy in and out of the hospital because my arm still peace s of glasses from the bus accident but I am fine now (and will graduate despite it all). I promise I will never let you down I am a hard worker and I have a positive attitude I believe I can change the world too. you are an inspiration to me and I believe to many people too". lot of love, Lungile