Sunday 1 November 2015

Week 44 - My Sunday Photo. Volunteering in South Africa

This should've been a photo of the team, in the school hall with 7000 christmas gifts neatly packed into the cartons and captioned 'Job done'


Sadly this is what we will be doing all day. We have to finish checking approx 400 boxes then we can start wrapping up and the computer system will tell us what boxes are needed for which carton.

We were a couple hundred pledges short so team have been making up these boxes over the weekend from physical donations from the public and cooperates. Around 500 boxes that have been pledged just haven't been delivered, either people forgot, many just can't be arsed to get up and bring the boxes in or they've simply changed their mind.

What this means is that 500 children will go without a gift, but those 500 children are spread over 89 facilities, 30 kids here, 10 kids there, maybe just one child.

We cannot and will not go to a facility for celebration day, knowing that some of the children there will not receive a gift, so today is being spent, making boxes, we've run out of boxes, we're running low on things to put in our none existent box.

2011 we were learning
2012 we were short of boxes
2013 we hit target and were making boxes for the Joburg team to help them out
2014 we were over target
2015 we are under target, making a plan and making boxes

Over the next week we need the following donations to help us reach our target, and require the following:

toothbrush/paste/soap/face cloth
sweets
toys
clothing
shoeboxes

If you would like to support the work I'm doing in South Africa you can make a donation here, if you're in Pretoria and can get to the Chinese School today with any donations or just your time to help us with the packing we'd love to see you, especially if you could bring us a decorated shoebox and maybe a cafe latte.


15 comments:

  1. I am loving your photos on social media regarding this project. The work you are all putting in is incredible...keep it up

    Thank you for linking up

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    1. thank you Darren it has been a lot of fun if not a lot of hard work

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  2. Oh my goodness! What a huge task! I love your dedication and how much work you are putting into this. It must be so worth it when the children get their boxes.

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    1. thank you Sarah, looking forward to the celebration days next

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  3. Oh wow it looks amazing. I hope you do meet your target, what a brilliant thing to do x

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    1. thank you, we hit the target and now busy making up extra boxes for the extra kids

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  4. What an amazing thing you are doing, and all the team, everyone involved.

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  5. I have family in Pretoria, they are from my late grandads side, I haven't seen them in years. Hope you get everything that you need. My childrens school are doing a collection of shoe box presents filled with goodies for children in Africa x #MySundayPhoto

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    1. thank you, we are almost packed and done and some celebrations have already started

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  6. Very best of luck. Hope you meet your target. #MySundayPhoto

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  7. It was great meeting you on Saturday! Next year we are going big with a youth organization - will be doing boxes and fillers with what we have left over

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    Replies
    1. great to meet you too Cat and anything you can do to help will be wonderful

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