Supporting vulnerable adults and children in South Africa.

Before moving to Dubai, I lived in Pretoria, South Africa for 4 years. There I worked with 3 charities/organisations supporting educational projects in rural areas and in townships across the region.

I was back in SA July 2^nd – July 10^th to work with these charities/organisations and I was hoping one or two of you would like to support the work I do.

The Santa Shoebox Project is a country wide organisation and collects and distributes over 100,000 gifts every year to the most vulnerable children. In Pretoria I worked with a team who provided over 50,000 gifts over a 5 year period.  For AED 50 you can buy a gift for a boy or a girl aged 0 - 18. Sadly I won't be able to support them with collection, checking and delivering the boxes this year as that takes place end of October, early November. But I am spending a week there in July to sort the storage unit out, do some marketing and collect donations, ready for drop off. Last year I had sponsorship from Ford and worked with KFC and other national companies.

 The Pretoria Volunteers

 Each shoebox is packed for an individual child

 The hats my MIL knitted for Njabulo Child Care facility

Out in Soshanguve delivering gifts November 2015

The Viva Foundation provides rape support and counselling as well as running several educational centres in South Africa, including a school in Kildare, an hours drive west of Kruger National Park that I sourced donations for, they provide support for orphaned and vulnerable children in the Alaskan Informal Settlement and arrange family days to build communities, fund birthday parties and provide training to help people get into employment. One of their community projects is an annual Art's festival. I was involved with the education side, teaching and training and sourcing educational supplies.

There is little, if any, government funding for these projects and they rely almost on public donations, volunteers and cooperate sponsorship.

I fund raise and raise awareness year round for the above causes and I'm hoping a few of you would like to make a financial donation for this years trip. I paid my own flights and I stayed with friends. I'm looking for donations to support educational supplies, even if it's just your loose change, it will go a long way with the current exchange rate. I will provide you with receipts and photos of the children who receive your donations.

Please let me know if you would be interested in making a financial donation or click here for paypal.

Below are some of the blog posts I've written, with photographs, if you're interested.

Just how far does your loose change go? 

The Santa Shoebox Project 

Rural Communities 

Camping in a township and the Viva Art Festival 

When you have to walk 4km for fresh water 

Want to climb a mountain/skydive for charity? Pay for it yourself

There are enough people living in Africa without the need for you to have to visit it to show the levels of poverty.

For 4 years I worked alongside some amazing volunteers, in a variety of projects, in townships, inner city and rural locations. Vulnerable children, orphans, people with disabilities. Fundraising, building schools, teaching, training, collecting and distributing donations. 

I gave my time, my fuel, my money, my energy. I raised funds, I asked people for donations. I collected 2nd hand clothes, pushchairs, bedding, mattresses, I asked friends to help me deliver larger items. I put people in touch with social workers, arranged job interviews, I took part in arts project in The Alaskan informal Settlement in Mamelodi, camping out for the night. Spent weeks begging for items to furnish for a school near Kruger National park then drove all the way there to drop the items off.

Yes, I asked my family and friends for money, but I gave them something in exchange. I spent days in a workshop for adults with disabilities learning to sew, threading beads, twisting wire to make items to sell to my family and friends. We made handbags, necklaces, key fobs, bunting.

I posted them to the UK, and with the money I was given, used it to repair equipment, buy arts and craft materials to enable the residents to make items to sell at their christmas market, their biggest source of income for the 140 bed home.

I wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but it was too expensive. I wanted to climb the mountain and blog and tweet about my experiences to raise money for sponsorship, but after looking into it, without a major sponsor behind me and without the social media coverage all I was going to do was raise equivalent to the cost of the trip, so instead of climbing the mountain I used the money on educational supplies.

Yes I sound bitter, Yes I am frustrated. I'm not jealous of you for being invited to Africa for a tiny glimpse of what it is like, I've lived and worked in that environment, my friends are doing it day in day out as volunteers, with no recognition and no reimbursements for their fuel, their time, their donations.

All I ask you to do is rather than give someone £5 to pay towards their trip to Africa or for their charity skydive or mountain climb give it to The Viva Foundation of South Africa to spend on education, feeding schemes, providing employment and training in their community. Support the work they do with families with AIDS, women and children who have been raped, orphaned children.

You can donate here.

They can provide you with a receipt, a photograph, a description of what they've used your money for and more importantly I guarantee every penny goes on that project.

You won't get recognition with hundreds of RTs, but you'll get a dam good blog post out of it and help to spread the real daily work that ordinary people do day to day and live amongst.

And when I next go out to South Africa, a place I called home for 4 years, at my own expense, I'll show you where your money was spent.

Things I hate about Social media and Mug & Tweet Book review.

This blog posted started last week and has been edited many times, it's not my intention to alienate anyone and rather tough if you think I'm talking about you and only you. I decided to scrap the post after the rant had subscribed but then I was asked to review a book by Rich Simmonds' 'Mug and Tweet, Social Communication in the digital age'

Now my first thought was 'it's my social media, don't tell me how I should use it' but as the book was given to me by a friend of the author I thought I really should make the time to read it. I lack 'skill and grace' when dealing with things that wind me up and I open my mouth (send tweets) without actually thinking about the best way to communicate effectively.

I had a mini melt down last week on and about Twitter which has resulted in me unfollowing a large number of people.

I'm fed up of seeing the same hashtags & product reviews by the same people and don't get me started on the bloody blogging awards and 'vote for me' posts doing the rounds at the moment.

I don't hate blog posts about people's lives and experiences. I don't follow or subscribe to any blogs at all, I just pick up links from twitter and Facebook and if the title and introduction catch my attention, I click and read. 

I blog about family life as an expat, food, travel, up cycling and charity work. I don't fit a niche, but I have a varied life that throws new challenges up at me daily. My blog is read in the real world, by people who aren't on social media sites, by family and friends, with a large chuck of my 9000 hits per month being world wide and a lot of interest via Russia and China, but those referral sites are a little dodgy to say the least. If like me, and you don't like what you read, then unfollow, walk away as you would do in real life if someone on the street was spouting crap at you for hours on end. 

So what has Rich Simmonds' book taught me about Social Communication in a digital age?  It has taught me the importance of keeping the private life and the business life separate and I'm thinking it could be time now to decide on what type of blogging focus I should have. The kids have left home, so my advice on parenting teenagers probably isn't relative to many people who are at that stage. What about travel Blogging? Yes I do a lot of travelling and living in South Africa there are numerous opportunities even if it is all local things. Food and up cycling posts? I don't really do many and I've been told my style of writing and general haphazard approach to it, just isn't of interest to the leading retailers. 

So what does it leave me with? Charity blogging and fundraising, that's what. I work full time as a volunteer, I'm involved in so many projects that I'm working sometimes 40+ hours a week, either at a facility or behind the scenes researching, fundraising and contacting sponsors.

I guess you could say I haven't really done a review of the book yet, as I've nothing to share with you about my findings, but I've read it, I've made notes and I'm going to try and apply it to a new blog and twitter account, one that focuses on fundraising, charity and education and hopefully keep all the crap on this blog and learn to fit the mould if I want to be successful in encouraging sponsors and donations to come my way.

And if Rich Simmonds' is reading this and fancies following up on Chapter 13, I'm free to meet for that coffee.

Mug and Tweet was published today and is available to buy online.

Volunteer fatigue

I was feeling overwhelmed this week, even my 'to do' lists had sub lists. After blogging about it a friend at one of the places I volunteer at, suggested I take some time off before I start suffering with the all too common 'volunteers fatigue'

I've taken on too much, but in reality all I actually do is go to Viva once a week to train teachers, attend Kungwini twice a week to support disabled adults in the workshop and educational activities in the Children's home and tutor a grade 7 child two afternoons a week. Apart from swimming most mornings, daily dog walks and food shopping and coffees out, there's no real reason why I should be over doing things, especially since the kids left home in January.

Volunteering costs money, almost a full time wage some months. I can't teach without resources and although I have plenty of stuff left over from my the days when I had a career, it needs adapting, updating. I've already donated the stuff the kids left behind that they no longer wanted, such as clothes, toys and stationery. I'm also very imaginative and creative with making my own resources but it's become very time consuming. Do you know how long it takes to draw/write 46 worksheets or colouring in pictures? I make and sell buntings and bags to raise funds and blog to raise awareness.

But what happens is I see something, get an idea and run with it. This involves raising funds, phone calls, emails, writing proposals, visiting people, cold calling. I used to make medical rep appointments with Doctor's surgeries and hospitals so I'm not easily deterred.

The last 3 nights I've been burning the candle at both ends, up till gone midnight working on several projects, researching, contacting other charities, writing sponsorship proposals. It's almost become a full time job and I could do with hiring a PA.

What I really need to do is focus though on what I can do and do well. Pick a subject, a project, a facility and run with that and that alone.

I've decided that my 'thing' is education. Without education the other issues in South Africa can't be addressed, it's not just about educating the children in the townships in school, it's about educating their parents also.

Without education the issues of poverty, crime, AIDS, rape, homelessness, child abuse and exploration cannot be addressed. Throwing money and donations of food at people does not help in the long run, the more you give the less people do for themselves, the more they rely on handouts.

People need to learn to help themselves, it's evident after a visit to Mamelodi this week that no one helps these people and no one helps them to help themselves. The river flooded a week ago, there is no way to cross it, it has left people stranded, unable to buy food, get to work and earn money and for children to get to school, missing even more of their education.

I'm up to date now with my 'to do' list and I'm just waiting responses for my proposals, but in the meantime I'm going away for a few days this weekend to switch off and relax.

Feeling overwhelmed

I love lists. I creat lists. I add to them even after I've done something so when I look at my list I can see what I've achieved.

I also use lists as a way of not doing things.

I've about a million and one projects on the go right now.

Currently there are these lists on the go. Yes more than one.

Stuff to do in the home

1) sort photos

2) sort crafts then do some

3) finish sewing bunting and scarves

Stuff to do outside the home

1) visit stores/businesses with sponsorship proposals

2) general food ship and supplies (that has it's own list)

3) get dogs claws clipped

Stuff to do online in no particular order

1) book campsite

2) copy writing

3) comic relief proposal

4) blog posts (there's a seperate list for that also

5) link sponsored posts to companies on twitter and Facebook 

6) book Apple Mac tutorial

7) write up charity blogs for a kungwini and Viva

8) investigate move to Dubai and transportation of pets

9) finish watching Inspector Lynley series on you tube

I was just about coping with all of this and was on top of things until my stressful drive to Mamelodi this morning in the rain, with hidden craters/potholes and idiots driving without lights when I stopped for a take out coffee and was told the machine wasn't working.

Touting for sponsored posts for #britmumslive

I'm new to all of this, well I've been blogging since October 2009 and with an average of 6000+ hits per month I'm obviously doing something right. I don't go looking for things, they come and find me.

This year I've decided to attend Britmums Live on June 21-22nd. I want to learn more about blogging, no follow links (should I ever get anything to review) Raising my profile and awareness of adults with disabilities in South Africa, meeting and sharing expat experiences with the aim to support others taking the first and very difficult steps. Support groups for when you're children leave home, as mine is doing in September to return to UK boarding school and the depression that comes with dealing with all of this.

So what I need is a start, a push, someone who knows what they're doing and is willing to mentor me down the difficult route of touting/begging for further help.

Can you RT the tweet with link, share this post, actually sponsor me, offer me support and guidance on how to word these things correctly?

Here's what I've written to date. I will tailor it to individual companies, but if you have any contacts that you're willing to share, please let me know.

Gratefully yours

Suzanne

I’m a British expat living with two teenage sons in South Africa since 2011. I travel to the UK on a regular basis to visit parents and adult children. I also take the opportunity to visit friends and my destinations are Bath (Mother in Law) Monmouth (Parents) Gloucester (Step children: Son aged 24, Disabled daughter, aged 25) Leeds (Son aged 21) Leamington Spa, St Albans and various locations in London. This trip has also involved two camping trips to Devon (friends) and Cornwall (MIL)

Future travel will include UK trip in September to settle son into boarding. Camping with pets and Kruger National Park. Climbing Kilimanjaro to raise funds for adults with disabilities in South Africa.

Whilst travelling I tweet as @chickenruby with 2225 followers and I blog over at http://www.chickenruby.com with, according to Stats, 6000+ hits per month.

I blog about:

·         Life as an expat, from saying goodbye to purchasing a car, with hints and tips.

·         Raising teenagers from buying condoms to relocating youngest back in the UK education system and full time boarding.

·         Fundraising for Adults with disabilities in South Africa

·         Depression

·         Dealing with the unexpected

·         Disability

·         Fundraising and supporting www.kwo.org.za and www.santashoebox.co.za

I am a featured blogger over at Internations, Expatsblog.com, Mumsnet, Netmums, Britmums. I have written articles for Mark Warner on holidaying with teenagers (published soon) Currencies Direct on purchasing a car as an expat (published soon) and featured on the expat HSBC top 5 tips on dealing with depression.

I am currently in the UK to evict tenants from our family home, find a suitable boarding school that supports dyslexia for my 14 year old son and to attend Britmums live 21^st-22^nd June. BritMums Live will attract 500 attendees and is the only conference dedicated entirely to the parent blogging audience of more than 4k influential and engaged bloggers

I will and have been blogging and tweeting about my experiences and adventures since arriving in the UK May 22^nd. I have an open ticket to return with Emirates Airlines as soon as the necessary repairs have been completed to my property.

What I am looking for is a sponsor for the following and products to review. In exchange I will advertise your company/organization at Britmums Live. I will tweet and blog with follow links, where appropriate, on my website. I do accept guest posts but only with personal experiences and I have guest posted for various bloggers.

Please let me know what you would be interested in helping me with.

Monetary

Britmums ticket                                  £ 80

Train travel                                         £150

Additional luggage to take hand made hats, scarves and donations to www.kwo.org.za for adults and children with disabilities in South Africa. Cost unknown

Food and drink for rest of duration and stay whilst travelling approximately £10 per day

Hotel in London 2 nights                     £160

Products

Outfit for Britmums inc printing        £100

Painting and decorating supplies

Carpet cleaner

Dry cleaning for curtains

 

                                               

 

 

Climbing Kilimanjaro to support Adults with disabilities in South Africa

Right it's official. I'M GOING TO CLIMB MOUNT KILIMANJARO. In October for charity and to raise awareness for Adults with disabilities in South Africa.


My (step) daughter is in residential care in the UK, the money she receives for her care every year equates to the same amoun of government assistance available for the 140 residents at Kungwini Welfare Organisation in Pretoria.


I've been volunteering with them since July 2011 helping out in the workshop, making 2km of bunting to decorate their Christmas Market, their biggest fundraiser of the year, making bags (I'd never used a sewing machine before) and selling them to family and friends in the UK and using the funds to buy essential items such as toiletries and equipment for the workshop. Sometimes I jsut sit and chat with the residents, or turn up with a batch of cakes. But I want to to do more.


I've been suffering with Derpression as an expat, struggling to find my way. KWO has provided me with a place to go, a value and self worth to my life and i've met some amzing people and such a laugh with the staff. I want to do more. I'm currently fullfilling an order of bags for friends here in South Africa and trying my hand at making children's toys to sell on their behalf.



But before I sign up to the trip in October and pay the R20,000 (£1,500) I need to find out a little more about fundraising, training and sponsorship for equipment. I can't afford to pay the fee and purchase all my own gear. And I want to ensure that I can maximise the monies raised.



So many of you work with PR companies, review products on your blog and I never understand how you do this, do you contact them? if so how? or do they contact you?



I get around 250 hits on my blog a day via a handful of plugs on twitter. With my last post on Supporting Adults with disabilities in South Africa, receiving over 1000 hits.



So who can help me? Guide me in the right direction? Need to get this up and running ASAP so I can book the climb