Help Botshabelo during Covid-19

Hello Everyone! 

Thank you for visiting my donation page! If you would prefer to not use your credit card,  I can also receive an e-transfer to [email redacted] or a cheque in the mail to 1324 West Keith Rd, North Vancouver, BC V7P1Z1. Please scroll down for further details on what I will be fundraising for this year.

First of all, I want to extend my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to everyone who has supported and attended the Botshabelo Benefit Concert over the past four years. Because of your continued generosity, kindness and support, we have been able to accomplish a variety of different projects that have greatly impacted the lives of so many living in the Botshabelo Community. (For some exciting project updates, scroll down!) After much deliberation, I came to the very difficult decision to take a break from the Botshabelo Benefit Concert . It sadly just wasn't in the cards for this year, but I will be back at you next year with the Fifth Botshabelo Benefit Concert.

Although I will be taking a break from the benefit concert, myself and my dear friend Lucy will still be going down to Botshabelo in August,  to do Kids Day, among other things (see below for details). As such, we are still accepting donations for this years project work. 

*If you are new to hearing about Botshabelo; The Botshabelo Community Development Trust  is a home of refuge for children and families effected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. The community was started by Marion and Con Cloete in 1990 during the fall of Apartheid to help struggling families find safety and shelter. Botshabelo's main philosophy is that nobody seeking help gets turned away. They are home to 250 children (all of whom are either orphaned, or whose families don't have the means to take care of them), a myriad of animals, and close to 400 other people who live with their families at Botshabelo. Botshabelo also has a school that children can attend up until grade 9.

This year we are fundraising for:

1. The Thapelo Maribe Scholarship Fund - I will be starting a scholarship fund to help support the older children of Botshabelo as they get ready to graduate high school and move on to their college years. Thapelo Maribe was an incredibly bright and caring young man who typified the spirit of Botshabelo. Tragically he passed away last year. His death was needless, however his legacy will Iive on through this fund. He took education very seriously and wanted to rise above his perceived station in life. He truly saw a better life for his peers, his family, and his community. Educating the young adults of Botshabelo will help propel and encourage the younger generation of Botshabelo toward a bright future, lifting up themselves, their peers, and ultimately their community. A scholarship fund is something that the community really needs as they do not have any funding in place for post secondary education for their children.  "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela 

2. Kids Day! - In some countries, Kids Day is an annual event much like Mothers day or Fathers Day. South Africa does not celebrate Kids Day but Botshabelo sure does! My dear friend Yuri introduced me to Kids Day as she is the original  Botshabelo Kids Day Queen. I took over for Yuri when she was no longer able to travel to the community, and this will be my sixth year putting it on. Kids day is simply a day where kids get to celebrate being kids. The day consists of bouncy castles, slip n slides, pinata's, candy, ice cream, hotdogs, cake, smiles, laughter and so much more. It is such a magical day, and one they now look forward to year after year.

3. Fulfilling overall immediate needs-  Every year when I go to Botshabelo I sit down with the community leaders and we discuss what it is that the community is in desperate need of, and what their main priorities are. This typically consists of stocking the store room with food, purchasing new shoes for the kids, getting new mattresses for the kids dorm rooms, purchasing animal feed etc...

4. An outing to the movies with the kids - This may sound like no big deal, but for them, it's a very special occasion. It is important that the children of Botshabelo get the opportunity to experience life outside of their community. Because there are so many children, it becomes extremely expensive to do anything outside of the village. I started doing outings with the kids during my second visit in 2013 and I have witnessed both the overwhelming joy and importance of this day. Much like Kids Day, this outing has lasting effects on the kids and it is also something they look forward to every year. The kids get into groups of 2 and they get to split off and see whatever movie they wish as well as get popcorn, a candy and soft drink. After the movie, we all go for pizza! You would think taking that many kids to the movies and for pizza would be mayhem, but you would be amazed at the politeness and well mannered behaviour of these kids. They more than deserve this day.


Thank you so much for your time and consideration. All of your continued support means the absolute world to both myself and the Botshabelo Community. Stay tuned for future project and Benefit Concert updates!

In so much gratitude,

Deghan Munn

Thapelo Maribe and my mom in 2016







 PROJECT UPDATES


2017: Solar Panel Installation project

In August 2017 we kicked off our work with community wide Clean Energy Educationprogramming and the installation of a 3.2 kilowatt solar panel array. The completion of this project gave Botshabelo independent access to clean water. And while the installation of the solar panels came with some pretty serious challenges (a.k.a. the longest cable ever), we successfully wrapped up this work in Spring 2018. 
 
SUCCESS STORY: During the summer of 2018, the community experienced a series of rolling power outages. For the first time EVER, the community had access to water during this time allowing them to cook meals, bathe the children and carry on with their day-to-day tasks. Additionally, the installation of the solar panels along with the replacement of the community's lights with energy efficient LEDs, cut Botshabelo's monthly energy costs by 37%. 

Kids Day 2018

 Kids Day 2018 was a great success! Before the big day, the community got to work creating their piñatas. Each classroom, as well as the creche babies, spent an afternoon decorating their truly one of a kind piñatas. It’s amazing what can be done with a box, some tissue paper, pipe cleaners and stickers.

The day consisted of bouncy castles, slip n slides, ice cream, hot dogs, cake, pinatas, candy and lots of laughter and smiles. It was truly a magical day for everyone, and one that the kids look forward to every year.

2018 - Mushroom Cultivation Project

Following the very successful 2018 Botshabelo Benefit Concert, we raised enough funds to take on a number of large projects. Among the largest was the installation and skills training required to launch Botshabelo's Mushroom Cultivation Project. During our stay last year, we worked tirelessly to upgrade all of the infrastructure necessary to incubate and fruit the mushrooms. Thanks to our mushroom expert, Danielle Stevenson, we also enrolled a number of community mushroom ambassadors in extensive skills training to ensure they can maintain the project for years to come. 

The first few months surfaced many challenges, from finding the right materials to grow the mushrooms on, mold, and maintaining growing conditions. But embracing every experience as a learning experience, the community faced these challenges head on. Early this year, the community dialed in their growing process and, it's been more fruitful than we ever imagined. We initially estimated that their production would proliferate for about 8-10 weeks. However, to our surprise, they are proliferating continuously for about 14 weeks. This means they are fruiting more mushrooms than we anticipated; a major reason for celebration! 

The community has also taken so well to to mushroom cultivation that they've continued to host mushroom education and skills training with their school classrooms. They've also enrolled more community members in the ongoing maintenance of the mushrooms, and even the little ones are getting involved.
 
Since they've been so successful with their mushroom production, the community is cooking with the mushrooms multiple times a week and teaching the children to cook with them on the weekends. Their growing passion for fungi doesn't stop here though. This year CSW will be exploring what it looks like for Botshabelo to turn their mushroom operation into a profitable business that continues to support the community. 


2018 Exercise Therapy

In 2018 we also brought along Physiotherapist, Amanda Morin, who ran an Exercise Therapy Program for several community members in need. Specifically, she worked with Con Cloete (the father of Botshabelo), Calvin,  Sarah, and Annaleta, along with a number of other "walk-in" patients. The goal of this work was to increase their mobility and improve functional independence and without a doubt we achieved a lot! 

Following a major stroke, Con had been bed-ridden almost completely for over two years. For the first time in these two years, Amanda got Con out of bed and standing. Seeing him face to face with his wife, Marion, was truly a gift. Amanda also worked with Calvin (first picture below), a 3-year-old down syndrome boy who simply never learned how to walk. Using a child's gait trainer, she began teaching Calvin the walking pattern so that he can start to develop the ability to walk and move more freely as he grows.

 She worked with Sarah , Marion and Con's granddaughter, who has a severe case of cerebral palsy and is non-communicative. Amanda helped reduce contractures in Sarah's arms and legs, overall making her more comfortable. Finally, Amanda and company worked with sweet little Annaleta (second picture below) to get her walking independently. Annaleta has a more mild form of cerebral palsy and was unable to walk or function independently until the age of 8. With a little bit of candy and fun exercise activities, she was walking, playing and running around with her friends by the end of our stay. Today, she's officially attending school and boy does she look cute in her school uniform!


2018 First Aid Certifications

Last year your generous donations also allowed 26 community members to complete their Level I First Aid Training, of which all 26 participants passed. Village life comes with a never ending list of emergencies and this First Aid Training prepared an entirely new group of people to be able to respond in the wake of a crisis.  

The the National First Aid Association joined us on site at Botshabelo to deliver an accessible training of which all learning abilities could participate and complete the exam. The participants had so much fun learning, and only a few days after the training, some of them got to put their skills to use. We are beyond proud of them!


Together we have truly made a significant impact on the daily lives of the people of Botshabelo and on behalf of the community we thank you so very much for your generosity and support.