Sound of a Smile with Catie Connell

Hi Everyone!

Thanks to many generous friends and family (you guys are amazing!), I was able to travel to Kurland Village, South Africa for a life changing volunteer trip in Februrary of 2020. Through the Sound of a Smile Program, which is run by my dedicated and passionate friend, Sam Fuller, we were able to help multiple schools.

To give you a bit of a background, Sound of a Smile was founded in 2018 to help to improve the educational environment and experience of poverty stricken Kurland Village. Kurland Village is a small community of about 5,000 people where the effects of apartheid still linger. The community is made up of mostly wood, clay and brick homes ranging in size from a small as 8' x 8' to as large as 20'x 15'. These structures house anywhere from one to eight people, many without running water.

During my last trip, our group was able to assist the preschools of the village with tasks like repairing playgrounds, installing an eco-water tank and refurbishing classrooms. We also were able to bring school supplies and over a hundred pairs of shoes for the people of the village. As Covid hit, unfortunately the village was hit hard and some of our physical work was undone.

As the program has grown, this year we will have the opportunity to do so much more. This is where I need your help! Now, we have paired with a local community outreach organization, the Kurland Collective, where we will work more directly with village members to continue to refurbish schools, playgrounds, public facilities, homes for the disabled and more.

With a donation, it will go directly to fund my trip (travel and accomodations) as well as purchasing supplies for all of the projects. Any amount is truly appreciated and I would not be able to do this without you all!

If any one has any questions, please feel free to reach out or check out the programs website!

https://www.soundofasmile.com