Meredith Sotoloff

In March, our family was lucky to have had the chance to travel to South Africa for spring break. We spent 11 days there, surrounded by amazing nature and wildlife. One of the lodges we stayed at was called Singita Ebony. We had the great opportunity to spend an afternoon with a group of students from villages near the lodge. We learned how Singita has partnered with local communities to establish the Singita Lowveld Trust. The Trust is committed to creating sustainable, impactful change through education and community development initiatives. They also work tirelessly to preserve and restore wilderness areas so people and nature can thrive together. During our visit, the kids were being taught lessons in conservation. We joined the students in their groups, got to know them, and even showed them photos of NYC snow—something they had never seen. They were as excited to spend time with us as we were with them. Before we left, my sister connected with the woman who helps run the program to learn how we could get involved and support their work. In honor of my Bar Mitzvah, we would like to support the Trust’s Early Childhood Education Initiatives. Jordyn and I both were lucky to have had a very strong education that began in nursery school, and we understand how important that foundation is. We hope to raise at least $5,000 which will fully resource a classroom for children aged 49–60 months, creating spacious, well-equipped spaces that support learning and comfort.  We hope you will consider donating to help us reach our goal to support this incredible organization that touched our hearts.