News on the gathering of donations for flood relief in Eden

It’s amazing, despite the number of e-mails sent out appealing for friends ?? and aquaintances to donate a few rand to others less fortunate in our own area, only a few have responded so far.  Most I suspect cast a jaundiced eye and delete thinking why bother, just another bunch of the many millions world wide who are being washed away at this very minute.

In South Africa we also have a problem with class and race – if I had appealed for food, clothing and furniture for a wealthy person whose house was washed away or burnt down, help would come flooding in by concerned residents, but some poor squatter doesn’t even bring a tear to the eye.

 Despite my cynicism, I have received, three large parcels of clothing, some tins of food and was also able to donate another 72 tins of Zadza (maize and meat) as well as 100 litres of fresh water to the Eden Disaster managment committee for distribution.

Being the optimist that I am I always live in hope.

 Cathy

Eden District Mayor calls for donations after devastating floods

CALL FOR DONATIONS IN CASH OR KIND.
The recent heavy rains and floods which have struck the Eden District have caused untold hardship and suffering to communities in most municipal areas within the Eden District. Since the floods hit the area on Wednesday evening, 1500 people have been evacuated and are being housed in various community halls throughout the district. Since the floods have struck Eden, the Eden Joint Operational Centre (JOCS) have co-coordinated the rescue of affected communities, as well as the delivery of food parcels to communities cut off.  Currently municipalities and authorities are busy assessing the full impact of the floods as well coordinating clean-up operations within the district.

Eden Mayor, Councillor Rudi Laws is making a call on businesses and members of the community to make donations in cash or kind to aid flood victims.

Donations in cash can be made at:
Name:          Eden District Municipality
Bank:            ABSA
Branch code:        632 005
Account Number:     4050434930

Donations in kind contact the Joint Operational Centre(JOCS) at +27-44-803 1567

Bolton Food for Life Foundation/Eden District disaster fund

BOLTON’S FOOD FOR LIFE/EDEN DISTRICT DISASTER FUND After last week’s floods in the Southern Cape, which are the worst in 20 years, volunteers, Cathy Dippnall and Heather Mitchell, of the Bolton Food for Life Foundation have taken on the task of raising funds for disaster relief for the region, which is being co-ordinated by the Eden District Disaster Management Committee and the Red Cross.  Many people have been made homeless on the Garden Route after floods washed through their homes, either wrecking them or causing irreparable damage. In other areas whole communities have been cut off through rising flood waters. Those from the poorer communities who have lost their homes have been evacuated to community halls, churches and schools. They are living on food parcels supplied by the disaster management team and will have little Christmas cheer this year. As this is the season of goodwill and many of us have been fortunate enough to escape the disaster, we are asking that you dig a little deeper into your pockets and help make sure that those who are dependent on emergency food parcels, will be assured that food and water donations do not run. Cilla Bolton, founder and president of the Bolton Food for Life foundation is distributing Zadza, a meal in a tin (Pap and vleis – maize and meat) which has been approved by the South African Bureau of Standards and is also endorsed by the Greek NGO World Pharmacists, who have donated over 5 000 tins this year as a supplementary food for HIV/Aids patients in George receiving antiretroviral drugs. The tins of Zadza have a shelf life of three years, so the food will not go off. Each tin costs R6 and can feed one adult or two children for a day.  What is R6? A daily newspaper costs R4.50, you can’t buy a litre of milk and a loaf of bread for R6. Whether it is R6, R60 or R100 join us in this e-mail campaign to reach as many people as quickly as possible so that tins of Zadza and bottled water can be donated to the Eden Disaster Management team this week. Let’s help to avoid sicknesses that often accompany floods, like dysentery and cholera, by donating even a few rand to the Bolton Food for Life Foundation who can then donate the necessary nutritional food and water to the Disaster Management Committee. Drop off your cash donations at: So Delicious Deli (opposite Jimmy’s) in the Golden Harvest Centre, Cradock Street, George, to Heather or Alan Mitchell, or deposit directly into:  Bolton Food for Life Foundation, Standard Bank, George, Branch Code 051001, Account number: 062 481 053, using the reference: Flood relief. If you would like confirmation of your donation fax the deposit slip with your contact details, (fax, e-mail or postal address to: 086 628 4757 (marked: Flood disaster relief). The Bolton Food for Life Foundation is a registered NGO.  Every donation, however small will be greatly appreciated. 

George businesswomen presents her Food for Life project to US convention

dsc03689.jpgThe George business woman  who started her “Food for Life” project in April, Cilla Bolton was invited by the US Africa Sister City Foundation to present her newly founded non-profit organisation at the  16^th annual United States Africa Sister City Convention held in Cape Town earlier this month.

The theme of the conference was “Investing in Africa” and the George Sister City committee, which is twinned with Tacoma, Washington State, nominated Bolton to speak on investing in people by helping to alleviate sickness and hunger through nutrition.

Bolton was given world rights in April to distribute Zadza, the tinned maize and meat, or “pap and vleis” as it is known locally, by the South African creators and patent licence holders, Belinda and Willem Steenkamp, now living in Ireland.

She tracked the Steenkamps down after she initially saw the product, which is manufactured under licence by Bull Brand, when the product was launched three years ago.

Since Bolton started “Food for Life” she has been inundated by requests to supply the Zadza to various communities or organisations and several donations have gone to children in need via local NGOs, while the Greek NGO, The World Pharmacists, (TWP) donated 4000 tins for use at Thembalethu Clinic in George for HIV and TB patients.

 “It was a great honour for me to be invited (to the conference) because I represented the community of George and was able to speak to delegates about the food major crises in Africa (and especially South Africa) called hunger and starvation. “I was also honoured to meet and speak to the president, US Sister Cities Foundation, Shirley Riven Smith, vice chair Dr Mark Bean, board member James Atwater as well as the US Ambassador to South Africa, Eric Bost,” said Bolton. Bolton also said she had long talks with Riven Smith and at the close of the conference was presented with a small cash token from the American delegation to sponsor more tins for Thembalethu clinic.  “We were very excited by Cilla’s heartfelt presentation and on our return to the States will consider becoming sponsors of Food for Life,” said Riven Smith. Delegates attending the conference were from South African Sister Cities, with the United States being represented by 14 states as well as representatives from Ghana and Nigeria.  

The Ghanaian delegation have invited Bolton and the George Sister City to a Sister City conference in that country in October and have expressed interest in Food for Life being used in aid programmes there. Bolton has also been invited to attend the US Africa Foundation’s annual conference in Michigan next year.

The aim of Food for Life, said Bolton, is to make the tinned meal available to NGO’s, welfare organisations and local and foreign governments at an affordable price to supplement the diets of the poorest and sick worldwide.

South African representative of TWP and chief pharmacist at Thembalethu Clinic, David Storey, researched the product and found it to have a high protein content and is easily digestible for weakened immune systems.

The tins are distributed to patients at Thembalethu clinic as well as to the Harry Comay TB hospital in George, where it is given to patients three times a week as a supplement to their diet where it aids ingestion of the anti-retroviral or TB drugs. 

“The results of taking the tinned Zadza, even three times a week has shown a remarkable difference to patients, who were barely able to walk to the clinic for their medication,” said Storey.

Zadza, which has a shelf life of three years, has been approved by the South African Bureau of Standards. It is made from export quality products with 100 percent meat or Soya with added maize meal. It is also packed under government supervision, is protected by patent rights and has been certified Halaal by the South African National Halaal Authority.

 “For R180 per month, a hungry child, the sick and the elderly, can eat a decent and substantial meal a day,” Bolton said. 

She is excited that her project met with so much interest as she was the only presenter at the conference who actually had a project that could help alleviate and feed the sick and hungry in Africa.

Matrics under the hammer as they write final exams

It’s that time of year again when Matric students are under the hammer to excel in their final school exams – the most important exams of their lives – at least it feels like that at the time.

Twelve years of plodding through school, reading and memorising so much work. It takes me back to my dim and distant past.

Due to a very erratic education in a variety of countries and prolonged “holidays” when we were “on leave or had moved back” to England, you can imagine how difficult it was to catch up those missing months.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if the catching up had been at the same school in the same country!

Not to worry though, I lived in the world of books where authors, like Gerald Durrell of “My Family and Other Animals” fame, hardly ever went to school  and succeeded in forging a career exploring equatorial forests and catching animals to put in zoos.

Stories of David Livingstone and other pioneers abounded in my formative years, when said pioneers weren’t long dead and their memoirs could be found in musty old books that my Dad bought in second hand sales.

The days of the explorers were exciting times when much of the world was yet to be discovered and one could only dream and a few brave souls ventured out.

Today, the world is our oyster, so to speak. Technology and air travel mean that the far reaches of the earth are only a day or two away. Countries have formed partnerships like the European Union and the Commonwealth countries, where people are free to move around and get jobs.

Even if it is only the allotted two years abroad, young South Africans have never had it so easy.  Our South African youth are valued for their good manners, hard work and, believe it or not, for their clear, easy to understand speech.

Just think how many South African television newsreaders have been poached by CNN and other TV stations because of their clear diction.

Despite the gloom and doom portrayed that young matriculants have no hope in getting jobs once they leave school, they have far more opportunities than ever before, especially women, who have endless scope to train for jobs that were once only available to men.

The trouble is, is that 13 years after becoming the rainbow nation we have lost our shine.  Uplifting the population is taking such a long time to happen that if we don’t take a stand ourselves and create our own opportunities, we will continue to wallow in self-pity for many years.

Lack of a university education or being poor is no excuse. In fact some of the world’s greatest innovators were considered to be too stupid to worry about by their teachers.

Poverty has also inspired others to rise out of the ghettos and make a name and great wealth for themselves, take Oprah as an example. Where would she be if she was still whinging about her poor background and being fat!

War and natural disasters have also ravished lands and left people not only homeless, but also destitute and there are many examples of people turning their lives around and becoming successful business people again.

We have been blessed in South Africa to have a strong and successful economy, despite changing times, but as a nation we have become moribund and no longer have the burning desire to perform at our best.

It is time for our youth and future leaders of our country to step and tread where no-one has trod before and pave the way for an even brighter and better future for this country.

Hello world!

Life is a microcosm of events, some quite extraordinary. Even something as mundane as a trip to the shops can turn out to be an adventure.

I always get a kick out of my experiences and I look forward to whatever, or wherever life takes me.

Blogging is a great step forward for me and I look forward to sharing life’s experiences with you.

Mama