Dear friends of Hope and Light
Joy* (14) lives with her mother in a small flat in Somerset West, Cape Town. Two other women share the two-bedroom flat with them, as this is the only way that they can afford the rent. 5-6 days a week, Joy’s mother works as a domestic worker, yet no money remains at the end of the month – they even have to ask neighbours and friends to help with food. After school, Joy does the housekeeping and her homework all by herself. Her mother understands very little of the curriculum. Joy’s favourite subjects are mathematics and science and she wants to become a doctor.
When Jayden* was born, his mother was only in grade 9. He spent several months in the hospital and still struggles with asthma and requires regular check-ups. Despite this, Jayden is full of energy and everything at Hope and Light – from schoolwork to sport – brings him joy. In the afternoon, he plays with other children from Sir Lowry’s Pass in the streets of the township, where he lives with his grandparents. They receive a small disability pension and often have to go to the soup kitchen to still their hunger. Jayden wants to join the army when he grows up. He wants to protect his country against evil.
For children like Jayden and Joy, Hope and Light opens a door to the future. Here, children experience love, acceptance and academic support as well as two warm meals a day.
As an “independent school”, we play in the sports league for private schools. In doing so, our children encounter a wealth that they can only dream of. However, on the sports field there is no rich or poor – it is athletic performance that counts. And what a successful season we’ve had – in football and netball especially, hardly anyone can come close to us! In the week of 16 August 2023 we won all 7 matches!
Adhering to the adage, “Don’t put off till tomorrow, what you can do today,” South Africans celebrate the end of their school career before the final exams. At the valedictory, the top students in grade 12 received awards and the entire grade took an oath of conduct for the upcoming exams.
Our public relations work is growing: 3 radio interviews have already been conducted and more are in the pipeline. The message must get out and Anthea Jacobs has a professional and authentic way of bringing the „forgotten children“ of Sir Lowry’s Pass to the attention of entrepreneurs, investors and individuals!
Maxi Race took place on 30 September in Stellenbosch. Our best runners were invited and participated in the professionally organised race, which even had a massage tent!
A farewell party for our kindergarten graduates was next on the agenda. The team showed that even with a shoe-string-budget it is possible to host a well-organised event and raise a record amount of money.
On 11 October, we were invited by the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany to a celebration of the Day of German Unity. Here, we also met the mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Andreas Peschke.
On 15 October, Matthias Hamann achieved his personal best at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon finishing in a time of 3:45 despite very windy conditions. 30 000 runners, including world elite athletes, wheelchair users and first-time runners, gathered for the event. Matthias also gained a second place as fundraiser for Hope and Light on the platform givengain.com.
We thank everyone that so faithfully supports us! Your donation, contribution to the school fees, inquiries and interest and your prayers make a difference in the lives of our 500 children. Thank you!
Please see a financial overview of our income and donations from page 4; on page 6 you will find a detailed report with comments. Please feel free to ask us any questions.
Warm regards from the entire team at Hope and Light Community Welfare NPC