Aid delivered and Rebuilding begins in the Vumanhlamvu community
The Bambisanani Partnership was recently contacted by William Vilakazi, Principal of Vumanhlamvu Primary School informing us that 21 of his children had been left homeless by wildfires. The school serves one of the poorest rural communities in South Africa. William is no stranger to the partnership and indeed played a significant role in developing it when he was Principal of Mnyakanya School in the same region. A rapid response from the partnership has now delivered all the essential emergency aid required to help rebuild the community. Please see letter below and related photographs from William Vilakazi:
Dear David
The School Management Team and the School Governing Body of Vumanhlamvu Primary School would like to express our sincere appreciation for the donation you have recently made for our school and surrounding community. In addition to the Covid-19 our school community is faced with many challenges in life. The fire was the worst thing added on that situation.
Our learners are now attending school in numbers with new clean uniforms; they also have food in their stomachs. The building material you donated also bought dignity, self-esteem and hope to both the learners and community members. We have no doubt that the performance of our learners will also increase in the classroom.
Your donation made a huge difference in our community. They were desperately in need of it. They will be able to build new houses and rebuild their lives.
Mrs Sibongile Mpungose grandmother of four learners said, “I lost everything that I stored in my rondovel such as food, clothes and other valuable things. I am depending on social grant I received once every month to rebuild a house, buying blankets, food and school uniform was going to be a difficult job for me as a single parent. I thank Bambisanani Partnership for a wonderful job they did to us even though we have never met. May God bless you all”.
Dlamini Nomfundo a grade 6 learner said “I now have self confidence in class. I received a new school uniform, food parcel, blankets and on top of that building material for a home. I will now focus on my studies. Thank you Bambisanani”.
The Nkandla Mayor (Mr Thamsanqa Ntuli) added “It is my first time to see that people abroad from UK to do such wonderful job. You have showed love and support to our people by donating building material and other much needed resources. I thank everyone involved to this project especially Bambisanani trustees and Eshowe Rotary Club”.
Mr Xulu (Local Councillor) said “If you are homeless people don’t take you seriously in the community. Fire has destroyed everything we had worked for years. I thank UK people for their good hearts. We are going to have new proper houses in our area”.
We are very blessed to have you. Thank you again for your generous support and we look forward to working with you again in the near future.
William Vilakazi
Principal
David Geldart, from the partnership added: “Having William on the ground working with the local community and having our good friends from Eshowe Rotary Club to coordinate matters enabled us to get this essential project delivered; we simply could not have done it without them. We could not have done it, and indeed done it so quickly, without our friends and supporters here in the UK either. People showed enormous kindness and generosity with regard to our hastily arranged Auction and with specific donations. Specific funding from Newcastle based company Argon Health and the Rotary Club of Aireborough helped us pay for the majority of the building materials required. Special thanks must also go to the Vumanhlamvu community who will carry all the building work required. I cannot thank everyone concerned enough for making this all happen. Yet again we have seen a tremendous Bambisanani team effort across nations and communities that has truly changed the lives of some people."
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