Volunteer houses, funded by Medway Towns Soroptimists, are half built. The design is an adaptation of Niki’s house, built for her by the community and named Ty (house in Welsh) Nikiwe (gift in Zulu). While hers (below, top left) has one bedroom, each Ilanga Soroptimist Houses has two and no porch (drawing below right, done pro bono by Brendan Gormley of BMG Design, Chepstow).

Our Chilean volunteers (above) ‘camped out’ prior to completion at Ilanga Soroptimist House, while most others stayed at Ty Nikiwe. The second house is still under construction. Delays have been caused by lack of water. Every drop has had to be transported for both Ilanga and the new Centre.

The current centre (a  former disused dormitory) is on loan to us but is being replaced by our own large multi purpose building with two wings, one broadly for recreation activities plus the crèche and preschool class, and the other for quiet study, training and library with a connecting space which will have an office, reception area, kitchen, mini café, computer stations and small classroom, which will be used for small group tuition and also for counselling/life skills sessions. Funds for this have come from UNISON (Bob Cotton Award money), branches and regions, Adam & Victoria Freudenheim and also a large sum from the proceeds of an art auction held in December 2003 by Anglo American, specifically for Starfish to assist us. Escalating building costs and diminishing exchange rates mean that we have insufficient funds to fully fit the building, but we hope to have at least one wing functional by the end of February 2006. More funds will be needed in 2006 to complete the building, add solar panels, a water recycling scheme and to equip the kitchen. We also need to build an outdoor toilet block, lay paths and create courts and playgrounds.

Zisize has assisted several schools with funds to build additional classrooms. Our money and contributions from Operation Jumpstart, Goldfields and the Jeffcott Trust has increased Mpontshini’s facilities in 1998 from one concrete classroom with unpainted interior (right of photo below) and the hut (left of photo below), which housed 50 children to 12 classrooms, 8 toilets, 4 water tanks, a piped supply of water, an admin block/store, a community/school hall and gardens in 2005.

We have also given materials to Mbalekelwa and Mgedula Primary Schools to build an additional classroom each.

Funds from Zisize and Ingwavuma Orphan Care have enabled the building of a six roomed house for Ekukhanyeni Home. IOC funded the first three rooms (below left in white) and Zisize - The Heaton Lee Memorial trust funded an additional two bedrooms (below right) and a large living room and roofing in passageway.

Other children in child headed households live in conditions like these below

so we have begun a programme of building one or two roomed cottages for the most needy. We provide the materials and a local builder trains the eldest boy usually in his late teens or twenties to make blocks and to build and then he makes his own home, with whatever support is necessary. Sibusiso is the first. He and his four younger siblings had been squatting in a derelict government house but were about to be evicted. He and his younger brother Mpendulo made the blocks (below). Zisize had paid for Sbu to have driving lessons. His driving licence and matric made him eligible for a job at the hospital so with his wages he has extended the original two rooms to create this home for himself and his siblings.

We have identified several others in dire need who will receive similar help, as funds allow. Ekukhanyeni’s first resident, will commence building his house this month (February 2006).