Your Donations Benefit...

Here is information on the partners and projects already creating beautiful service in Cape Town that will benefit from your donations, and some specific information on what we will accomplish:

LINAWO CHILDREN'S HOME: a residential home that cares for abandoned, neglected and orphaned children as a result of substance abuse, poverty and/or HIV/AIDS. Linawo currently provides temporary and permanent residential, physical and emotional care for 15 children between the ages of 1 and 12 years. Care will continue until the children are 18 years of age when we hope to further support them through tertiary/higher education. Education funds have been started for this purpose. The long term mission of the home is not merely to provide food and shelter for children but to rehabilitate their lives and develop good and honest characters so that they can become adults how make an effective contribution to our society. Their vision is to have a number of satellite homes in different communities around the country where not more than 20 children are cared for on one premises so as to maintain a family environment.

SOUTH AFRICAN WHOLE GRAIN BREAD PROJECT: aims to establish community-based microbakeries to produce fresh, high quality, whole grain bread to improve the nutrition of health-compromised and malnourished adults and children. The bread will help satisfy the dietary needs of malnourished HIV/AIDS positive individuals who need to improve their health in order to allow retroviral drugs to work effectively. In addition to the health objectives, the baking initiative has been designed as a small business/ social development project that will encourage income generation opportunities for South Africans living with HIV/AIDS. We will fund a brand new bakery with this project.

CHRISTEL HOUSE SOUTH AFRICA: (CHSA) breaks the cycle of poverty through education, health and empowerment. It currently serves 688 children from some of the most destitute, violent and crime- ridden communities of Cape Town. In spite of the challenging conditions to which these students return every night, they have hopes and dreams of future success and self-sufficiency. This remarkable school opened in 2002 for students in grades 1 through 4, and construction of a new facility commenced in 2008. There is now space for a full Senior School Library, but no books to fill it. Consequently, the 360 students in grades 7 through 12 have no reading material beyond their textbooks. Off the Mat will fund the purchase of books to fill the Senior School Library, and then volunteer to protect, catalogue, index and shelve these books during the groups’ trip to Cape Town in 2011.

BAPHUMELELE HALFWAY HOUSE: The Baphumelele project is already a thriving service system with a children's home, hospice, micro-financing foundation, and more. We will construct a recovery house that will allow young people to begin the process of reintegration with society, whilst providing monitoring and support, creating livelihood opportunities by providing education as well improving capacities for young people. Creation of a farm residence will assist youth who have left highly structured institutions to adjust to and reenter society and live within its accepted norms and standards as well being capable of independence.

GOLD PEER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT AGENCY: GOLD is a dynamic not-for-profit organization playing an important role in the transformation of under-served communities in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. GOLD (Generation of Leaders Discovered) is rolling out a strategic long-term youth peer education model that focuses on equipping youth to help education in difficult circumstances and to promote the holistic well being of their peers and ultimately their communities in a structured and sustainable manner.

EARTHCHILD PROJECT: The beautiful team at The Earthchild Project focuses on the holistic development of children, teachers, schools and communities. Their aim is to create meaningful and sustainable change by providing practical skills in how to live a more balanced and fulfilling life with a focus on self-awareness, health and wellness, and the environment. Earthchild wants to construct a district-wide after-school classroom for the children of Cape Town, with everything from homework assistance, arts, yoga, meditation, empowerment and hospice services.

I hope this provides for you more in-depth information about these important and incredibly worthy causes. If you have any further questions, please don't ever hesitate to contact me!

Namaste.