Mid Year

It has been a tough start to this year, with most of the board members ill, but the good news is that our girls are doing well and one of the board members completed her PhD. Congrats Dr. Ruby-Ann Levendal.

Bronwyn was struggling at the beginning of the year and did not perform well on her Easter exams. In the June exams she improved drastically scoring mainly 5's and 6's (60-80%) and averaging 67% (grade average 71%).

Keasha also improved her grades in the Easter exams scoring an average of 64% (grade average 67%). She is still struggling with Maths, which brought down her overall average, but there has been an improvement compared to last year. Her June results are not available yet.

Alison obtained an average of 60% (grade average 67%). She is also struggling with Maths but is receiving tutoring at the school. Her June results are not available yet.

Caylin's National Senior Certificate was accepted by the German authorities and her application at the University of Bremen is pending. In the meantime she worked part-time but now she is accumulating hours towards her Sociology degree application.

We are liaising with renowned documentary filmmaker Irene Loebell in helping with the screening of her new film called Life in Progress (www.lifeinprogress.ch). The screenings will be in Port Elizabeth at NMMU and we are hoping to organise screenings at various schools in Cape Town.

Due to our various illnesses, the fundraising has stagnated. With improving health, we hope to remedy this.

Thank you for your continued support.

New Year

A new school year has started. All our girls have passed. Thandi is no longer with CDC. Her mom is now permanently employed and is able to support Thandi's further education at JG Meiring. We wish her all the best for her future. Bronwyn, who is supported by two families in Switzerland, happily started her high school career at DF Malan High. I was fortunate enough to share this experience with her. She was so excited and proudly announced that she is in Grade 8.1, the class with all the clever children (as she put it). Alison and Keasha will continue at JvR and will continue living at the hostel during the week and at home over weekends. Caylin passed matric with a distinction in German. She is now applying at the University of Bremen and will be supported by the host family with whom she lived during her CDC-organized academic exchange in 2011.

CDC is not a large organisation. It came into being because 4 sisters who had a tough childhood themselves, wanted to help other children in similar situations. It has been a difficult road, but through perseverance we have made a difference in the lives of 5 girls. Two of our board members have been diagnosed with Chiari malformation in the last 2 years. We would like to continue supporting our girls, but due to these health problems and the degenerative and debilitating nature of Chiari malformation which is exacerbated by stress, we will most probably not take on anymore students in the future.

On March 21st we will be hosting a fundraising dinner at African Queen, Zurich with a 3-course meal including great South African wines from Thelema, Hamilton Russell Southern Right and from the Sadie Family estate. Price 120 chf. Please support this event. Know that your donation goes directly to the education of these girls. Tickets can be purchased by emailing me at desiree.schumann@careanddevelopment.co.za and depositing the money into our bank account:

Bank: Credit Suisse A/c Holder: Care and development of Children
Address: Grand-Rue 17, 1700 Fribourg
Konto: 1896248-01
IBAN CH04 0483 5189 6248 0100 0

For those from Basel who would like to attend the fundraiser, I have a 7-seater Sharan and would gladly pick you up and drop you off at home.

If you are interested in 'adopting' one of our girls by giving 50-100 chf a month, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support.

I did it, please donate

Yes, I ran the 10 km run during the Basel Marathon today. Unfortunately, I did not finish under 1-hour, but with a 100% job in Zurich (I live in Muttenz, Basel, so commuting takes nearly 2 hours one way), and 2 small children, I did not have time to train much. I did the 10 km in 1h08 (http://services.datasport.com/2014/lauf/runtothebeat/RANG110.HTM), which means 110 out of 149 in my age group and 319 out of 422 overall. 

I would appreciate any donations in support of my efforts.

Bank: Credit Suisse

A/c Holder: Care and Development of Children

Address: Grand-Rue 17, 1700 Fribourg

Konto: 1896248-01

IBAN: CH04 0483 5189 62 48 0100 0

Thank you

New student for 2015

We have chosen our new student for 2015 based on the recommendation of the teachers and principal at Holy Trinity Primary as well as the results of our Mathematics assessment. Bronwyn is Afrikaans speaking. She lives with her grandmother, 2 uncles and a cousin in a 2-bedroomed flat. Her mother passed away in 2013 after a long illness. Her grandmother is a pensioner who is financially responsible for Bronwyn. Bronwyn is hardworking and eager to prosper. Bronwyn has been accepted at DF Malan High School for Grade 8. Thank you to Principal Dorfling for giving CDC and Bronwyn this opportunity.

Our drive to improve the library at Holy Trinity Primary School and to start our reading club is going well. Thank you to Biblionef for their donation of 100 books and to FunDza for their donation of 50 books. Also thank you to our members in Switzerland and Germany and their friends for their book donations. We were able to collect 87 books. Further books, puzzles, colouring-in books, colouring pencil donations are welcome.

The fundraising event on 1 July at Silver Dollar Spur was a success. Thank you to all who supported us and thank you to Silver Dollar Spur for hosting the shadow shift event. A huge thank you to K.I.D.S (Klub Interact Deutsche Schule) for volunteering their time and participating in this shadow shift fundraising event. Watch this site for news about future shadow shift endeavours.

Upcoming fundraisers:

On 28 September 2014, the Basel Marathon will take place. Although I recently entered the work place again, I am still training for my 10 km run.  Please support me and CDC by making a small donation towards the kilometers I finish. A bonus of 50 chf would be appreciated if I finish the race within 60 minutes.

The next fundraising dinner will be at Jay's im Ackermannshof in Basel on 1 November 2014 from 18h30. Cost 120 chf. Come enjoy a great 4-course meal with South African wine. Graham Beck Wines have kindly donated 6 bottles of their Game Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and 6 bottles of their Game Reserve Shiraz 2012. Zapiro has donated an autographed book and there will be much more. Don't miss out.

Successful Brunch

The brunch was quite a success. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. Some feedback we got:

"We really had a great morning. Food and everything was super delicious"; "The function is soo well attended. Really nice."; "Need a bigger venue for next year." and "Would like more events like this".

Thank you to all the sponsors - Pick n Pay, A&H Salvage, Women's Health and Fair Lady Magazine, Schroggi Innovations and Yardley.

The entertainers for volunteering their time - Celeste Farao, St Joseph's Jazz band and the Hip Hop African Rhythm dancers.

And last but not least, to DJ Kevin for MCeeing the event.

We are currently screening for a new student for next year. Mr Kuhudzai has kindly created a Maths assessment test for the candidates to complete.

Upcoming fundraisers:

On 28 September, the Basel Marathon will take place. I had hoped to do the half marathon, but due to a 3 month break in training (I participated in a clinical trial), I think I will scale down and do the 10 km run instead and do the half marathon next year. Please support me and CDC by making a small donation towards the kilometers I finish. A bonus of 50 chf would be appreciated if I finish the race within 60 minutes.

The next fundraising dinner will be at Jay's im Ackermannshof in Basel on 1 November 2014 from 18h30. Cost 120 chf. Come enjoy a great 4-course meal with South African wine. Graham Beck Wines have kindly donated 6 bottles of their Game Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and 6 bottles of their Game Reserve Shiraz 2012. Zapiro has donated an autographed book and there will be much more. Don't miss out.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Month for Mothers

It's May, my favourite month of the year and not only because it is my birth month, but because in Cape Town we have the last vestiges of summer, with the mornings and evenings becoming colder and the beautiful sunny days in-between, a sure sign of the approaching winter which brings the much needed rain. In Switzerland, it is spring with the promise of the summer to come, green and vibrant. And it is the month for mothers.

To celebrate this, CDC is hosting a Mother's Day Brunch on 10 May from 10 am at the Parish Centre of St Mary's Cathedral in Cape Town. This event is sponsored by Pick n Pay, A&H Salvage, Fair Lady Magazine, Women's Health, Schroggi Innovations and Yardley. The event will be MCeed by DJ Kevin (Kevin Baker).Up for auction, a mid-week getaway to Club Mykonos for 6-8 people and lots of other spot prizes. Entertainment provided by Celeste Farao, St Josephs Jazz band, and Hip Hop African Rhythm dancers.

Alison and Keasha have successfully moved into the hostel of Jan van Riebeeck High. They are happy to be there and are fitting in well.

Thandi is being a typical teenager in that she prefers to spend time on her cellphone and with friends instead of on schoolwork. This was clear in her first quarter results, but her mother Jennifer assures us that Thandi will knuckle down. We all know what it was like being a teenager and how skewed our priorities were.

To the Mothers out there - a happy Mother's day on 11 May.

Motherhood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrow too. Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality especially while you struggle to keep your own. – By Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.- By Tenneva Jordan

No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star. - Edwin Hubbell Chapin

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. - Ambrose Bierce

And last but definitely not least:

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. – By Oprah Winfrey

Thank you for your continued support.

Successful dinner

Although a small group, we had a successful fundraising dinner on 5 April 2014. New interesting acquaintances were made and we also have two new families willing to sponsor a student. The food was great, thank you Mama Africa, and the wines too, thank you Thelema, Klein Constantia, Reyneke and Welgemeend. Thank you once again to Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Francois Pienaar for their generous donations towards our auction. Words cannot express our gratitude for the support we received from all involved.

More good news - after extensive discussions with the principal and teachers of JvR, they have decided to waive the school fees for Keasha and Alison. Instead the school fee money we have paid will go towards the hostel fees, so that Keasha and Alison can get the support they need. CDC will pay the difference between the school fees and hostel fees. Thank you to the leadership at JvR for making this possible.

It appears that the basis of Mathematics laid at primary school is not sufficient to enable a smooth transition into high school mathematics, resulting in the girls not coping with the content of their mathematics subject. To facilitate a smoother transition, the mathematics competency of prospective CDC sponsorhip recipients will be assessed via a Maths competency test created by Mr Kuhudzai (a maths teacher at the German School Cape Town). Any problem areas will be addressed prior to the students starting High School.

Although the library at Thomas House is being used regularly, it is not reaching its intended audience, therefore CDC is looking into moving the books to Holy Trinity Primary School and to improve the library at the school. Actually one needs quite a bit of imagination to call these rooms a library. The ideal would be to start a school-based community reading club on Saturday mornings (10h00 to 12h00) aimed at enhancing literacy development through storytelling, reading and writing.

CDC Cape Town will be hosting their annual Mother's Day Brunch at St Mary's Cathedral Parish Centre. It promises to be an enjoyable event with loads of entertainment, and great prizes to be won.

Some of the auction items

Rugby ball signed by Francois Pienaar - portrayed by Matt Damon in the movie Invictus.

Book autographed by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Magnum of Meerlust 2003 Merlot

Fundraising dinner

The evening will start off at 19h00 with an Apero and a presentation about our organisation. This is followed by an exclusive main course accompanied by great South African wine from Thelema, Reyneke and Klein Constantia. The tantalising dessert will round off the evening with an auction. Amongst the items to be auctioned: An autographed photo of Archbishop Desmond Tutu along with an autographed copy of one of his books, a magnum of Meerlust and lots more. Don't miss out!

Upcoming Fundraisers

Compliments of the season to all. Hope your year started well.

CDC Basel will be hosting a fundraising dinner at Mama Africa in Zurich on 5th April 2014. Tickets will be selling at 100 chf and includes a bottle of very good South African wine per table. Thank you Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Reyneke Organic and Meerlust for your generous donations.

Reyneke Organic has a great project called the Cornerstone Project. For years the workers on wine farms have been paid minimal wages or even been paid with alcohol. Most of the workers were illiterate too. With the Cornerstone Project, Johan Reyneke has made it possible for four families to own their own homes and the first 'farm child' will attend university this year. A great achievement.

On 10th May, CDC Cape Town will host their annual Mother's day brunch. For those who couldn't make it last year, don't miss out this year.

Please don't forget to pay your membership fees and/or to buy tickets.

Bank a/c details:

Bank: Credit Suisse
A/c Holder: Care and development of Children
Address: Grand-Rue 17, 1700 Fribourg
Konto: 1896248-01
IBAN CH04 0483 5189 6248 0100 0