Another Unexpected Donation

Today, 7th May, the charity received an unexpected and very welcome donation of
£200 from Tania Collins of Walthamstow.

Our grateful thanks go to Tania for this wonderful support of our children in need.

A Sponsored Run on September the 8th.

Sally and Johnny Barton and Sinty Barton of Walthamstow will be running a half marathon for One Life on September the 8th.

The initial idea was to run The Marathon but sadly all the places were taken 11 hours after being open for entries for 2014.

More details of the run will be put on the website nearer the date but if anyone is interested in sponsoring these three runners , funding would be gratefully received and can be paid to the charity through pay pal see above - "How to make a donation".

Every penny raised will go to Africa in aid of the AIDS orphans, the needs are many from living in desperate living condition, broken down shacks, no water or electricity to lack of food, clothing and bedding.

Please support this run if you are able. We need all the help we can get. Thank you.

More Sad News

The small boy Qiniso who lost his life on April 19th 2013, lived with his siblings and cousins with his grandparents. When the granddad heard of the death of his little grandson he had a heart attack and died a couple of days later.

Qiniso and his granddad were both buried yesterday the 4th May. So much sadness and grief for one family to cope with and now the grandmother is left on her own to care for the children.

One Life was in a position to fund both funerals but to be able to set up a funeral fund at some point would be very helpful as most of the families we help have no money at all for the funerals and sadly the adult or child who dies frequently ends up in a paupers grave and no-one knows where these are.

The charity needs so much financial help to meet all the needs of the people who we aspire to help.

We do all we can to prevent deaths to make the shacks more habitable, to feed everyone and to see that the children have the chance of n education but the funding we receive is never really enough. It is very hard to be aware of so much suffering and at times, unnecessary deaths and not be in a position to give more help.

Two more tragic deaths in Africa

Yesterday, 19th April, I received the very sad news that one of our young volunteers and an 8 year old little boy Qiniso Zulu were hit by a hit and run car whilst waiting for a bus to take them to the hospital to pick up the ARV drugs for the little boy. The young African volunteer was killed immediately and the small boy was rushed to hospital but sadly they couldn't save him and he died at 7-15pm yesterday evening.

The volunteer was head of a young family (her siblings) their parents having died of AIDS and the eldest of the siblings now left as head of this little family is a teenage boy who is totally devastated to lose his sister as are the younger children. Recently they lost one other sister and were just trying to come to terms with that loss.

So much sadness, all the time. On Monday I will be transferring funding to Africa to pay for the funerals of the young volunteer and the little boy as the families live in dire poverty. I am also able to send small amounts of funding to help the family members who are left with any immediate needs they may have.

The little boy was being looked after by his elderly grandmother as his parents have also died from the AIDS virus. This is such a tragic loss for her.

An Unexpected Donation Of £400 Comes To One Life

Yesterday, April 17th, Barbara Burnett, the daughter of Lily Burnett of St Anne's church who has recently passed away, came to my home with cheques amounting to £400.

In her mother's will, Lily had stipulated that at her funeral, instead of flowers, she would like donations and she requested that half the donations went to another charity and half to One Life.

What a wonderful gesture for Lily to make and for which I am most grateful. Her daughter went on to say she would like some of the charities leaflets and copies of the latest newsletter as she is trying to get more support for the charity.

Barbara then went on to say that she often does running, half marathons etc but had never asked for sponsorship but the very next run she does will be for One Life and she will be asking for sponsors in order to give me as much support as she can.

I am very grateful to Barbara for her kindness and to Lily, her mum, who so recently died. She was a wonderful lady and will be sadly missed not only by her family but by myself and all all the community of St Anne's Church.

Funding Desperately Needed For Higher Education.

We desperately need funding for higher education for many of our young school leavers.

Like all youngsters our young people have dreams and ambitions but the reality is that they will never get the chance of college or university, no matter how able they are or how much they wish to further their education.

These young people are mostly orphans, they live in shacks and have no ready access to water, electricity and many to even adequate bedding or mattresses to lie on.

It's a catch 22 situation, no jobs, no income, no income no chance of further education so no chance of employment.

During the last four to five years several people have come forward to offer funding for the further education of a young person. Out of the many young people who leave school each year only one per year has received this opportunity.

The ones who have been given this chance have worked really hard against many difficulties and sicknesses and all have done exceedingly well in their exams. They are now able to support their siblings and relatives, put food on the table and indeed help to put younger siblings also into further education.

The benefits are great and have a snowball effect for the next generation but unless funding comes into the charity, the young man now in college who finishes his IT course at the end of next year will be the last one we can help. It costs approx £2,000 per year to go to university plus a little more for books and travel expenses, but it is money well spent.

If you can help us or know of a firm who may be able to assist in giving at least one or more young people this opportunity please do not hesitate to contact me on: Tel No. 020 8926 2431 and ask for Elena or leave your telephone number with my husband and I will call you straight back or email me at elena@onelife-online.org.uk.

Thank you. To change the future of these orphans we need to give them the opportunity to further their education leading to employment, self esteem and the chance to help other young people by giving them the opportunity to change their lives and that of future generations.

More News Of The Recent Shack Fire.

I heard today, March 20th, that the new shack, built with funding from One Life, for the grandmother and the seven children in her care whose shack burnt to the ground, has now been finished and any day now the grandmother and the children will leave Nancy's house to move into their new one.

The grandmother was quite badly burnt in the fire of February 2nd but is recovering well and is very excited to be moving into a new home.

I also heard today that because the shacks are built near together that the fire had spread to the surrounding shacks and sadly three toddlers have since died because of this and their carers were quite badly burnt.

I was shocked and saddened to hear this.

Some of those shacks are being rebuilt just using mud and water and sticks and broken bricks and anything available. It is shocking to think that people have to live and survive this way and I wish I had more funding with which to help.

There is never enough funding to do all that needs to be done or for these emergencies which constantly arise.

Another Donation Gratefully Received

Today, March 2nd, I received the charity bank statement for last month, February.

As i looked down the statement I found a donation for £200 from Asian Associates, who I have never heard of. This came as a wonderful surprise but sadly I am unable to thank them as I have no means of knowing where they are based.

I am hoping that they look on this website so they can see how very grateful i am for their wonderful and unexpected support.

A Donation Of Bracelets

On February 19th whilst on a short break in Cornwall, I received a package of hand made bracelets, brooches and handbag fobs from Wendy Tomkins of Birmingham.

Wendy has made and sold many of her bracelets during the last few months and has raised a substantial amount of money for One Life.

Penyrheol Primary School in Swansea, Wales is also selling the bracelets in order to raise money for One Life and now Anne and John Hammond of The Mustard Tree Guest House in Carbis Bay, Sty Ives, Cornwall have also agreed to display the bracelets with the hope of raising further funds for us.

I am most grateful to Wendy and also to Alison Williams, head teacher of the primary school in Wales and to Anne and John of The Mustard Tree Guest House. Having such people support my charity is what makes such a difference and inspires and helps me to continue in this work I do for the orphans of Kwazulu, South Africa.

Another Shack Fire

Today, 5th February, I have just received an email telling me that another shack has just burnt to the ground. The carer grandmother and neighbours who were trying to help have all been rushed to hospital. The seven children concerned have been taken in by Nancy bringing her household to 20. Goodness knows how they will manage as their house is small but knowing Nancy well, manage they will.

I am sending out another £1,000 so that a basic two room shack can be built to re- home the grandmother and the children and also to purchase mattresses, sleeping bags and blankets for them all including the grandmother. They also need basic cooking utensils and clothing .

Luckily all the children are sponsored and were in school at the time of the fire but all they have is the clothes they went to school in.

I was hoping to hold money back for food and other essentials needs throughout the year, I wasn't expecting to send another £1,000 right now so I am hoping and praying that more funding comes into the charity.

The hospitals out in Kwazulu have many wards full of children and carers suffering from burns due to these terrible fires. I have three dozen wind up torches waiting to be despatched to try and prevent more of these terrible life and home destroying accidents with candles happening again.

We must thank our blessings here in the country we live in, yes, life can and is for many of us difficult but can never be as difficult as lacking in the basics of life as our African friends.

Please help if you can, any donation received is very welcome, nothing is too small to send and all money received into One Life is send out to the project without anything being taken from it. 100 percent of all funding received gets transferred to the account in Africa.

Donations can be given through pay Pal, see Make A Donation at the top right hand side of this page. Thank you.

Funding For The Repair Of Shacks On It's Way To Africa

Today, February 5th February, £1000 has been transferred to the account held in Kwazulu, South Africa.

Six hundred pounds of this money was donated specifically for shack repair and I have been in a position to raise this amount to £1,000 so as to be able to repair even more shacks.

The shacks need to be repaired properly not just patched up OR as when the next floods or heavy rains arrive the shacks wills just collapse again totally or become very damaged and no longer waterproof.

The six hundred pounds donated specifically for these repairs will repair six shacks so I sent the extra money so we can repair at least ten instead.

Nancy, our African Project Manager is very happy to receive this funding as she was very worried about the children and their carers when they were once again hit by flooding as so often happens lately.

Nancy's own home suffered yesterday from flooding so I am hoping there is enough funding to also repair Nancy's house.

Funding Received

Today, February 2nd, I received a cheque for £600 from Martin Evans of Hemel Hemsted on behalf of The Triple Gem Buddhist Foundation. Nick Carroll of Amaravati Buddhist Society was instrumental in this coming about and my grateful thanks go to him and the The Triple Gem Buddhist Foundation.

The money received was donated specifically for the repair of shacks and homes badly hit by recent and last years storms and floods and these repairs will make such a difference to the well being of the orphans and their carers.

I feel very grateful to all who, since Christmas, have donated funding to One Life. What a difference this has made and is making still to the people in need in the township where our project runs from.

More Funding Arrives

Today, 30th January, I received a cheque for £100 from Wendy Tomkins of Kings Heath, Birmingham. This was made up of all the pennies collected and donated by the children who Wendy had spoken to about the charity and the lives of the orphans who the charity help.

Children are very caring and responsive as these children were and I am thrilled with their donation.

Wendy has also sold more of her wonderful bracelets which she makes and sells continuously in aid of One Life.

Grateful thanks to Wendy for all her untiring efforts to support the work of One Life and also to those caring children who saved and donated their pennies.

Funding Arrived In South Africa.

I heard this morning, January 30th, that a couple of days ago the latest money transferred to the account in South Africa, had arrived.

The mattresses and bedding for the aged carer grandparents have been purchased and given out and they were received with great joy and thankfulness by all in need.

Hygiene packs have been bought and given out and these were also received with joy and excitement by all the children who needed them.

The necessary stationary required for the children's re entry into school after the Christmas holidays has also been purchased and given out and the children are now installed,happily, back in school.

Again my thanks go to all the people who have recently donated so generously to One Life and have helped make a big difference in the lives of the children.

Another Death and More Sickness For Another Of Our Children In South Africa

Last Wednesday one of our sponsored teenagers was buried having collapsed and died suddenly a few days earlier from unsuspected heart failure.

This morning, January 23rd, I heard from Khanya that one of our 12 year old sponsored children had collapsed after having breakfast at the centre and is now fighting for her life in the Intensive care Unit of a local hospital with a huge brain tumour. She is unconscious

Last year was a dreadful year with deaths and sickness in South Africa and sadly this New Year is starting the same way. I hope and pray that this is the end of it and that the rest of the year is a more positive and healthy one for all..

Funding sent to Africa

On January 17th £2,750 was transferred to the account in South Africa. This was for the purchase of stationary for the children returning to school after the Christmas break. This was needed urgently as the school/uniform/stationary money was not sufficient as the school fees went up a while ago.

Funding was also send for the purchase of food for the children who come twice a day to eat at the centre, that is before and after school and also for food for Nancy's own household.

I also sent funding for good quality mattresses to be supplied to aged grandparent carers who still sleep on the floor on grass mats and also for any disabled children and carers.

Finally funding was also sent for sanitary ware for the girls and also soap and toothpaste etc for all the children in need of them, especially now they are all back in school.

I am delighted that I was able to send this amount of money and this is due mainly to the cheques, amounting to a total of £5,000 sent by two of the trustees of the AD Charitable trust for which for I am so grateful and also to the money raised by Debbie Pipe, a trustee of One Life and a friend of hers when they held a New Year's evening dance, fund raising event, down at St Anne's church.

My very grateful thanks go to all concerned.

£100 Received From Penyrheol Primary School.

Today, 11th January, I received from Alison Williams, head of Penyrheol Primary School in Swansea, £100 raised from the sale of the bracelets made and donated to One Life by Wendy Tomkins of Kings Heath, Birmingham.

My most grateful thanks go to Wendy for making the bracelets and also to Alison for selling them, on behalf on One Life.

Yet Another Donation from AD Charitable Trust

Today, 9th January, I received another wonderful donation from Mary Rose Grey, account director and trustee of AD Charitable Trust.

I was truly shocked and overwhelmed when this cheque arrived totally unexpectedly.

Since realising that to enable me to continue running One Life efficiently, and due to ill health, I have to step back emotionally and stress wise from the charity and realise that I can only do so much for the children and cannot achieve the impossible, the donations have started rolling in.

This has taken away much of my stress for the coming year and I am truly grateful to all concerned.

New Year Fund Raise Donatioin

This evening, 5th January, I received a donation of £600 from Debbie Pipe and her friend Fran.

Debbie and Fran organised and held a New Years Eve dance in St Anne's church hall last Monday evening.

This was a great success and I am so very grateful for this wonderful donation which will make a considerable difference to out Kwazulu Aids orphans lives.

My sincere thanks go to Debbie and Fran for their effort to support One Life and for the wonderful donation which was the outcome of their efforts.

A Donation For Nancy

Today, 3rd January 2013, I received a phone call from Rosie Faupel to say she has transferred £500 into the charity account.

This donation is specifically for medication for Nancy.

For the last three years Rosemary has, at the beginning of the year donated funding for this medication. This is of enormous benefit to Nancy as the medication she needs can only be bought privately and it is too expensive for Nancy to purchase on her own without support.

I am very grateful to Rosemary for her generosity, kindness and support which she has always given to One Life.

Another Teenager Loses Her Life

Yesterday, December 29th, I received very sad news from Khanya (Nancy's daughter) in South Africa.

Khanya emailed to tell me that one of our sponsored teenagers, Sibongile Mhembu, had collapsed unexpectedly and died instantly.

Sibongile had been bitten by a crocodile a few years ago but had appeared to recover fully and at the moment no-one knows if that contributed to her death or not.

It has been a very sad year for our young people sponsored here in the UK as in total10 young lives were lost during this last year.

We are all hoping and praying that the New Year brings a different story to the children, Nancy and to One Life.

Another Wonderful Unexpected Donation

On Tuesday December 18th, I received another wonderful donation of £1,000 from Mr John neighbour of Chingford. John sponsors the educational needs of two of our children in South Africa.

I am very grateful to John and together with the cheque for £2,500 received a few days ago, making £3,500 in all, I am reassured that we have six months food money for the children for next year. This is such a relief and has removed a huge concern from me.

A Wonderful Donation

Today, 15th December, I received a very unexpected donation of £2,500 from The AD Charitable Trust.

This is such a wonderful amount and nothing short of a miracle which I will explain now.

I have been unwell for quite a while due to the grief at the deaths of the seven young children in Africa, which came about when a wall collapsed on top of them killing seven children between the ages of seven and ten years. This happened where they live and where practising Zulu dancing in the squatters camp. Then with Nancy's husband dying straight after and then losing two very close friends of mine and Thandeka being found by her sister, frozen to death, the grief of that plus the stress of a very busy time for the charity finally got to me and I became ill.

I never want to be so ill again and so decided that to enable me to keep well and keep the charity going I needed to step back a little and also because of the financial difficulties for people trying to raise money for our Annual Sp Walk I decided not to do another one, thereby losing approx £1,000 per year for the charity. On top of that one of my friends who died was also my main fund raiser and so that is another £1,500 a year loss for the charity.

I have decided that my main priorities are to make sure there is enough money in the account to feed all the children and Nancy's household, to keep all the children in education, to keep the little Down's Syndrome child in residential school and to make sure there is funding for a Christmas party for the children. I was concerned because of the £2,500 shortage due to the lack of fundraising next year, when quite unexpectedly this morning the cheque arrived for that very amount and it feelsd like my prayers have been answered.

I am so grateful for this huge donation and it has put my mind at rest for the coming year and the needs of the children. Any extra money received will be a bonus and very very helpful.

Final Sponsored Walk Total

Today, 7th December, at last I have the final Sponsored Walk total. It has come to £1,199.15.

I would like to thank all the people who joined the walk and also the people who sponsored us all.

An Unexpected Donation

Today, 11th November, I have just received a wonderful donation of £200 from Mrs E Veckranges of Walthamstow.

I have never met this lady but at various times throughout the year she donates funding to the charity.

I am so grateful to this Mrs Veckranges who says that this £200 is towards Christmas in Africa and in a weeks time it will go with other monies for food together with individual's money for a Xmas gift for their sponsored child or to help with the whole family.

The Birmingham Holistic Society

Today, October 30th, I received a cheque for £350 from Julie Chipperfield-Carr of The Birmingham Holistic Society.

A few days ago I also received a cheque for £55 from a K Laye who was connected to the fundraising day which Julie held at The Society a short while ago. I also received a cheque from Wendy Tomkins from the sale of bracelets which she sold at the same fund raising day.

This makes a total of £485 for which I am very grateful. My sincere thanks go to Julie, Wendy and all concerned with making the day the huge success that it was.

Ongoing Donation Of Bracelets Received

In September this year a Wendy Tomkins of Kings Heath, Birmingham became involved in my charity and started to sponsor a child in Africa for the child's educational needs.

Wendy also began to make beaded bracelets to sell in aid of my charity, all monies received come to me for the needs of the children in Africa. Wendy also sends me some of her bracelets, which I sell to friends and neighbours.

I have already received from Wendy from the sale of bracelets £160 and in a very short space of time I have also sold over £100's worth of bracelets. This is such a wonderful thing for someone to do for my charity and I am so very grateful.

Our local hair dressers has offered to sell some of the bracelets for me and a primary school in Wales has also shown interest in my sending a batch of bracelets to show to the children with the possibility of selling them on the charity's behalf.

The bracelets are very pretty and colourful and retail at £2.50p each.

If you are interested in seeing a bracelet with a view to purchasing one or several of them please email me at this address elena@onelife-online.org.uk

Appeal Figures

As from today, October 5th, the appeal figures have risen to just over £5,500.

This is a truly wonderful amount and I am so grateful to all who donated so caringly and generously.

Many life saving sleeping bags have now been issued and also gas cylinders have been supplied to some of our aged grandparents who look after many of the orphans. Some still cook outside in all weathers using sticks and stones. Now they can cook indoors and also benefit from a little heat.

Life is still so very hard for many of our families and the children we care for. Little changes and it is always lack of funding which makes giving adequate assistance so very difficult.

If you know of any firm who would be able to sponsor my charity One Life that would be so wonderful.

All donations received go out to South Africa, every penny, and are used for the purpose which they were sent.

Thank you.

Thandeka's Story In Verse

Thandeka’s story – she died from cold and poverty in August 2012 in Kwazulu, Natal, S. Africa

I love the sun, that gentle warmth
Which embraces all, like loving arms
Which heals the sadness deep inside
The sorrow which we strive to hide

Thandeka lost her precious life
Not through warfare, guns or strife.
Not through violence caused by knife
Her death was caused by poverty.

No blankets for the winter’s night
Mud house was lit by candle light.
Left with AIDs- no strength to fight.
The reason why? T’was poverty.

Her parents died but no one cared
AIDs – the stigma – people scared.
Could someone help ? No one dared.
Result, of course, was poverty!

Older sister next to die
Thandeka said her sad goodbye
With no more tears left to cry
Still left with AIDs and poverty.

Thandeka had one sister still
Mbali, but she too was ill
Just 3 years old – Would AIDs now kill
And take her from that poverty?

An aunty, hearing of their plight,
Came to visit late one night.
She knew to leave them wasn’t right
So she joined them in their poverty.

Their home of mud – no more was sound
Could, any day, fall to the ground.
But God is good and they were found
By Nancy – midst their poverty.

A charity called ‘One Life’ with funds from folk who care.
Gave blankets to the aunty and the mud hut did repair
Auntie gave her thanks to God but the battle wasn’t won
No funding to give blankets to each and everyone

Aunty started to be ill – to the doctor she did lie
She couldn’t face that she had AIDs; t’was the stigma helped her die.
.The drugs which could have saved her life, Aunty wouldn’t take.
And when she died the children cried as if their hearts would break.

Auntie’s sister also died; another wasted life
AIDs untreated – another death not caused by sword or knife.
More children now were orphaned, all needing to be fed.
Auntie’s eldest teenage girl became their mum instead.

Just a little while ago I heard Thandeka died.
Frozen to Mbali – together side by side.
I really need to stress this point, it wasn’t sword or knife.
But poverty and lack of care that took Thandeka’s life.

Mbali’s still in hospital, her condition now is stable.
And I give God thanks for your support as, with funding, now I’m able
To give each child a sleeping bag with which to save its life,
And prevent more deaths through poverty which kills more than the knife.

Some people question what I do, ask is it worth my while?
When millions starve – and yes that’s true – but I’ve seen a sick child smile.
Each morning I give thanks to God – to God in all his glory
For ‘One Life Saved’ is a miracle and for me a success story.

Thandeka’s life was not in vain, for her, God had a plan
By dying in the way she did, she touched the heart of man
Her death will now save children’s lives and the lives of adults too.
God blessed this girl who gave her life and now He blesses you.

Latest Appeal Update

To date,September 18th, the appeal has brought in to the charity an incredible £4,940. I am touched and deeply grateful for all this support and caring.

Most of this money has now been transferred to Africa where life saving sleeping bags are being purchased, also gas cylinders for cooking and which will give some warmth and, funding permitting, the worst shacks can be repaired.

My grateful thanks go to all who responded so caringly and generously when hearing of the tragedy of Thandeka being found frozen to death attached to her younger sister Mbali.

Mbali was rushed into ICU in hospital and I am happy to say that she has now been transferred onto a normal ward and appears to be making a good recovery.

Another young life lost

Two days ago on September 16th I received a text from Khanya in Africa with the very sad news that yet another of our young people had died quite suddenly.

This girl, aged 15, lost her life through asthma. She died on her way to hospital. I am once again deeply saddened by the death of this young girl.

It is nearly always down to poverty that we lose our children. Without funding the correct medication cannot be bought and that is why so many die so needlessly.

The Latest Update re The Appeal

Today, August 29th, I received a cheque from a sponsor in Scarborough for the incredible amount of £1,000 together with cheques amounting to £60.

The Appeal, because of this, has now risen to slightly over £3,800. This will make such a life saving difference to the lives of the children.

My grateful thanks go to all who have responded so generously to this appeal.

Response to the Appeal from St Anne's Parish Church

Today, August 26th, I went to the 10am church service held at St Anne's Parish Church.

The Rev Jude Bullock, the vicar, spoke at the service about this latest tragedy which has affected two of our sponsored young girls (sisters). Early one morning during last week they were found frozen together in each others arms. The eldest girl, Thandeka, was dead and the younger girl Mbali was just alive and is now in ICU in hospital fighting for her life.

The community at st Anne's had a collection at the end of the service and have donated a wonderful £250 to help with the purchase of duvets and gas cylinders etc. Two other parishioners donated money prior to the collection and this amounted to another £250 making the final total an amazing £500

I am very grateful to St Anne's, the vicar and the congregation for their continuous support and caring towards my charity One Life.

The Appeal So Far

By today, 25th August, the appeal has raised £2,200. This is a wonderful amount and will do so much to help the children. We are hoping to purchase duvets instead of blankets and are in the process of enquiring about bulk buying at wholesale prices.

Nancy and her daughter Khanya are also finding out the cost of gas cylinders and any extra money means we can begin repairing the worst of the shacks.

My grateful thanks go to all who have responded so quickly to the appeal and I pray that funding continues to be donated for this most urgent cause.

A Timely Donation

Early this morning, August 19th, I received a donation of £100 from Eira Endersbee who attends St Anne's parish Church.

I was so grateful to Eira as I know that right now the temperatures in the township are very low and the children are extremely cold. Due to other needs I have been unable this year to donate funds for blankets and other necessities so badly needed at this time of year.

About half an hour after receiving the £100 from Eira, I received a text message from Nancy's daughter telling me that this morning two of our sponsored teenagers were found frozen together in each others arms, trying to combat the cold night. One of the girls, Thandeka was already dead but her younger sister Mbali was just alive and she is now critically ill in the ICU of the local hospital.

On my last visit to South Africa i visited this family in their home and helped with repairs to their home and supplied three mattresses and three blankets as they had absolutely nothing. It wasn't enough and now Thandeka has lost her life.

I am in the process of sending out an appeal for help. We now urgently need funding for blankets and some gas cylinders. We cannot allow this to happen again and yet we are helpless to stop it as we can never help all in need nor can we ever supply enough blankets for each member of the families to have one as even with an appeal there will not be enough funding. Mostly the children huddle together and share which is exactly what Thandeka and Mbali were doing.

We must get as much help to the children as we possibly can. if you can help at all, please do. £3.50 will buy one blanket and help to prevent a tragedy like this happening again.

My grateful thanks to you all. No donation is too small and can be paid through Pay Pal, see top right Make A donation or by sending a cheque to be made out to One Life
and sent to

One Life
43 Alpha Road
Chingford
London E4 6TD.

Thank you.

Birmingham Holistic Health Centre

On August 15th I was delighted to hear from Stuart Morris of The Birmingham Holistic Health Centre. Stuart has been sponsoring a child from me for many years and continues to do so. He attached a copy of their newsletter which is full of news of my charity One Life and what our needs are and what we aspire to do for the Aids orphans in South Africa.

He went on to ask for help in our many areas of need including the education of the children.

Stuart has had posters made which can be purchased at £2 per poster, of which all proceeds are for One Life. My utmost gratitude to stuart for his caring and constant support.

Julie Chipperfield-Carr also of The Birmingham Holistic Health Centre has also become involved in raising money for One Life and has sent donations which have been very helpful. She and her husband are now in the process of organising themselves to do a sponsored walk on behalf of the charity and Cadbury's of Birmingham have stated that they will very match whatever money they raise.

I feel so blessed to have this interest and support from these two wonderfulpeople who I have never met.

My sister land son live in Birmingham so on my next visit there I will be arranging to meet Stuart and Julie and i will be interested to see around The Birmingham Holistic Health Centre. I am looking to this very much.

Under Friends of One Life, see right hand side of this page, you can find a link to The Birmingham Holistic Health Centre so please feel free to enter their website and browse around.

Once again my grateful thanks to Stuart and Julie for all they are doing to help raise money for the Aids orphans we care so much about.

The Very Sad Loss Of A Dear Friend

On July 24th my very dear friend Penny Rolfe passed away.The grief I felt leading up to her death and with the earlier deaths of the seven children in South Africa, was something I have never experienced before nor ever want to experience again.

Apart from losing a treasured friend I lost one of my main charity fundraisers.

Since the onset of the charity Penny and her husband David have held yearly charity auctions down at the local church of St Anne's, they also held smaller events in their garden.

Penny and David also raised money for Christian Aid and other smaller charities. their lives were spent caring for others, Penny being an active member for Help on Call in the Community for many years. She and her husband David have been an inspiration to us all and Penny will be sadly missed not only by her family but by the very many friends she has accumulated over the years.

Funding sent to South Africa

Today, July 4th, £2,250 has been transferred to the account in South Africa.

I phoned South Africa yesterday afternoon to enquire how Nancy and Khanya were and what was the financial position regarding food for the children and for Nancy's own large family.

I spoke to Lihle, now aged eighteen, she was one of the first orphans Nancy discovered living with four other children, alone without an adult, in a broken down shack. All the children were starving and Nancy took them into her own home.

Lihle told me that there was very little money left to feed all the children who are, on a daily basis, reliant on Nancy for food. She also told me that Nancy's household was also desperate for money for food.

She was so full of gratitude when I told her that today money would be transferred both for food for the crèche and also for Nancy's own household.

Apart from the small crèche children Nancy feeds school age children before and after school and she is dependent solely on my small charity One Life to keep them with funding.

If you are interested at all in supporting One Life and the work which we do I would be very grateful. Donations can be paid through pay pal, see outlined in yellow, top left, under Make a donation.

Any donation, no matter how small, would make such a difference to the lives of these children in need. Thank you.

More donations

So far at the beginning of July another £200 in donations has been received into the charity.

My grateful thanks go to all who continue to support what I do. Donations are invaluable and pay for food for all the children we care for and help with shack repair and other needs which continuously arise.

One Life Annual Sponsored Walk

The One Life Annual Sponsored walk is to be held on Saturday 6th October 2012. This will be held in St James Park near to Trafalgar square and Buckingham Palace.

We will meet at the coffee shop in Trafalgar Square around 10am to 10-45am in order to have a coffee and meet up prior to the taking of the group photos in front of the fountain.

From there we go to The Mall and into the first entrance to St James Park. After two laps we break for a picnic lunch under the trees (weather permitting) then continue with the last two laps of the park.

This is a lovely and enjoyable social event as well as raising money for One Life and the Aids orphans in Kwazulu, South Africa.

If you would like more details please email me at elena@onelife-online.org.uk

Donations received

Since the latest newsletter went out early in June a total of £650 has been donated to One Life in support of the needs of the children in South Africa.

My very grateful thanks go to all concerned.

Newsletter for June 2012 now available

The latest newsletter can be viewed or downloaded from the link below.
Newsletter for June 2012

Final total for Appeals for Africa

Today, 4th April, I have received the charity statement which enables me to give the final total of all the donations which came in to help with shack repair and the burials of four of the seven children who died so tragically and also the burial of Nancy's husband Cecil

In total the charity received an amazing £7,725 which has now all been transferred to South Africa. £2,000 went for shack repair, £4,000 for the burials and for the support of the seven families/carers of the seven children who were killed and also in support of Nancy who herself has 13 people living in her house. The remainder is for gas cylinders and for any other needs which occur on a daily basis.

My most grateful thanks go to all who responded to the sad news of the deaths. To have been able to finally lay to rest the children and Cecil is such a relief and comfort to all concerned.

A Wonderful Unexpected Donation

This evening, 26th March, I have received a cheque for £1,000 for Africa. It has been donated by John Neighbour of Chingford,. He heard only today about the sad happenings in South Africa ie the seven children who died when a wall collapsed on top of them and also the sudden and tragic death of Nancy's husband Cecil.

John has always been a wonderful supporter of my charity and I am so grateful to him for his support right now and his depth of caring which led to this great act of generosity.

Chase lane Primary School raise funding for One Life.

Today, 23rd March, I received a cheque for £83.51p from Chase Lane primary School and Nursery Unit.

The money was mainly raised by Class 1SJ from a recycling project.

The money is to be used for the educational school fees/ uniform of 13 year old Qiniso Msweli, one of the Aids orphans in South Africa who the One Life charity supports. Chase Lane Primary School has for several years now sponsored Qiniso for her very important educational needs.

My grateful thanks go to all the pupils involved for this wonderful and successful effort to raise the money.

I just wish that more schools were actively involved in helping to raise money for these children, orphaned by the AIDS Virus,.We need money for shack repair, food, clothing, sanitary wear, medication, transport etc and for any other needs which may and often do arise.

A message of thanks from Fr Becki in South Africa

I received this message today, 21st March, from the parish priest connected to Nancy and Khanya in South Africa.

Dear Sister Elena,
My humble appology for getting back to you this late, I got held up, I have a terrible flu but I am now feeling abit better.

On Saturday we had the funeral of Cecil, it was a very big funeral, it had about 1500 people attending it, and they all spoke of Cecil the same, that truly losing him has hurt the family, the church and the community as he was such a caring, kind and supportive person to his family, church and community. Nancy is still not well, but she is taking it one day at the time. Khanya is still in hospital but I hope she will be well soon.

On Sunday we had a huge interdenominational funeral for the children, the families are so grateful for the help they have recieved thru you, the funeral went well and the children were laid to rest finally.

On behalf of Nancy and family, the families of the late children, the church and the community I would like to express our sincere gratitude, and appreciation to you and everyone else that has assisted either in money or in prayers or both, if it wasn't for yours kindness i dont know what we would have done. God bless you all

Kind regards and much love and appreciation from
Fr. B

Funding sent out to South Africa

Today, 14th March, I am transferring the £4,000 donated money to the account in South Africa.

I heard yesterday, both from Fr Becki, out there, and also from Khanya. The burials are not quite as expensive as I initially thought so the charity is now in a position of being able to give a small donation each to the remaining family members/carers of the seven children who died.

Also I am able to help Nancy a little too as in her own household there are 13 people living there who need to be fed and looked after.

Nancy has been in hospital with the shock, firstly at the tragic deaths of the seven children and the following week the sudden and very tragic death of her husband. I heard she is being discharged today.

This has been a most terrible tragedy, all happening in the space of three weeks. Let us pray that now that we have the means to bury the children that some closure may occur and that Nancy and Khanya will have the strength to carry on with the wonderful work which they do for the children in Africa.

Wonderful donations to the Burial Fund

Today, 12th March, I received a cheque for £2,000 from Val Phillpott of Bridlington, Yorkshire.

This is such a wonderful amount of money and Val said it is in response to my telling her about the tragic happenings in S Africa over these last few weeks. She said the money should be used for where ever it was most needed.

I have received tremendous response to the appeal and we have now totalled over £4,000 and on top of that received another £2,000 for shack repair.

many peopole have donated too many to write down each individual by name vbut the response has been wonderful and I am deeply grateful.

More tragic news from Africa

Early this morning, 7th March, I received a text message from Fr Becki the parish priest in South Africa who is keeping me informed about the burials of the children and also as to how Khanya is progressing in hospital and how Nancy is.

Fr Becki texted to say that Nancy's husband Cecil was killed last night in a tragic accident concerned with transport, I do not know the exact details.

I am shocked and initially was in a state of utter disbelief. How can yet another tragedy happen.

I just don't know how Nancy and Khanya will cope with this most tragic loss so personal to them and following the deaths of the seven children.

We are praying that this will not effect Khanya's recovery from the mini stroke and then the epileptic seizures she experienced on Sunday morning.

Please, I ask all who read this message to keep Nancy, Khanya and the rest of their family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

Fund Raise Result

Yesterday evening, 4th March, a fund raise event was held by Penny and David Rolfe, down in St Anne's Parish church hall.

This was a most enjoyable event and raised £800 of which £400 has come to one Life and which will be used for the children's burial fund.

Once again I am indebted to Penny and David for organising another wonderful fun evening and one which has helped the charity enormously.

My grateful thanks go to Penny and David who have been organising and hosting these events since the church became involved in One Life.

News re the burial of the children

Today the 4th March I received a phone call from a Dr Patel. he is the father of Dr Sanjay Patel who was out in South Africa at the same time as myself three years ago and who I took to meet Nancy and Khanya and the children who we help.

Dr Patel came on the sponsored walk last year and he and his wife raised £1,500 for One Life. He phoned me today and he said that if I can find out the approximate amount it will cost to bury the five children who died in the tragic accident a couple of weeks ago he will then do his best to help us get the money together.

This such a wonderful gesture and I am very grateful to him for once again coming forward to help in a time of great need.

Otherwise since the appeal I put out a couple of evening ago, we have almost £1,000 already raised. This is wonderful and so are the people who have immediately come forward to help. My grateful thanks go to them all.

News from Africa

Today,2nd March, I received news from S Africa. Two of our children from the tragic accident have now been buried. Sadly one other child died last Sunday morning making the number of children who died seven in all.

The remaining relatives/carers of the other five who passed away cannot get the money together to bury the children. This is dreadful news and what I was half expecting but dreaded happening.

I have, this afternoon, put out an appeal for help in the hope we can get a substantial amount towards paying for these children's funerals.

Shack repair Fund

As of today, February 24th, and with the latest donation received, the shack repair fund has risen to approx £2,000, I won't know the exact figure until I receive the One Life stateemnt early next month.

I continue to be full of gratitude at the response of the people I told about the tragic happening re the death of the six children due to the wall of a broken down shack falling on top of them.

The three children in Intensive Care are doing reasonably well and i am waiting for more up to date newsof them.

Shack repair fund rising.

Since I emailed the supporters of One Life re the tragedy in Africa i have been blessed with many emails of support for myself and also for everyone in Africa affected by this sad loss of lives.

Today February 16th donations received for shack repair have reached approx £1,500.

I am overawed at peoples' generosity in sending money for shack repair in order to prevent any more of these tragic accidents. The shacks are in a bad state of repair especially in the Squatters camps and villages and we need all the monetary help we can get to try and put right this problems of unsafe shacks.

My grateful thanks go to everyone who has contributed in this way.

Much support from One Life sponsors.

February brought the tragic accident to six of the children in Africa who lost their lives. There are three other children in Intensive care , one who has lost three fingers of his right hand and two children in hospital but not badly injured.

Early yesterday evening I send out a mass email telling supporters of the charity about the accident and since then I have been inundated with wonderful emailed messages of support,

We now have £1,200 toward shack repair and maybe more to come so this added to any Gift Aid Money which can be sent will enable us to once again work towards making the shacks more habitable and waterproof and also go along way in helping to prevent more accidents like the one of last week.

Another wonderful donation for shack repair.

Today, 13th February, Eira Endersbee called at the house to bring more knitted jumpers for the children in Africa. She also left me an envelope which I opened after she had left.

Inside the envelope was a cheque for £500 and Eira said the money was because of the tragic deaths of the six children in the squatters camp.

Now, thanks to Eira we have over £1,000 towards the repair of shacks and that with some if the Gift Aid Return, when I receive it, will be a substantial and very useful amount and will repair several homes and shacks,

My most grateful thanks to Eira who constantly knits for our children but several times has also supported One Life with monetary donations.

Fund Raise Event

On March 3rd, a Saturday, Penny and David Rolfe will be holding a Cheese and Wine Party with a Variety Show entertainment, down in St Anne's church hall.

The event starts at 7-30pm and all proceeds will be shared between One Life Charity and the church of St Anne's where the function will be held.

My grateful thanks go to Penny and David for once again organising a fund raise event.

The money received by one Life will go towards the much needed shack repair.

A tragedy in South Africa.

On arriving back from my trip to Birmingham on February 9th I found, amongst the many emails waiting for me, one from Khanya, Nancy's daughter in South Africa.

I was shocked and devastated by what she had to say, apparently six of our young children were playing together in the squatters camp when a house fell down on top of them killing all six.

I was so totally shocked and devastated by this terrible news and found it extremely difficult to then have to contact their sponsors and tell them what had happened to the child they sponsor.

Please keep the families of these children in your thoughts and prayers. I am trying to raise money now to go with money already donated for the repair of as many broken down shacks and dwelling places as we can afford to do. This is a terrible tragic happening but not the first as not long ago a roof fell on top of two young brothers killing one and badly injuring the other.

It is summer in South Africa right now and a good time to carry out the repair work before the bad weather sets in again.

Donations towards the repair of the shacks woukld be very welcome and can be paid through pay pal or by cheque.

Another unexpected donation

On February 7th whilst travelling by train to Birmingham a conversation started up with the lady who was sitting next to me.

The talk eventually turned to my charity and the children in S Africa and as the lady was leaving the train she put £30 in my hand and said she wanted to help in this small way by giving me the money which was left over from her trip to see her daughter in London.

The only thing I know about this lady is that her name is Mary and she is a child play leader and she lives in Litchfield.

I was very moved by this unexpected gesture and my grateful thanks go to Mary for her caring and kindness.

This money along with other donated money will also go toward the very necessary shack repair.

An unexpected donation

On Monday February 6th I received a cheque for £500 from Mrs Joyce Canning of Chingford, London. Joyce also sponsors one of our children.

This wonderful donation was sent in memory of this lady's brother Harold Canning.

In the letter accompanying the cheque Joyce said that she hoped this money would be helpful towards repairing more shacks and this is exactly what the money will be used for.

My very grateful thanks go to Joyce for her caring and support. I know that every one she mixes with she tells them about One Life and the children in South Africa who we are helping in the hope that will be interested and also support the work which we do.

Donations to One Life

Last month, January, I received an unexpected Pay Pal donation of £100 from John Neighbour who is the son of John neighbour who sponsors two of our children in South Africa for their educational needs.

Also in January i received a £60 donation from Michael Crompton who is a new child sponsor.

My grateful thanks got to John and Michael. We need all the support we can get and their money help the needs of the children enormously..

A donation for the New Year 2012

Today 17th January 2012 I have just received a cheque for £200. My next door neighbour and fellow trustee Debbie Pipe and her friend Anita held a New Year's Eve dance down in St Anne's church hall.

Half of the £400 profit came to my charity one Life and half has gone to Haven House, a very worthwhile charity.

My grateful thanks got to Debbie and Anita who for the last few years have held this New Year's Eve dance and donated half of the profits to One Life.

Computer contact with South Africa

At last after seven long months the computer in South Africa, for my contact with Nancy and Khanya, is up and running with just one minor problem, the scanner is playing up but hopefully will be sorted out today, January 15th.

Khanya is very excited to have this contact again and so am I as I have been waiting for such a long time for receipts, photos , information and queries.

The people who sponsor the children have been really patient so hopefully now I can catch up with the backlog of paperwork and photos needed and bring the charity up to date.

Donation to One Life

Today, 11th January 2012, my fellow trustee, Jean Spinks, gave me £100 for One life which she raised by selling her hand made greeting cards.

We so badly need donations at the moment so I am very grateful to Jean for all her hard work and support.

Result of Sponsored Walk.

The Sponsored Walk held on Saturday 17th September has raised approx £2,995, a wonderful amount.

A good half of that amount was raised by a Dr and Mrs Patel of Sidcup Kent and I am very grateful to them for so enthusiastically and caringly collecting such an amazing amount of money for One Life.

Their son, Dr Sanjay Patel and his wife Samantha were in South Africa at the same time as myself a couple of years ago and they met Nancy and Khanya and the children of the township who One Life supports.

They know very well of the difficult lives the children and their carers lead and they are in full support of the work which Nancy and Khanya do.

Result of Auction/pledge/Supper Fund Raise event

On Saturday evening, October 15th the Auction/Pledges/ Supper/Fund Raise event was held in St Anne's church hall.

The evening was wonderful and finished around 10-30pm due to the time it took to work through all the many pledges and goods received in order to make this such a successful event.

Approx £2,000 was raised and this is to be shared between St Anne's parish Church and my charity One Life.

I am very grateful to all who took part in supporting this event and particularly to the organisers and the helpers who through their hard work made this such an enjoyable and worthwhile evening.

Charity/Pledge Auction/Supper

On Saturday, 15th October, a Charity/Pledge Auction will be held in St Anne's Church hall. Entry is £10 per head and includes a hot supper. A raffle will also be held.

You are requested to bring along goods in great order to auction or something new to raffle.

The evening should draw to a close around 9-30pm.

Update on Nancy

I am in constant contact with Khanya (Nancy's daughter). Yesterday 21st September Nancy went for the results of a biopsy on her spine, where the tumour was.

At the moment she is clear of the cancer but is suffering from chronic kidney failure, the result of diabetes. She may have to go on dialysis in the near future. Also, because of pressure on her spinal discs, for the present moment, she is still in a wheelchair but hopefully this is not a permanent situation.,

Nancy is now on insulin instead of just tablets and for the first time in a long time her sugar levels have settled down. Nevertheless she is not a well lady and we need to keep her in our thoughts and prayers.

Update on Sponsored Walk

The sponsored walk held last Saturday September 17th went well. The weather was very kind to us and we managed to have a lunch break sitting in deckchairs in the sun.

The donations always take a while to be collected up and sent to me but I did have a phone call from a Mr Patel and his wife who joined the walk, to say that already he had collected £1,000 and it is possible that he may collect as much as £500 more.

This was such a wonderful surprise and filled me with gratitude as right now the needs in Africa are many especially funding for food and also I wanted to send funding again this year for Nancy to hold a small Christmas party for the children. They get so little that this, for them, is the highlight of the year.

Also since the rand to pound exchange has dropped so much, each year there is not enough money to buy the school stationary which the children need. I try and send extra to cover this but this year I am short of funding but now, thanks to Mr and Mrs Patel and the generosity of the people who have sponsored them I will be able to provide the money.

I am very grateful to all the new people who joined us on the walk this year and to the people who continue to do so year after year.

One Life Annual Sponsored Walk.

The yearly sponsored walk will be held on Saturday 17th September.

We will meet between 10-30am and 10-45am at the coffee shop in Trafalgar Square and at around 11am walk to St James Park where we will do four laps of the park with a lunch break after two laps.

If you are interested in joining the walk and for more information contact Elena at elena@onelife-online.org.uk or phone on Tel No. 020 8926 2431.

Further news from Africa

When Khanya emailed today, August 6th, about her mum Nancy, she also told me about the young boy in Africa, fighting for his life due to a tree crashing down on the shack he lives in, killing his young brother and leaving him fighting for his life with terrible head injuries. He has had an operation on his head and so far appears to be doing well.

Please also keep this young boy in your thoughts and prayers.

We so badly need funding in order to strengthen all the shacks in order to prevent more of these terrible accidents which happen all too frequently.

Heavy rains and winds destroy so many of these fragile homes. Fires are caused due to candles being knocked over due to the lack of electricity or by fires being brought inside when the weather is too bad outside to cook food. It is going to take a long time, and much money to sort out many of these ongoing problems.

More news from Africa

Today, August 6th, I heard from Khanya in South Africa.

Her mum Nancy has had her operation, a few days ago, for the lump on her spine. It was a tumour and had been pressing on the spinal discs (hence the severe pain which Nancy was in) and sadly has damaged some of the discs. Because of this it is thought that Nancy will now have to spend up to a year in a wheelchair.

Within the next couple of days I will be sending funding to Africa so that Nancy can purchase the much needed wheelchair.

Nancy will continue with the work with the children as she will have the support of her daughter Khanya, her husband and her son plus the invaluable help of two volunteers.

Please keep Nancy in your thoughts and prayers.

News from Africa

Today,1st August, I heard from Khanya who is still trying to recover from a lung infection following pneumonia.

Nancy too is unwell and has been for over a month now with kidneys problems related to diabetes and a very high blood sugar count which will not come down. Tomorrow, August 2nd, she is having an operation to remove a lump from her back. the lump came after an injection and Nancy is in terrible pain.

It seems so unfair that Nancy and Khanya, who spend their lives helping the children in need have themselves to undergo so much sickness and suffering.

Khanya went on to tell me that they had terrible snow storms and gales last week and a tree came crashing down onto one of the shacks, killing a small boy and badly injuring his young brother who is now in hospital fighting for his life.

Please let us keep this family, all the other children and carers and, of course, Nancy and Khanya in your prayers.

One more donation and Appeal update.

Today, July 10th, whilst down at St Anne's Church, I received a £25 Appeal donation from Mrs E Eley, one of the parishioners. My sincere thanks go to her.

To date, the results of the appeal have risen to £6,111, an amazing amount. The majority of this is now on its way to Africa and will be such a wonderful support for Nancy and the children.

A Very Unexpected Donation

Yesterday evening, 9th July, an envelope was put through my door. When I opened it I found a letter and a cheque for £5,000.

I honestly felt like I had received an electric shock, that was how my body reacted on seeing this cheque and the vast amount of money it represented.

The letter stated that firstly the donor wished to remain anonymous and secondly that the donor would like me to consider using the funding in two ways, 1). towards college fees for a young person who was greatly motivated and so would greatly benefit from this opportunity and 2). that what was left of the funding would help towards improving infrastructure and communications with the UK and also that it should be used for the basic necessities needed eg goods that Nancy could purchase in bulk saving a vast amount of money in the long run.

The donor was also very happy that some of the funding would be used to pay for the young Down's Syndrome child's next year in the residential special school, whose funding was paid for for this year by my charity One Life.

After having such a wonderful response to the appeal, to receive such a vast donation was the last thing I expected to happen and the possibility of having an opportunity to again place a young person in college is something I thought would never happen again.

I feel truly grateful to the person who has made this happen but I do find it extremely difficult to express in words how I feel and a "thank you" seems so inadequate but are the only words I can find to use, so from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of Nancy and the children "Thank you so very much"

Two large unexpected appeal donations

On the 6th July I received two, large unexpected donations in response to the appeal.

Nick Carroll of Hertfordshire transferred a wonderful £500 in to the charity account and a Mrs E V Veckranges of Walthamstow, East London donated, by cheque, a further £500.

After the appeal reached an amazing £5,000, I thought that was the end of donations coming in and I was delighted with the results of the appeal so when this last £1,000 arrived I was shocked and delighted as funding is needed so much and now we can make a big difference to the children and the difficulties in their lives.

Nancy and the children, at the moment, are solely dependent on my charity for all their needs, ie education, food, shack repairs, blankets, medication etc so the need for funding is never ending.

I am full of gratitude to all who have given so generously for the children and their needs and today the 7th July, the final donations have been transferred to the bank account in Africa.

Two more donations for the appeal

Today, July 4th, I have received two more donations for the Africa Appeal.

I have received £50 from Niki Gregory of Birmingham and £500 from Nick Carroll of Hertfordshire.

I am delighted that responses to the appeal are still happening, that funding is still trickling in and I am so grateful to everyone for their caring and generosity. The response has been wonderful and is already doing so much good.

We are now in a position to send extra money to South Africa which enables Nancy to help the small boy needing spectacles and the girl who needs a deposit for a wheelchair and for the many other needs which arise almost daily.

It just feels miraculous that the response to the appeal has brought in so much money.

My thanks go to all who have responded in such a caring and generous way.

Two Appeal Donations

Today the 12th June, whilst attending the morning service in St Anne's parish Church, I received a cheque for £25 from Margot Ilsley, one of the parishioners, and Valerie Black, another parishioner, pledged £100 for the Appeal.

I cannot believe that money is still coming in. This is wonderful and is helping the orphans so very much.

Appeal Update

The appeal money is still coming in and the total from today the 9th of June has now risen to a magnificent £4910 with a little more to come at the end of the month.

This is so far beyond anything I could have expected and is going to make such an amazing difference to the children's well being. There will be enough funding for food for about four months, maybe more, and many shacks can now now be repaired or rebuilt.

This is truly wonderful and I am so grateful to everyone who made this miracle come about.

Appeal donations still arriving.

Today 9th June, I received an email from Ms Emily Tomalin to say she is transferring another £1000 into the One life account for the South Africa appeal. This donation is from both Emily and her husband David.

I am overwhelmed at their generosity. The first £1,000 came as a wonderful surprise and now to receive another £1,000 from the same people is amazing.

I also received today a cheque for £25 from a Ms M Raymond and my grateful thanks go to her too.

Four weeks ago I was so worried about Nancy and the children my charity helps and now we are able to send funding for over four months of food and enough to repair or rebuild many of the broken down shacks and mud huts.

This is indeed wonderful and I am very grateful to all who have responded to the appeal.

Another Donation for the Appeal.

On the 6th June Caron Keeley transferred into the the One Life bank account the sum of £110. This donation is for the appeal bringing the amount so far to an amazing £3,810 with a little more to come at the end of the month.

Caron emailed me and told me that this donation has come about due to an endowment policy. £10 of the the donation was given by Caron's son Stefan, aged 10 years, from his pocket money. Even as a much younger child Stefan has been interested in One Life and in the past has questioned me about it and enquired as to how the charity was progressing. This was done with a maturity and insight far beyond his young years.

Stefan is a very special young boy who raises money for One Life at school and also by joining the annual sponsored walks.

Thank you both, so very much, Caron and Stefan. It is wonderful to have the support of you both.

More funds to South Africa

Tomorrow,8th June, £1,500 is being transferred to South Africa. the majority of this is for the much needed repairs and rebuilding of the shacks and mud huts so badly damaged in the latest bouts of flooding.

Many of our children are quite unwell due to the Aids Virus and their carers are mostly aged grandparents or older siblings or just occassionally a living parent. Sadly these parents are mostly terminally ill. To live without electricity and running water, to be with out adequate clothing, bedding and sometimes food, makes life extremely depressing and difficult.

Thanks to the wonderful results of the appeal we now can make the shacks and huts safe and dry and help to make these difficult lives more bearable.

Appeal Update

To date, 8th June, following the latest appeal, £3,810 has been received by the charity

My grateful thanks to all who have given so generously.

A large amount of this money has already reached South Africa and more is being transferred tomorrow. This last amount being for shack and mud hut repair, so badly needed by our children and their carers.

What a difference this will make to the lives of the children.

An Appeal Donation

Today, 7th June, Jean Spinks gave me the sum of £110 for the appeal. This was raised by Jean selling her hand-made greeting cards and also included some money donated for the appeal by associates of Jean.

My grateful thanks go to her for her ongoing support and for continuing to make and sell her lovely cards in order to raise funds for One Life.

One More Surprise Appeal Donation

Today, 6th June, I received a very unexpected donation of £100. This, after the recent donation of £1,000 felt like another wonderful miracle. A lady called Joan Maharaj of Chingford brought this money to my house this morning. She told me she always used to work with children, being a speech therapist and whilst living overseas was involved with orphans and street children.

I was talking with Nancy in South Africa yesterday evening and she told me how one little boy's carer had been to see her and asked if she could give her the money to buy the little lads glasses which he desperately needs. Nancy had to say no as she hasn't got any money with which to help the child. Today the unexpected donation of £100 arrived -indeed another miracle, and now the little boy can have his glasses.

My grateful thanks go to Joan for reading the latest newsletter and being moved by what she read and then doing something wonderful to help.

My little charity is indeed blessed.

ARV Drugs and other necessary drugs no longer imported in to S Africa.

Today, 5th June, I was talking by phone with Nancy in South Africa and also to Khanya, her daughter. They told me that the all important, life saving Anti Retro-Viral drugs are no longer imported into the country.

This is having a devastating effect on our children who rely on being able to take these drugs on a daily basis, for their very survival. One of our young teenagers is terminally ill with the AIDS Virus and is in immense pain and is suffering greatly and there is nothing we can do.

The drugs she needs are no longer available and any others are £90 per month for life. This family consisting of an aged grandmother and 13 children have no income and neither Nancy nor I are in a position to help.

It is heartbreaking to think of the suffering of these innocent children. I feel so helpless at being unable to help more.

Nancy, herself, is in terrible pain with her legs and feet and is once again using crutches to enable her to walk. She is terrified of going back into a wheelchair. The drugs she was prescribed were helping then suddenly as with the Anti Retro-Viral drugs they are no longer imported into the country.

Her next appointment with a specialist is not until September and she has been told there is absolutely no chance of getting an earlier appointment. So, in the meantime, she has to continue to suffer and at the same time see to the needs of all the children who depend on her on a daily basis.

More Funds to Africa

On Wednesday the 8th June, £1,500 will be sent out to Nancy in South Africa. This is specifically for shack and mud hut repair.

I spoke to Nancy this morning, 6th June, and she said that with the last lot of money sent out they had attempted to patch up the worst huts but as soon as one side was done the other collapsed.

What was needed was for the inside walls to be cemented then this will hold everything together and make the huts far more sturdy and more able to withstand the storms. Now, because of yesterdays unexpected donation of £1,000 this work can be done.

Nancy was overwhelmed with joy and very relieved to know we are now in a position to repair quite a number of the shacks in this way.

Once again, my sincere thanks go to the person who made this very generous donation to the charity and made this repair work possible.

A Wonderful Donation for the Appeal

Today, 4th June, I received a phone call to say I have two cheques to come for the amazing sum of £1,000 each. These generous donations have been given by Emily and David Tomalin of Cookham and it is part of money inherited from Emily's grandparents Kath and Emile Delavenay who, all their lives, were concerned about social justice.

This has come at a time when the need for shack and mud hut repair is so necessary.

From January this year and several times last year, unexpected and unseasonal storms and floods totally devastated many shacks and badly damaged others.

It is the beginning of winter now and for our children and their carers the state of the shacks combined with the lack of even the basic facilities for life is making day to day existence abysmal. Imagine living without electricity, running water, warmth, sufficient food, lack of adequate bedding etc and you can get a feeling what their lives are like.

Most of the funding from the appeal has gone to Africa for food with just a small amount for shack repair but now, with this wonderful donation, we can make an enormous difference, by making the shacks safe and waterproof.

It is unexpected donations like this that fill me with wonderment. When I feel helpless and don't know where to turn next and then this happens I feel overawed and full of gratitude.

My heartfelt thanks go to Emily and David, what a difference there donation will shortly be making to the homes of our children.

My thanks also go to all who responded to the appeal and everyone else who sponsor the children, donate or fund raise for One Life.

What a privilege to see, that with your help, One Life is able to help these children who live so many thousands of miles away but who I feel so very close to, so once again, thank you all so very much.

Update of Appeal

To date, 2nd June, just over £2,500 has come into the charity, from the appeal, with just a little more promised at a later date.

This is a wonderful and unexpected amount and I am so grateful to everyone who was able to respond to the appeal.

It is hard to imagine living in a broken down shack or mud hut without electricity and water on tap. We all know that being cold can be depressing if it carries on too long but for our children and their carers this is everyday life in the wintertime with no chance of a warm drink or a hot bath and many people still cook in one black pot on an outside fire. It doesn't bear thinking about and yet I cannot stop thinking about it.

We need, at the very least, another £700 to £1000 to make any real impact on the amount of homes which need repair. How to get that money, right now, I just do not know. I just continue to hope and pray that we have a minor miracle shortly, before the African winter really takes its grip on our families and causes more sickness and hardship.

Newsletter for June 2011 now available

The latest newsletter can be viewed downloaded from the link below.

Newsletter for June 2011

Sad news from South Africa

This afternoon, 15th May, I received a text from Nancy and Khanya in South Africa to say that Sr Emmanuel passed away suddenly this afternoon at 4-30pm. I have know Sr Emmanuel for 40 years and she was such an individual, liking to horse ride and even camel ride, swing in a hammock and doing many other things which perhaps you cannot imagine that a nun would do. Sr Emmanuel had a great love of God and a total trust in God, in fact everything she did she did in God's name, even her sense of love of life was all ultimately for God. She gave a lot of herself and near where she stayed she was fondly known as "God's own beggar" the reason being she was always asking for things to help the Africans in need. She was also called the Mother Theresa of Empangeni, the town where she stayed with other nuns in a small convent. Part of her life was spent as a teacher and she had a great love of children and she spent her last couple of years, when partially disabled, sitting on a bench and talking to school children and their parents as they passed her on their way into school in the mornings. She had a little dog, one of many over the years, and she and this dog as with all the other dogs, were devoted to each other. She wrote poetry, even had a book of poems published, loved cappuccinos, was very sociable and most of all she was full of stories and loved talking and sharing her stories with anyone who had the time to sit and listen to her.She was an unforgettable character who I know will be greatly missed.
A few months ago she had to be transferred to stay in Pietermaritzburg where she could be looked after by younger and healthier nuns. It is beautiful there, I visited in the year 2000. She was unable to take her little dog with her and she missed him dreadfully as he did her. She also missed the sisters and she greatly missed all the children she so loved to talk to each morning. She was happy and settled well in Pietermaritzburg but dreamed of being strong enough to return to her little dog and the children in Empangeni but that could never have happened as her spine had crumbled, she was in a wheel chair and also in great pain much of the time.
In the early days of my charity, while her health allowed her to, she was very much connected to my charity One Life, in fact it was Sr Emmanuel who first introduced me to Nancy in the year 2000, my first trip back to South Africa after 30 years. She has helped Nancy and the children and countless other Africans so very much and will never be forgotten.

Whatever your faith or religion, do give a thought for Sr Emmanuel who died today, who filled her life with love and dedication to the God she so believed in. I am happy for her as she always said she would be happy to go from this earth when her time came, in fact, looking forward to it and I guess that is the gift of her faith and she surely had that.

This really is a tribute to a great lady who I, personally, will miss and is why I am left here today with this great sense of loss.

Funds to Africa

On Tuesday the 17th May £1,800 is being transferred into the account in Africa.

£1,500 is for food and transport and will ensure that everyone has food and the ability to collect their ARV drugs and other medication from the hospital for the next three to four months.

The other £300 is to be used for repairs to the worst damaged shacks and mud huts.
It is raining most days and cold and with out electricity and running water, life is very difficult for many children and their carers.

The remaining money from the appeal has been put to one side in case of unexpected emergencies cropping up which inevitably do from time to time. So the appeal money, upon arrival into the account in Africa, will be well spent and has put my mind and Nancys at rest for a little while.

More Charity Appeal results

The donations to the Appeal have continued and have raised to date, 14th May, an amazing £2,300 approximately.

I never dreamed we could possibly raise such a vast amount and this feels like a small miracle and has insured that Nancy and the children have food and transport to hospital for the next three to four months.

This is indeed wonderful and Nancy is so grateful. I spoke to her only this morning on the phone and she said she and all the children are totally reliant on One Life for everything they need.

We would really benefit from another £1000 as many of the mud huts and shacks are badly in need of repair or rebuilding due to the terrible floods they have endured since January this year.
Now, we really do need another miracle in order to help in this area although a small amount of the appeal money is going to repair the very worst shacks.

Again,my grateful thanks to everyone who responded to the appeal and I would like everyone to realise that their support has truly been life saving.

Result of Appeal

Up until today, May 5th, the appeal I sent out for help for the orphans we sponsor has had a really good response and has raised for the charity approx £1,500.

I am delighted and very relieved at this wonderful response and very grateful to all who responded so generously and quickly. Thank you all so very much. At least we know now that Nancy and the children who she cares about and feeds twice a day, are assured of food for the next two to three months.

Eventually, when I know for sure, I will post on the website, the exact amount raised.

An Appeal for Funding

Today, 1st May I sent out this appeal by email and post.

To all supporters of One Life and the orphans of Kwazulu, South Africa.

Last Year I sent out an appeal to people with email access and was extremely relieved and grateful for the wonderful response I received. This year I am again asking for help but this time from everyone connected to my charity One Life.

Life in Africa for Nancy and children does not get any easier and to make matters worse they have been without electricity for one month now. We lost all the frozen and cold food stuff that was being held for the many children who come to Nancy for food twice a day, winter is upon them and cold food is all that Nancy can supply until the electricity is sorted out.

Since the problems with corruption and the loss of The Thandukuphila Centre Nancy has been functioning from a large double garage kitted out by One Life and she and the children have been totally dependent on One Life for the monetary support they need for the food they eat. Right now there is very little funding left in the charity as the all demanding needs in Africa have been so great and Nancy and the children are in danger of running out of food quite soon. I have sent all the money I can send and am really worried about what will happen when the food does indeed run out.

If any of you are financially able I really do need your support right now. If you could donate just a few pounds that would be wonderful and would make such a difference to Nancy and the children. I cannot even help with shack repair at the moment as any funding I have goes to feed the children. As I said earlier, winter has come early this year for the children, Nancy says they are all so very cold. Many of the children live in broken down leaky shacks and not being able to help repair them is very difficult and worrying as many of the children and their carers are in bad health. Food, though, has to be a priority.

If you have any questions please do contact me by email or phone and I will be delighted to talk with you and answer any questions you may have.

Do help if you can, I really do need all the help you can give me so that I can keep Nancy and the children as healthy as possible.

It is not easy asking for money but I just don't know what else to do. I realise some of you will not be in a position to help and that is fine and I would not expect you to but for those of you who can, no amount is too small and added to other small amounts can be life saving.

Thank you all for the support you already give me.
With Warm regards
Elena.

A Donation from Larkswood Primary School

Today, 13the April, I received a cheque for £105 from Larkswood Primary School here in Chingford.

This money was raised from the sale of tickets for the Year 3 production of "Glint of Gold".

My grateful thanks go to Larkswood Primary School for their support. Funding is needed so much and will make a big difference to the children we are helping in South Africa.

Surprise donation to One life

Yesterday,3rd April, I received an unexpected and very welcome donation of £300 for the charity. This money was donated by Jenny Harwood a member of St Anne's Parish Church, Chingford.

Jenny specifically asked that this money be used to cover the postal charges incurred due to the many goods we send out to South Africa on a fairly regular basis.

Always, when posting goods out to South Africa, is the worry of running out of money to continue doing this. Many of the goods sent are donated except for the torches and radios so the main expense is with the postage so Jenny's unexpected donation came as such a welcome surprise.

I have been posting out quite a lot of parcels lately as the wind up torches are urgently needed in the attempt to prevent more shack fires due to the frequent use of candles.
Bras are also needed and various other goods.

My grateful thanks go to Jenny for this wonderful amount of money. Whenever I worry about lack of funding something tends to crop up to help us out and I am always touched when this happens.and give thanks for the many unexpected acts of kindness and caring which frequently come to the charity.

Funds to South Africa

Today, 3rd March, I have just transferred money out to South Africa. Some of the funding is for the purchase of an all important scanner for the computer then, hopefully, after a very long time, we will be all set up again to resume emailing, receiving receipts and other documents and photos of the children.

It has been a very difficult and frustrating few months trying to run the charity properly without this form of communication.

We are lucky now as Khanya is in contact with a technician at Zululand University who said he will give us all the help we may need with the computer in the future, free of charge, as he was brought up in an orphanage then later was helped from a project just like Nancy's so he understands how important it is to be able to have the computer connecting myself with the project in Africa. So if, in the future, any problems arise with the computer, we have only to contact him and he will come and help us. I am so grateful to this man for his caring and kindness and having his help will make so much difference to both myself and Khanya.

Other money is to be used to replace the Anti Retro-viral drugs which were stolen from the homes of the children and other money is for the wholesale purchase of sanitary towels etc for the girls.

In the creche is a five year old girl called Ziyanda. With supportive funding she will be able to go to a residential home where she will be taught skills in order to develop to her full potential and, hopefully, one day be able to live, with some support, an independent life.

I felt that this would be a very worthwhile way to use some of the funding. Also, this will give her young mum of 18 the opportunity to resume her education as since she was raped at the age of twelve and gave birth to this little Down's Syndrome girl, she has been unable to go to school. Also at the age of twelve both her parents died leaving her totally responsible for her four very young siblings.

This girl is so excited to have his opportunity of finishing her education and I am very happy that by helping the little girl we are also enhancing the life of her young mother and that of her mother's siblings.

A change of name for the Thandukuphila centre

I heard from South Africa today, that because we are no longer based in the Thandukuphila Centre, but are now functioning from a double garage, our new official name is the Sinikithemba Care Centre.

I am hoping to find out the meaning of the word Sinikithemba and when I do this will be published here on the website.

Bad News From South Africa

On the 26th of February I received a text then an email from Khanya telling me that she had been mugged at gunpoint, by two men, outside the hospital where she and and a little boy who Nancy cares for had gone to collect his all important Anti Retro-viral drugs for his HIV condition.

The men took the drugs and Khanya's bus fare home. She went back into the hospital but they said as the mugging took place outside their premises they could not help and the police said that as this happens frequently there was nothing they could do either and were not helpful at all.

Khanya went on to tell me that six of the children who are sponsored by people here in England have had their shacks broken into and their Anti Retro-viral drugs stolen.

The hospital will not replace the stolen drugs because of the amount which are regularly stolen and the expense of the drugs.

Nancy told me that to replace the drugs costs £70 per child per month and of course she has not got the money to do that but the children must not miss a single dose of the drug as it is life saving so she was extremely worried.

I am very shortly sending money to Nancy so she will be able to replace the drugs for the children and she is hoping to arrange to keep the drugs in her house rather than in the broken down shacks which are so easy to break in to and she will give the drugs to the children each day.

Life for Nancy and the children is full of difficulties and Nancy says the children live in constant fear of break-ins, floods and fires. It seems so wrong that little children should be so frightened on a daily basis.