Two unexpected donations

Today, 5th March, I received two unexpected donations. I received £25 from Christine Stead who lives in Yorkshire and £50 from Hazel Wagthorn who lives in Essex. I also received in January a £20 Pay Pal donation from Rashna Walton.

My grateful thanks go to both these people for their support of the work One Life is trying to do for the children of Kwazulu, South Africa.

Unexpected donation

Yesterday February 22nd I received an unexpectated donation of £120 from Mr Fortune Iwuagwu a consultant in Plastic Surgery.

This money was specifically given towards the education of children in Nseleni, South Africa.

After hearing about the storm devastation to two of the schools which our sponsored children attend Mr Iwuagwu was very happy for his donation to go to helping 12 children return to school.

This unexpected donated has now helped to change these 12 children's lives and enabled them to continue with their education.

Any donation given no matter how small can help in the most unexpected ways as various problems for the children are always cropping up.

Our very grateful thanks go to Mr Iwuagwun for his generosity and invaluable help.

Storm devestation for families and two schools in Nseleni.

As hailstones and heavy rains have hit Nseleni during the past couple of months, I have, by email, been kept up to date on the affect of this. Yesterday I heard that some of the children's homes have been badly affected by the latest storms (even though they are experiencing terrible heat right now and more than likely because of it.)

I also heard that a couple of the schools which our sponsored children attend have been badly damaged by the rain and the children were unable to go to school.

On Sunday the 21st Feb a meeting was held in the afternoon. The outcome was not good for our sponsored children. Because the schools are running on the school fees there is no money put by for repairs so it is a requirement that each child donate R100 approx £10 each to help repair the schools. This does not seem such a large amount but for orphans it is devastating news. Nancy explained about the orphans and that their school fees were paid by sponsors in England as the children's carers were without an income money but the board said that no allowances would be made for the orphans and unless they donated the £10 each they would be allowed into school.

Nancy is very concerned as she has not got the funding pay this money.

I have emailed to ask how many of our children does this affect then I will send the money out as luckily I have just received the charities annual gift aid return.

Unfortunately, funding right now is desperately needed in various other areas so any money used for the schools will mean less money for other needs. The problems which crop up are never ending and always unexpected. If you can help at all with a small donation, please do. Donation details can be found at the top of this page on the right hand side. Thank you.

Sickness for one of our sponsored children.

One of our sponsored children has been battling the AIDS Virus for a number of years.

When I first met her she was quite ill but then she was given the ARV drug treatment which had a remarkable effect on her. She wrote, very happily and excitedly that since the treatment she could run and play like her friends and she was so happy.

This lasted about one year then a couple of days ago, Feb19th I heard that she had been in hospital, very ill with the development of AIDS and then the hospital sent her home to her Grandma saying they could do no more for her and that she would be better at home. Her grandmother says she is crying day and night as she is in terrible pain . Her Grandmother, Nancy, Khanya, myself and her sponsor are deeply saddened at this news and feel helpless to help her. Please keep her in your prayers. Her name is Nondumosa Khosa, she is 14 years old and one of 13 children looked after by the Grandmother.

Whilst in S Africa a few years ago I went on the AIDS wards at one of the local hospitals and I was shocked and deeply affected at how AIDS affects the body as it progresses so to hear that Nondumosa is suffering so much and that nothing more can be done is heart breaking.

I hope and pray that she will find some relief from this terrible illness that is taking her life before she has even started to live it.

Unexpected donation

On Feb 5th I received a very welcome and unexpected donation of £50 from Larkswood Primary School. My thanks go to Megan Pipe my young next door neighbour whole apparently put the name of One Life forward when raised funds at the school were to be shared out and donated between various chosen charities.

My sincere thanks go to Megan and to Larkswood Primary School.

Funding desperately needed

Funding is desperately needed to repair and alter a very large building donated to Nancy by the Nkosa (Zulu chief) so that she can safely move in with the children without the constant hassle she has had over the last few years resulting in corruption and court orders and Nancy being ousted out of the Thandukuphila Centre.

We are awaiting the dates of a new court case and in the meantime Nancy does what she can from her home.

The Nkosi has signed the building over to Nancy but the roof needs repairing, there are no doors or windows and it needs dividing into rooms. We need also funding for toilets to be installed, water and electricity, a kitchen, a fence etc. This is daunting and will cost approx £18,000 but if we can get it basically habitable then Nancy could move herself and the children in there and bit by bit we could finish off the property.

We do need funding urgently and as a small charity I have not got that large amount of money to send so, please, if you could help in any way at all I would be most grateful.
All donation can be made through Paypal or by cheque to be made out to One Life and sent to
One Life Charity
43 Alpha Road
Chingford
London E4 6TD.

Please help if you can, we really need all the help we can get. No donation is too small. Thank you.

Visa Appeal

On the 2nd February I received a letter from The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP to say that he was sorry but had just heard from Phil Woolas of the Home Office that our last visa appeal to bring Khanya to England for a two week visit has once again been turned down with a request for Khanya to reapply again

The trustees have decided that it would not be in the best interests of the charity to reapply for a fourth time nor for the emotional state of Khanya herself as each refusal is a devastation for her..

I did write to The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP to thank him for his help and to express how I felt and what effect a further refusal has had on the charity and on Khanya and he replied and said he agrees with my comments so has written to the Home Office expressing my comments and feelings.

Whatever I do the border control will find some reason to refuse Khanya entry to the UK and each application from the South African side costs almost £100 and as I have already lost £1000 of my own money trying to bring Khanya here I feel it is time to let go and just accept that she won't be coming and trust that one day things may be different and she will be allowed to visit.

A New Year Donation

On December 31st Annette Cowell and Debbie Pipe organised a New Year's Eve function with disco etc. This was held in St Anne's Church Hall and proved a very popular event.

After all expenses were paid a profit of £440 was made and this was donated to One Life to go towards the renovation and refurbishment of the building hopefully soon to be, funding permitting, the new Thandukuphila Centre in Kwazulu, South Africa.

My grateful thanks go to Annette and Debbie for thinking of my charity and donating so generously. They have shown an interest in holding a similar event next New Year's Eve with, once again, the profits to come to One Life.

Another donation for One Life at Christmas.

Today, Christmas Eve, I have just received a donation of £20 from Lily Burnett of St Anne's Parish Church.

My grateful thanks go to Lily and to everyone who has thought about the children in Africa as we celebrate our Christmas over here in England.

Another unexpected donation

Today 22nd December I received notification through PayPal that Ros Purcell had donated £50 to One Life. This is towards the many needs the children and Nancy are experiencing right now.

Many thanks go to Ros for her caring and generosity at this very expensive time of year.

Newsletter - December 2009

This is the One Life newsletter for December 2009

There is also a downloadable version for viewing offline and printing

Hello Everybody

It is December and once again Christmas is almost upon us with all its festivities, good food and presents. It is a time to remember our relatives and friends, to spread good cheer to people less fortunate than ourselves and a time to reach out to people for who Christmas can be a sad and lonely time filled with memories of years gone by and the people no longer here to share Christmas with them. A time also to think of our vulnerable children in Kwazulu, South Africa and the world over who have nothing to celebrate Christmas with and many of those children are without parents to give them the warmth of a loving home. Nancy Khuzwayo of the Thandukuphila Centre will do her best to give the children something different for them to look forward to and to enjoy. One Life, at this time of year, sends to Nancy £1000 and this money is used to buy a small gift for the children and to give them the excitement of a Christmas Party. This is the highlight of their year and I wish we could all be there to see the children enjoying themselves and, for that moment, carefree, as children ought to be..

One Life has now been in operation for six years and a registered charity for five and a half years. This year we have sent out to South Africa over £25,000 and since the onset I am delighted to tell you that One Life has sent out to South Africa in excess of £105,000 quite an achievement for a small charity and none of it could have happened without the support and caring of you all so my grateful thanks come to you with the hope that you feel able to continue supporting the charity in the years to come.

The same problems continue as we are still losing parents to the AIDS Virus and related illnesses and when that happens we need to be there to help the orphaned children and to support their carers, many of whom are sick themselves or very old (grandparents) or teenagers who take on an enormous task of bringing up little children when they are not much more than children themselves. This means we continually need money for shack repair, mattresses, blankets, warm clothing, transport to school and hospitals and electricity. Electricity means warmth, a hot drink, and electric light bulbs instead of candles, highly dangerous for children living with only older siblings, hence the hospital wards full of children with burns from knocking over a candle. As always I am asking if there is any way at all you could help us raise money to help the children with their all-round care as well as the help we give for their educational needs. It would be wonderful if you could and any small amount donated means so much and goes towards making such a difference in these children’s lives. Maybe a car boot sale or a sponsored walk or a sponsored silence at work for a few hours (not easy this one). Any how I will leave that with you now and tell you that our local Anglican church of St Anne’s here in Chingford held a fund raise event for us last Sunday December 6th and raised a wonderful £1000 for One Life. They continuously support One Life and I would be lost without them now.

FUND RAISING EVENTS AND DONATED MONIES SINCE JUNE

• On June 19th £123.60 was raised from the sale of Greeting Cards/African Jewellery/Artefacts and Bric-a-Brac. This was held in St Anne’s church hall after the morning service.
• The 12th of August brought another surprise donation of £764 from Thames Wharf Charity.
• Christine Foster of Walthamstow donated £250 on August 14th towards the Sponsored Walk.
Sponsored Walk Sep 09
• The Annual Sponsored walk held on September 26th raised £2,132
• The 17th of October brought an anonymous donation of £500 for the emergency fund.
• On November the 8th £131 was raised from the sale of cards/bracelets etc. This event was held in St Anne’s Church Hall.
• On Sunday December 6th Penny and David Rolfe organised a fund raise event after the morning church service. This event raised £1,000.
• December the 9th brought another cheque from Christine Foster of Walthamstow, this was for £50 towards Christmas for the children we support.

Special thanks go to the Rev Jude Bullock and all the parishioners who support One Life by sponsoring and helping at the fund raising events organised by Penny and David. Also my grateful thanks go to everyone else for their support many who I haven’t mentioned here. I would, though, like to make the space to mention three very special young people who unfailingly help support my charity. The youngest is Stefan Keeley of Chase Lane School. He is now eight years old (forgive me Stefan if I have your age wrong) Stefan raises money by joining our sponsored walk each year and raising money from his school and in the past has insisted I take the money from his money box for the children in Africa. The other two young supporters are my neighbours 12 year old Kate Pipe and 10 year old Megan who enthusiastically help at all fund raising events and Megan is shortly manning a stall at school where half the proceeds of money taken is to come to One Life. What an inspiration these three young people are.

Khanya (Nancy’s daughter) has for the second time been refused a visa to enter the UK. for a two week visit. I have now applied for the third time via the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP who will forward the application to the minister at the Home Office. I have sent appropriate backing documents and letters which will .hopefully now enable Khanya to enter the UK at the beginning of May.

Iain Duncan Smith with Elena Utton

Mr Iain Duncan Smith has shown an interest in raising publicity for One Life and yesterday afternoon, December 10th, he came to my house (the premises of One Life) at 2pm to ask me about my charity and what we do for the children in South Africa and he also enquired about Khanya and her role in South Africa in supporting her mother Nancy’s work with the children at The Thandukuphila Centre and her connection with me and my charity. It was a good visit and I am now hoping that with his help we will be able to bring Khanya over here next year.

FUTURE FUNDRAISING EVENTS

• A Ploughman’s Supper/ Charity Auction will be held again this year in St Anne’s Church Hall. This is organised by Penny and David Rolfe, members of St Anne’s Church.
• One Life’s Annual Sponsored Walk will be held again next year, possibly in September which is a lovely time of year. With all the autumn colours and being a hot sunny day, this year’s walk on September 26th proved to be a very enjoyable event.

Both these dates have still to be arranged.

AFRICA NEWS

We have had a year of problems out in South Africa for Nancy and indirectly for One Life. Nancy has so been so ill and was in hospital for quite a length of time because of her diabetes. Two or three times she has nearly died and also, due to the diabetes, she developed terrible ulcers on her feet resulting in a gaping hole in her heel down to the bone and with that came the risk of amputation. I was horrified when I received photos showing me the state of her feet. Luckily she avoided amputation, one of her greatest fears, and slowly, very slowly, her feet are healing but it is taking months and even when they are healed she is in constant pain walking due to severe damage to the nerves ends because of the diabetes.

A few months ago the area where Nancy lives and the nearest town which is Empangeni suffered numerous lengthy strikes, buses, post office, electricity etc. I had no way to contact Nancy or Khanya or to receive any of the documents I need from them for my accountant and new people wanting to sponsor a child. In the end I became depressed and that was an awful time. It is so hard to run a charity to support children in Africa when every line of communication is cut off and you are not really sure what is happening until you are told afterwards. Inevitably, because of the circumstances out there, it is easy to start imagining the worst.

Earlier in the year Nancy had been held at gunpoint outside the bank. This was a terrifying experience for her. Luckily she had only withdrawn £70 for medicines and transport and the immediate needs of the children. The men took Nancy’s bag and ran off. No-one passing by came forward to help Nancy as they were scared of being shot.

About two months ago burglars broke into Nancy’s house, as luck would have it, there was an electricity cut, so when the men shot at Nancy’s husband they missed his head but then pistol whipped him so badly that he ended up in hospital. As they were running out they turned and shot at Nancy and missed her by about an inch. Once again she was totally traumatised and the children who live in the house with her were in an awful state of fear.

The worst thing which happened is only a few weeks ago. The welfare Dept who have been demanding to take back for themselves the Thandukuphila Centre for their own use, leaving Nancy and the children with no-where to go, had a new board election and voted onto the board five men and three women. These men are bad and threw Nancy out of the centre once she realised that they were wanting money for themselves and demanding that Nancy gave it to them. The men then abused and threatened Nancy’s female helpers, paid them nothing for being there and used the food for the children for themselves and all their friends. The children from the centre kept going over to Nancy’s house saying they were hungry and that the men would not give them any money for medicines. In the end Nancy got a lawyer and the whole matter went to the high court. This was for the third time as the men and their lawyer failed to turn up twice. The court went in Nancy’s favour and court orders will be issued against the men so they cannot go near Nancy and a court order will be given to the Welfare Dept ensuring they have no power to remove Nancy from the centre. Once the court orders are issued Nancy will go back to the centre and resume what she does in caring for the children.

The Zulu chief has donated to Nancy another large building which is in total need of renovation but will belong to Nancy and the children not the Welfare Dept as although the department can no longer remove Nancy from the centre they have during the past year taken over nearly all the rooms for themselves and Nancy has very little left space left for the children and the other work she does in support of their carers and for the counselling which goes on for the people with the AIDS Virus or related illnesses. One Life would like to raise money in order for the renovation of this centre to take place so that Nancy and the children can permanently move into it in the near future. Also because of the shootings and threats to Nancy she was advised by her lawyer to put cameras and an alarm around her home. Nancy has not got the money to do this but has done it anyway because she fears repercussions from the men and is paying for it monthly, a little bit at a time.

There are so many reasons why we need to raise money for South Africa, all the reasons as before eg shack repair, mattresses and blankets, warm clothing in winter, transport, medicines, electricity and the many other needs of the children. Now on top of that we need money to renovate the new centre, build a kitchen and equip it with cookers and urns and pots and pans etc etc and I would very much like to help Nancy pay off the £2000 for the cameras and alarms around her house. I dread to think what would happen if there was no Nancy to help these children.

Our two young people in college are doing very well. One of them, Gugu, finishes college at the end of December. Despite having undergone many operations, a failed heart transplant and now surviving with an artificial heart she has managed to keep up with her studies and can now reap the benefits of all her hard work.. I heard that she has done really well. The other young person in college, Sakhile, despite losing his parents within days of each other then his grandparent has done so well he has been granted a full scholarship and we no longer need to fund him.

Thandisiwe Ntuli

I am happy to say that due to an anonymous donation earlier in the year we now have a third young person starting college in February 2010. Her name is Thandisiwe Ntuli and she will take a two year course in Human Resources and is very excited at the prospect of going to college, an opportunity she never thought she would have. My dream is to have a fund just for higher education. With qualifications our young people will have to chance to totally change their lives and that of their families and this will enable this cycle of illness and poverty to be broken.

I cannot envisage ever having enough money to put more than a handful of young people through college but--- many wonderful people have come forward unexpectedly to support my charity in the past so I keep faith that one day we will be in a position to do more.

I would like to remind everyone that we still need people to come forward and sponsor children for their educational needs. It is still £50 per year and this amount includes money towards school uniforms. It is such a worthwhile thing to do to give a child an education so if you think you know of anyone who may be interested please do contact them and pass on to them my contact details – see below.

Because of the shootings and violence in the area where Nancy lives and works I no longer feel safe, at this moment, to return for my yearly visit to the children, Nancy and to see Sister Emmanuel. That is why I am attempting, despite all the difficulties that I have had so far, to bring Nancy’s daughter Khanya over here this coming year 2010, hopefully in May. If we do attain a visa for Khanya then I am aspiring to bring Nancy over here the following year or the year after. This would be an enormous boost to my charity and a wonderful experience for them both. I cannot envisage never returning to South Africa, never seeing our children and young people again, that is too final, so I will just wait and see what the future holds hoping that one day I can safely return.

Sr Emmanuel is quite frail now; she will be 86 years of age in April. She does, however, help and support Nancy in any way she can despite being hardly mobile.

All that remains for me to do now is to wish you all A Very Happy Christmas and A Happy and Healthy New Year and to thank you all once again for your continuous support of One Life. It is you the charities’ supporters who enable One Life to function in the positive way in which it does.

Elena Utton (Founder and Trustee)

Three donations for Christmas

This week, the week before Christmas, I have received three unexpected donations for the children in South Africa..

Christine Foster of Walthamstow donated £50

Sue Harrison of West Sussex donated £50

Eluned Rees of Wales donated £100.

My grateful thanks together with my very best wishes go to all three for A Joyful and Peaceful Christmas.

The visit from The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP

Iain Duncan Smith with ElenaThis afternoon, Thursday December 10th, The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith came here to the premises of One Life to talk about my charity with a view to raising more publicity for us and also to enquire more in depth about Khanya, what she does and the role she plays in S Africa to help her mum at the Thandukuphila Centre and the children in need.

I felt the visit went really well and I am very grateful to The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith for taking the trouble to come here amidst his busy work schedule to support my charity and with a view to helping with my visa appeal for Khanya to come here for two weeks in May.

It has been quite a week for One Life starting with the fund raise event on Sunday, followed by the interview with Premier Radio on Monday and lastly the visit this afternoon from a member of parliament.

Unexpected phonecall

Today Tuesday 8th December I received a phone call from the offices of The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith stating that he would like to visit me here in Chingford on Thursday 10th December at 2-30pm.

The press will accompany him as he wishes to talk about my charity with a view to raising publicity about what One Life does here in the UK in support of the AIDS orphans and vulnerable children connected to the Nancy and the Thandukuphila Centre, Kwazulu, South Africa.

It would be wonderful if indeed this interview achieves what it sets out to do and my thanks go to him for his support and interest.

Premier Radio Interview

Yesterday morning, December 7th, I received a vist from a gentleman from Premier Radio. He runs the programme Travellers Tales.

He came to interview me about my charity One Life and he quickly put me at ease, so much so, that I forgot he was recording our conversation.

This interview will be broadcast on January 31st at 2-30pm. He told me the interview can be found on Google - Premier Radio.

Visa Appeal

Yesterday morning, December 7th, I posted off to the House of Commons for the attention of The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith the backing documents needed for the appeal to overturn the decision which refused Khanya (Nancy's daughter) entry into the UK for a two week visit.

These papers will then be forwarded to the Minister at the Home Office. This is the third application for a visa for Khanya to visit here so I hope the saying "Third time lucky" proves to be a true one.

If she is granted a visa she will, hopefully, arrive in the UK in May to enjoy our Spring time.

I will keep everyone informed as to the outcome of this appeal.

Result of fudraise event at St Anne's

The fundraise today December 6th which was held in St Anne's church hall raised a wonderful £1,000

The event was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who supported it and my grateful thanks go to Penny and David Rolfe, the organisers and to Bill Gloyn the pianist and to all the helpers behind the scenes who set the hall up, coped with all the mounds of washing up after the event and to all the brave people who stood up and sang or read poetry or who offered something towards the light entertainment.

I am forever overwhelmed and grateful to everyone who consistently supports One Life and the work I do for the children in Kwazulu, South Africa.

Premier Radio interview

Next Monday December the 7th a gentleman from Premier Radio will be coming to my house to interview me about One Life for Travellers Tales which is one of the radio's religious programmes.

Maybe someone will hear the interview and come forward with some support for the charity and the work I am trying to do for the children of Kwazulku, Natal. This would be wonderful but at the very least it will raise people's awareness to how life really is for many of the children out there in rural Africa, children who are orphaned because of the AIDS Virus or indeed are themselves HIV Positive or in the throes of struggling to survive the Virus.

Fund Raise at St Anne's

Tomorrow December 6th in St Anne's in the church hall a fund raise will be held from noon. The intention of this event is to raise money towards an air ticket to bring Khanya over for two weeks in May. Khanya is the daughter of Nancy Khuzwayo the project manager of the Thandukuphila Centre in Kwazulu, South Africa.

As I cannot return to S Africa in the near future it will be very beneficial to bring Khanya over here and if we get the visa for her visit then the idea is to bring Nancy (Thandukuphila's Project Manager) over here in 2011. This will be very beneficial for One Life to have people here to talk about how it really is for the children out there etc and what it means for them to have people sponsoring them for their education and their many other needs.

Quite a lot of people have bought tickets for the fund raise and it should be a very enjoyable pre-Christmas event.

This event will start with a light lunch, followed by singing Christmas carols , the piano having being brought into the church hall. We will then enjoy some light entertainment by volunteers who will sing or read poetry or show whatever talents they have. After that Father Christmas will make an appearance for the children and we will finish with a cream tea.

A raffle will also be held and hand made greeting cards will be for sale along with African bracelets and Peace Mala bracelets.

Result of visa appeal for Khanya

On November10th I heard from The House of Commons that that the visa appeal for Khanya's entry into the UK has been turned down again for lack of supporting evidence as to my means of supporting her and also her connection with One Life.

I am now in the process of compiling evidence to support another visa application review. My supporting letter and documents go firstly to The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith then on to the Minister at The Home Office.

I hope and pray that this time the appeal will be successful and the original refusal overturned.

Fund Raise event at St Anne's.

This morning, Sunday November the 8th, after the 10am service at St Anne's Penny and David Rolfe and myself held a small fund-raising event with the sale of Hand Made greeting cards and Christmas cards and other bits and pieces.

At this event we raised in a very short space of time £131 which is wonderful.
My thanks go to Penny and David for their continuous support of One Life and to all the parishioners who bought from us and gave generously and to Jude the vicar for allowing this event to come about.

Reply from the House of Commons re Khanya

On Tuesday 27th October I received a reply from the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP who is based in The House of Commons re Khanya's visa refusal.

I was relieved and impressed at the speed in which this matter was taken up and referred to the appropriate person and I feel more hopeful that something positive may now happen. I should hear reasonably quickly what the ultimate outcome will be.

Letter can be read by clicking on picture below

Letter from House of Commons

Amount raised from Sponsored Walk.

We have just received the last of the Sponsored Walk money and I am delighted to say we have in total raised a wonderful £2,132.

My grateful thanks go to all who took part in the walk and all those who so generously sponsored us.

This is one of our annual find raising events and it is wonderful to see that year after year we are still receiving this kind of support which makes such a difference to the lives of the children in South Africa.

Once again my grateful thanks to eveyone involved.

Appeal for Khanya's visit

This morning October 22nd I have been in touch with the offices of Iain Duncan Smith in the House of Commons. They advised me to send to Iain Duncan Smith copies of the visa refusal sent to Khanya and my letter to the visa office South Africa taking full responsibility for all of Khanya's expenses whilst over here and assuring them of her return to South Africa on the said date.

The papers will be delivered to the House of Commons shortly for the attention of Iain Duncan Smith then presented to the Foreign Minister in the hope that he can help to turn around the decision of the visa office in South Africa.

Please join us in positive thinking that this issue can be resolved satisfactorily and that Khanya will be allowed entry into the U.K. before the expiry date of her ticket.

Sad news from South Africa.

I have just received news from South Africa that Khanya is unable to come to England next month as her visa application has been turned down.

We are both very very disappointed at this news as I am sure many other people will be and it ill also be a great loss to the charity her not being able to come and talk to people first hand about the plight of the Aids orphans out in South Africa.

Unexpected donation

Today October 17th I have just received notification of an unexpected anonymous donation of £500 which has been donated in aid of the charity's emergency fund which is held here in England for any emergency which crops up suddenly in South Africa.

This was such a wonderful gesture and gratefully received. Our sincere thanks go to this anonymous donor.

Fund Raise at St Anne's Church

On December 6th a fund-raise event is being held in St Anne's church hall at 12 noon. All children are welcome. The price of the tickets are £8 each per adult and £4 for children under the age of 10 years.

This fundraise event is in aid of bringing Nancy Khuzwayo of the Thandukuphila Centre Kwazulu over here for two weeks sometime next next year.

This ,visa permitting, will be held whilst Khanya, Nancy's daughter, is here in England, in fact it will be held on her last day here before her return to South Africa on the 7th.

There will be a light lunch of soup,cheese and a roll followed by Christmas Carols and other singing with Bill Gloyn on the organ. This will be followed by a little light entertainment eg poetry recitation, singing and whatever anyone wants to do to entertain each other and hopefully Khanya will sing for us one or two traditional African songs. All this will be followed by a cream tea and a visit from Father Christmas.

There will also be the sale of handmade greeting cards and African bracelets and a raffle will also be held at some point in the afternoon.

This is also intended to be a farewell to Khanya after her two weeks stay here in England, a lovely memory for her to take back home.

One more college opportunity

Thandisiwe Ntuli

We have one more young person starting a two year college course in January next year,

Her name is Thandisiwe Ntuli and she is eighteen years old. She will be undertaking a two year diploma course in Human Recources.

Her parents are both terminally ill with AIDS and the whole family are struggling and very very poor. It is wonderful to be able to give this young girl an opportunity which could change her whole life and family circumstances and give her a future to look forward to.

Well Done One Life and all supporters!

Since the onset of the charity, five years ago we have sent out to South Africa just short of £105,000.

Quite an achievement, I think, for a small charity.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the charity. May we continue to do well in the future.

Money to S Africa

Today in response to the email from S Africa received this morning, 8th October I have sent out to the Thandukuphila Centre £13,700 which should arrive out there in approx 10 days time.

This amount includes money for school fees, for the children's Christmas Party and gifts, the only ones they are likely to receive as Christmas is very different for the orphans to what it is like for the children over here and a small amount for other necessities.

News from Africa

I have received news from S Africa that the school fees for next year that is January 2010 have now to be paid to the schools before 31st October this year. The alternative is to remove our children from the schools if the fees are not paid on time. This is disturbing news for Nancy and she is very worried as I send the school fees out to her always in the middle of November when I have them all in.

Somehow I have now to be able to use money from other areas to get this money out to Nancy immediately and I need to rearrange future years school fees to be in even earlier than usual.

I hope that this will not effect anyone who sponsors but I will explain in more detail in the next newsletter.

News from S Africa

I phoned Nancy of The Thandukuphila Centre, Kwazulu, South Africa this morning.

Nancy told me that they had an electricity cut the other evening and whilst that was happening burglars broke into the house and shot at her husband, the bullet just missed his head and went into the ceiling.They then pistol whipped him around the head. He had to go to the hospital but is now recovering well.,

When they ran off they fired a shot at Nancy but missed by about an inch. The whole family, particularly the children who Nancy has taken in, are badly traumatised.

When Khanya heard the shot she ran to the kitchen to try and help her dad. The burglars did not shoot at her but she is of course very shocked at what happened and what might have happened had the house not been in the dark.

Nancy and the family have had a terrible year with sickness and worries and now this. Let us join together in wishing them well and keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.

Sponsored Walk

Yesterday 26th September we held the One Life Annual Sponsored Walk starting off from Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square down the Mall to Buckingham Palace then left into St James's Park where we completed four circuits of the park stopping to admire a pelican who obviously thrives on admiration and attention from the public. What a handsome fellow he was and luckily very photogenic.

It was a beautiful sunny day enjoyed by all and that touch of autumn sunshine put a sheen on everything. Pure Magic!!!

Donations for sponsored walk

Margaret Halford from St Anne's Church sent an unexpected donation of £100 for the sponsored walk and Anna Barnard sent the same amount a short while ago. I have also received three donations of £50 and many of £20, £10 and £5.

At the moment I have raised £925 and wish to thank everyone concerned for their generosity

With the money received by the people who are joining the walk, about 15 in all I am hoping to have raised in total £2000.

Watch this space!!.

A change to the date Of Khanya's arrival in UK

The date of Khanya's arrival in the UK has been changed from November 15th to November 24th and her date of departure back to South Africa is now December 7th.

Annual Sponsored Walk 2009

One Life's annual sponsored walk is to be held on September 26th at 11am. We are meeting under Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, walking down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace then turning left into St James's Park and doing four laps of the park approx three and a half to four miles in all.

After two laps we usually stop for a packed lunch (optional) and then continue to finish back under Nelson's Column.

Please do join us if you can, it is a lovely walk especially at this time of year and always enjoyed by all.

There are toilets in the park and coffee vending stalls selling also sandwiches and snacks.

Possible visit from Khanya in November this year.

After many phone calls to South Africa to the travel agent and airways I have now managed to upgrade Khanya's tickety to November 15th so hopefully now the visa office will get the new visa application form processed in time.

After being told we had lost everything and after the many phone calls I contacted S.A. Airways here in this country who told me that if I was prepared to pay an extra £240 there was an option to upgrade and bring Khanya over at a later date. This I agreed to as apart from giving Khanya an experience she won't forget it is also very helpful to the charity to have Khanya over here for a couple of weeks where she will meet many of the people who sponsor and answer any questions they would like to ask her.

So now it is a waiting game and the outcome of the new visa application will be posted on this website as soon as the trip is confirmed.

No visit from Khanya

I feel really sad to write this but Khanya the daughter of Nancy who runs The Thandukuphila centre in Kwazulu is unable to get a visa for her trip to England. She was due to arrive on September the 16th but the visa office have lost her visa application and because of the kind of flight we booked the ticket already booked and paid for cannot be changed or postponed to another time. This is devastating news for both for myself and Khanya who was so excited to be having a trip to London.

The visa office are unable to process a new visa application form in the time left before Khanya's flight to UK.

I funded the trip for Khanya's tickets myself plus paying for the visa and the insurance but will be unable to do this again another year having to depend on my pension. This is such a disappointment for us both.

The charity too would have benefited greatly at having Khanya over here for a short while, someone directly connected to the children we sponsor in Kwazulu, Natal.

What a shame that this has happened.

Another unexpected donation

Today August 14th I have received yet another unexpected donation from Christine Foster of Walthamstow. This donation is to go towards the sponsored walk and is for £250, a wonderful donation.

My sincere thanks to Christine for her support of One Life and her caring and concern for the plight of the children of Kwazulu, South Africa..

Money to Africa

Today 13th August I am sending £1,110 out to Nancy of the Thandukuphila Centre. £10 of this is a donation to Nancy herself from Jeanette James of Wales and a small part of the money is for soccer boots for one of the AIDS orphans who is unable to play for the team he has been chosen for if he cannot have a pair of real soccer boots.
The majority of the money is to be used to begin the renovations of the new Centre which is desperately needed for the children as the one in present use is being taken back by the organisation who donated it in the first place when it was a disused broken down African clinic.

Money is urgently needed for this project so it was with gratitude that I received the unexpected £764 donation yesterday from Thames Wharf Charity.

Unexpected donation

Today 12th August I received a donation of £764 from The Thames Wharf Charity.

This is a wonderful and unexpected donation for which I am very grateful.

My thanks go to Mark Hallet who was the instigator of this donation. Thank you so much Mark for your continued support and thanks to all at The Thames Wharf Charity.

Fund Raise at St Anne's Church

Today 19th July was St Anne's Church fun day. Despite the mixed weather and a few light showers we managed to have the morning service out of doors, which was lovely.

After the service handmade greeting cards and bracelets were sold and Penny and David Rolfe held a Tombola all on behalf of One Life.

£123.60 was raised for the children of South Africa.
My thanks go to Ira who contributed her handmade cards to be sold for One Life and to Penny and David for their continued help and support and to everyone else who supported this event.

News from S Africa

Yesterday 7th June I received an email from Nancy's daughter Khanya in South Africa. Apparantly Nancy and Khanya have been quite poorly with a bad flu. It was thought that Khanya may have contracted TB (Which is rife there) but luckily the tests came back clear. Nancy who is diabetic and has trouble walking due to severe nerve end damage has now got huge very painful blisters on her feet and is finding walking very painful. She is also waiting for the results of the latest investigation as to why this is happening and what can be done to relieve her pain.

Please remember Nancy in your thoughts and prayers and all the children in South Africa, many who are battling AIDS, TB and related illnesses.

Khanya is still waiting to receive the visa for her planned visit to the UK in September. This is taking a long time to be processed. I have heard that it can be quite difficult for Africa citizens to receive the visa for entry into the UK so we are both praying that all goes well and that she can indeed fly to England on September 16th for a fortnights holiday as planned.

Money sent out to South Africa.

I have just spoken to Nancy by phone and I am sending another £2000 out to her this morning. £1000 is to pay half of Rebecca's salary (Nancy's helper) and the other £1000 is towards shack repairs and blankets etc as it is now wintertime in South Africa and very cold in the evenings where the children stay. They need all the help we can give them. Please help if you are able. Thank you.

News from S Africa

I received an email from Nancy at the Thandukuphila Centre yesterday morning 20th May. Nancy has listed what the last money we sent out was used for.

Tracksuits for winter for the children
Disposable nappies
Baby formula and cereals
Installation of electricity to five more shacks
Ongoing renovation of shacks and repair to the damage done by the latest hail storm.
Blankets for 19 families.
Food for £500 needed or the crèche children and the ones who come before and after school to eat.

Money is also needed to pay the salary of Rebecca who works closely with Nancy and now is only employed part time due to lack of funding in S. Africa.

We urgently need funding for S Africa if you can fund raise or help at all by donation please contact me ( "see Contact us" on right side of web page). Thank you.

Newsletter for May 2009 available

The latest newsletter is now available to download, it can be found at the link below.

One Life Newsletter - May 2009

Money sent out to South Africa.

I phoned South Africa this morning and spoke to Nancy of the Thandukuphila Centre who told me that they were really struggling at the moment financially. The Welfare Department who are supposed to donate money in order to feed the crèche children and the children who come before and after school to the centre for food had failed to do so. This happens regularly and is a great source of stress for Nancy.

A recent hailstorm with hailstones the size of small bricks has completely undone the work recently undergone to repair some of the shacks. Now repairs have to start over again plus repairs to other shacks which after the bad storm are now also in need of repair.
I wish a miracle would happen and someone would donate a large amount of money so we could keep up with all these unforeseen emergencies which keep arising.

I did, this morning, the 19th May send out £1,000 which is part of the money I am holding in the charity for emergencies. I hope that in some small way this will be of help. It is far from being enough but until the sponsored walk in September I have no other means of raising a substantial sum of money. I pray that we get a good response and lots of support for the sponsored walk.

Card/Bracelet Sale.

An attic Sale held at St Edmund s Church on Saturday 16th May brought in £63 to the charity.

Result of the Charity Auction

The Charity Auction/Supper/Raffle was held last Saturday, March 21st. Penny and David Rolfe once again organised this whole evening with the help of their son David, Joyce and Daniel from the church and not forgetting John who was the second auctioneer along with David.

Once again this proved to be a very enjoyable evening with people asking when the next one will be held.

After expenses were taken off we raised the magnificent sum of £1,569 and this will make an enormous difference to the children in Kwazulu who we are trying to help.

My sincere thanks go to Penny and David for all the organising and hardwork and also to all the helpers who appeared on the night.

Khanya to visit England.

I am very happy to inform everyone that I am bringing Nancy's daughter Khanya over here to England for a visit in September. She arrives from Kwazulu, Natal on September 16th and returns on September the 30th.

This will be a wonderful experience for her and also a real boost for the charity as Khanya will meet many of the people who sponsor the children's education and she can talk first hand of how it really is for the children and their carers in Kwazulu right now.
She is very excited at the prospect of coming and I am delighted at the prospect of her arrival.

She will also join us on the sponsored walk to be held on Saturday September 26th. This is something she is really looking forward to and she is also wanting to visit Buckingham Palace and travel on a double decker bus and on the underground.

I know that everyone here will give her a really warm welcome and we will all do our best to ensure she has an experience she will never forget.

Money to South Africa

Today, March 26th, £4,000 has been sent out to the Thandukuphila Centre, Kwazulu, South Africa. Winter will once again soon be upon the people and we need to continue in our efforts to repair shacks, roofing, flooring etc, supply blankets and to connect electricity where possible. This is what the funding will be used for and for transport for the more sickly children as the long walks they have to endure to get them to school is proving too much for them..

News from S Africa

A couple of days ago I received an email from Khanya (Nancy's daughter) in Kwazulu. She wrote that herself and her family and the community where she lives are walking in fear. There is a political riot going on between ANC and IFP members and there is shooting going on and people getting killed or hurt.

I heard again yesterday that the riot is quietening down a little but the schools are still closing early because everyone fears for the children.

There is so much death out in Kwazulu through AIDS and TB and now this pointless killing is taking the precious lives that are left. Let us join together in our own individual way of prayer and pray for peace in a country which has already lost so many of its people through sickness and starvation.

I know that all our love and thoughts go out to the people of Kwazulu. May our prayer for peace be answered.

Search for Christine Williamson

If anyone knows the whereabouts of Christine Williamson last heard of in Histon, Cambridge please contact Elena at 020 8926 2431

Chris sponsors a child in South Africa through my charity but her address, telephone No and email address are now invalid and I need to contact her as soon as possible.

Please help if you can.

Charity Auction/Supper at St Anne's.

For details of the Charity Auction/Supper please click on Upcoming Events which can be found under the heading What's New? on the right hand side.

Quarterly report received from Thandukupila Centre

The report can be downloaded or viewed using the attachment link below. You will require pdf reader software which most computers have by default.

1 attachment

Gift Aid Payment

Today the 19th February I received notification from HM Revenue and customs that £3439.75 (gift aid return) has been paid into the One Life bank account. This is a wonderful amount and will be put to very good use at a slightly later date.

Receiving gift aid returns makes an enormous difference to the One Life Charity and my thanks go out to everyone who has filled in a gift aid form enabling me to claim.

Funding sent to S Africa

Today 17th February the sum of £3000 has been sent to the Thandukuphila Centre, South Africa.

This money is to be used for two new fridges urgently needed at the Thandukuphila Centre also for Nappies and the needs of the five new babies now being looked after at the crèche, two of whom are very sick being HIV Pos. We still need to repair many of the broken down shacks, provide blankets and mattresses to those in need and also for the installation of electricity. The electricity will be supplied firstly to the child headed families then to other carers and the children they care for.

Many fires are started by children going to sleep with a candle left burning and shacks have been burnt to the ground with children receiving horrific injuries.

Winter starts at the end of April and we need to prepare for it with the shack repair etc starting as soon as possible.

How the latest donations are to be spent

I spoke this morning February 12th to Nancy of the Thandukuphila Centre. She was delighted to hear about the the latest donations of £5000 and £200. The donations have come at just the right time as the fridge at the centre has broken down and the food for the children has badly deteriorated and a new fridge is needed urgently.

Nancy and I are both in agreement that £2,500 should go into the higher education fund enabling another young person to go to college next year and so have a positive chance of a better future to look forward to.

The rest of the money is needed for nappies for the many babies cared for at the centre and for electricity, shack repair, blankets and mattresses for the coming cold winter and a lawnmower is also needed at our new centre in the more rural area of Nseleni.

Donation to One Life

Yesterday I received an unexpected donation of £5000 for the charity. The donor stated the wish to remain anonymous.

This is a wonderful amount and I will soon be in contact with Nancy of the Thandukuphila Centre to discuss where the money will be best spent.

Our grateful thanks go to the donor for the generosity and caring which has been shown for the Aids orphans and their carers in Kwazulu, Natal, South Africa.

Church donation

Today, 11th February I received a cheque for the sum of £200 from the Downham Parochial Church council.It is part of a collection taken over the Christmas period.

Our sincere thanks go to the council and to Marilyn Overton who put the charities name forward for this award.

Unexpected donation

Today, 30th January, I received through the post a cheque for £100 from an EV Veckranges, a South African lady who heard of me from a Miss Christine Foster who came across One Life last year through a newspaper article.

This donation came in memory of her sister who died and used to be a school teacher who had a great interest in children.

It is so wonderful to receive these unexpected donations and my grateful thanks go to Ms Veckranges and also to Christine Foster who introduced One Life to her.

La Rochelle Marathon results.

Yesterday 27th January I received a cheque for £334.25 from David Williams in South Wales. This was raised by him and his friend John Selby by taking part in the La Rochelle Marathon held in France in November last year.

In his letter to me David said that he and John are running another marathon in Sept/Oct this year and are committed to donating any funds raised to One Life. He went on to say that what ever future event he becomes involved in if money can be raised he will continue to use it in the support of this charity.

Our grateful thanks go to both David and John for their effort on our behalf and the wonderful support they intend to continue giving.

Talk given at St Anne's Women's Fellowship Group

I gave a talk last night, 23rd January, in ST Anne's church hall for the Women's Evening Fellowship Group.

This was a very enjoyable event with lots of interest and questions from the members.

At the end of the evening £65 was donated to One Life for the children we support in Kwazulu, Natal.

My grateful thanks to St Anne's and the members of this group for their caring and support.

A Christmas donation.

Yesterday, 14th December I received a cheque for £100 from Anna Barnard. What a wonderful gesture to make at this special time of year, a time to think of others and the real meaning of Christmas.

Thank you so much Anna, your gift is really appreciated and will help One Life to continue to better the lives of the AIDS orphans of South Africa in any way possible.

Newsletter for December 08 now available

The latest One Life Newsletter is now available to download at the link below.

One Life newsletter for December 08

James Overton minus his dreadlocks

Here is a photo of James minus his dreadlocks.

Once again, thank you very much James for your efforts to support the vulnerable children in South Africa.

James minus his dreadlocks

Money raised by James Overton having had his dreadlocks removed on November 18th.

James had his dreadlocks cut off on November 18th. He raised £300 with a pledge of another £100. This is a wonderful amount for which One Life is very grateful.

We are hoping to have an up to date photo of James minus his dreadlocks shortly.

Our sincere thanks to you to James for your caring and support for the children in need in South Africa.

An unexpected donation.

Today 27th November I received an unexpected donation of £50 from a Miss Christine Foster Of Walthamstow.

Apparently she heard about One Life through an article earlier in the year in the Guardian newspaper.

It is gestures like this that keep One Life functioning and fill me me with gratitude to know that people really care so thank you very much Christine.

Well Done Sefan Keeley

I had a phone call yesterday evening from my friend's young son Stefan aged 8 years.
He was so excited and happy to tell me that at his school's (Chase Lane Primary) Christmas Bazaar he had raised £79.75p for One Life for blankets for the children in great need in South Africa.. On top of all his hard work he had then donated £5 of his own money bringing the grand total to £84.75p.
.
I am forever touched and impressed at Stefan's desire to help these children and of his commitment to raise money. In October Stefan joined the Sponsored Walk and raised a magnificent £85 for the charity. I know that at the moment he is busy thinking of other ways in which to raise even more money for the blankets and mattresses so badly needed.

Our grateful thanks go to Stefan and his mum Caron for teaching Stefan about the lives of children in other countries and for encouraging him and allowing him to be involved in this way.

Thank you both so very much.

Funds to S. Africa

Today November 25th £800 was sent out to South Africa to try and give the children attending The Thandukuphila Centre for Christmas a small present each.

Christmas does not happen for these children unless second-hand toys are donated then the crèche children with great excitement receive one small toy each. Occasionally toothbrushes, soap, deodorants and face flannels are donated and these go to the teenagers but many of the children receive nothing.

The children understand about Christmas so the thought of them receiving nothing was very hard. I think for future years sending an amount of money to help give the children a Christmas gift and a party will be a very worthwhile thing to do.

Nancy of the Thandukuphila Project is held up by two gunmen.

I have received word from Nancy, Project Manager of the Thandukuphila Centre. A few days ago on leaving the bank she was stopped by two men brandishing guns.

Nancy was absolutely terrified and thought she would lose her life. The gunmen thought she had withdrawn thousands of pounds from the bank. There is not thousands of pounds in the bank to be withdrawn and she had taken approx £60 which the gunmen took. Nancy said she screamed for help and for someone to phone the police at which point the gunmen ran off.

Because they had guns no-one came forward to help Nancy which I feel may have saved her life. If someone had try to tackle the men maybe in their panic they would have used the guns.

Nancy is now badly traumatised and still in shock but grateful that she still has her life.

Nancy is just getting on her feet after being so ill last year and this incident has now set her back again.

Support no longer available for Hope Project

Sadly I am no longer able to support Hope Project. This is due to lack of communication, receipts and feed back.

Without this vital information I feel unable to continue funding this project.

All funding now goes solely to the Thandukuphila Project with whom I am in regular contact and from whom I received receipts, photos, letters and all the feed back required to run the charity correctly.

Money sent to South Africa

On November 5th £13,685 was sent out to South Africa. This amount is comprised of all the school/uniform fees, college fees and the sponsored walk money.

The two children's centres/crèches are in desperate need of hot water urns also nappies and formula are needed for the babies. I am still waiting to hear what Nancy, Project manager of Thandukuphila Centre, has chosen, out of the many needs, to spend any remaining money on.

La Rochelle Marathon

The Marathon in La Rochelle France to be run by David Williams and his friend, both from Wales, is to be held on Nov 30th.

In the past David has run several marathons including the London one and he is busy training for this one at the moment.

More news of this event will be posted at a later date.

James's Dreadllocks

James's Dreadlocks
Here is a photo of James's dreadlocks before being cut off on November 18th in aid of One Life Charity.

A follow up photo of James minus his dreadlocks will be posted on this site after the event.

One Life Sponsored Walk

The money from the sponsored walk is still trickling in so I have not got the exact amount raised as yet. The response the walkers received was very good and I know the final total will come to almost £2000 which is amazing as there was only 10 walkers this year. The final total willbe posted on the website shortly.

Fund Riase (Cut the Dreadlocks)

I received an unexpected phone call yesterday evening from Marilyn Overton to say that her son James aged 23 is very interested in supporting One Life and to do so he has made the massive decision to have his waist length dreadlocks cut off.

James's dreads will be cut off on November 18th.

I was very moved and impressed with this young man and his interest in supporting
the orphans in South Africa.

If you wish to sponsor James please contact me at elena@onelife-online.org.uk

Unexpected donation of £700

We have received an unexpected donation of £700
Sakhile one of our young men orphaned by Aids in S Africa will be going into his third year at College/Uni in January. Because of his excellent school grades and his hard work he has been receiving a part grant for his education and food/board, the remainder of his fees have been paid by a sponsor here in England.

Due to his continuing hard work, perseverence and good results he has now been granted a full scholarship which is wonderful. What more reward could any sponsor have than to see the young person they have sponsored and given a chance in life work hard and achieve so much that they will in the future be able to support themselves and their siblings and give back to the community which they come from.

The sponsor who wishes to remain anonymous had already given the charity the £700 due for Sakhile's next year's fees but he has declined my offer to refund him by cheque and has requested that One Life keep the money and use it towards the many needs which the orphans have.

This is a wonderful gesture and I suggested to the sponsor that a part of the money go to help Sakhile's siblings in whatever way they need our help right now.

We are indeed blessed with all the loving support and help we receive, some like this, quite unexpectedly.

One Life Sponsored Walk

Last Saturday 11th October One Life held their annual sponsored walk. It was a glorious day, warm and sunny, perfect for the walk. We walked in St James Park and the trees and shrubs surrounding the lake were magnificent in their autumn colours. Squirrels were bounding around, very tame, sitting at peoples feet and asking for food. The Pelicans and other bird life was wonderful to see and it was a magical day, enjoyed by all who took part in the walk.

Sadly this year our numbers were down due to holidays, anniversaries and sickness but support has been wonderful and for my taking part I have already been sponsored for just over £600.

Whatever we raise will do so much good in Africa to alleviate the poverty and suffering. The total amount raised will be published on this site at a later date.

Marathon Walk in France

This morning Oct 6th I received an email from a sponsor, Tracey Williams, telling me that her husband and friend are planning to run the marathon in La Rochelle, France in aid of One Life in November.

This was such welcome news as many people people for various reasons have dropped out of the One Life sponsored walk to be held next Sat Oct 11th.

My grateful thanks go to Tracey and her husband and friend.

Money sent to S Africa

On 30th September £900 was sent out to the Thandukuphila Centre, Nseleni, South Africa.
Very recently the electricity cables had been dug up and stolen and Nseleni was left for days without electricity. Apart from it being very cold there right now all the food kept in the freezers for the crèche and school children was ruined and they survived on apples, oranges and Peanut Butter sandwiches. The money sent is to refill the freezers as the electricity is now back on and for any other goods needed.

Money Raised

On Sunday 28th September £130 was raised from the sale of Handmade Greeting cards, African bracelets and Bric a Brac. This sale was held after the morning service at St Anne's Parish Church, Highams Park.

Grateful thanks go to everyone who supported One Life and to the vicar Jude for allowing us to sell the goods in the church hall.

Sponsored Walk

A Sponsored Walk in aid of the Kwazulu Aids Orphans is to be held on October 11th. We are meeting at 11am at Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square and will be walking down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace then turning left into St James Park where we will do four laps of the park with a break in the middle for a packed lunch.

There are usually vans in the park selling hot and cold drinks and there are also toilet facilities.

We need more people to walk with us and also to sponsor myself so if you want to join us or sponsor me please contact Elena at elena@onelife-online.org.uk

St Anne's Fund raise Event

Yesterday evening July 19th Penny and David Rolfe of St Anne's Parish church, Chingford held a fund raising event in the church hall.. They invited Candanto, a singing group to entertain everyone and also offered a summer supper/light refreshments.

It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by everyone. The singers sang in harmony and were very talented and professional.

£700 profits were raised and Penny and David are donating £350 of that to One Life and the other £350 to the church.

My grateful thanks to Penny and David and Jude,the vicar of St Anne's, for once again supporting One Life in such a big way. Thanks also go to the people who came forward to help prepare everything before the event for all their hard work.

Another unexpected donation

Today the 11th July I received a cheque for £100 which came in response to the latest newspaper article re my return from South Africa. This came as a lovely surprise and was gratefully received.

Photos for the South Africa trip 2008

You can now find the latest photos from my trip to South in April in Galleries (see right hand side) under South Africa trip 2008.

June 2008 Newsletter now available

The new One Life newsletter for June 2008 can now be downloaded.

Funding sent out to South Africa

During the months of May and June the sum of £2,200 was sent out to the Thandukuphila Centre to help with shack repair, blankets, electricity and goods needed to make life more comfortable for the orphans and their carers during the winter months they are experiencing right now.

A welcome donation

On June 26th the wonderful donation of £200 was sent to One Life by Margaret Halford of Chingford. This money will be put to good use in Kwazulu, South Africa.

Grateful thanks to you Margaret on behalf of the orphans we support.

Thames Wharf Charity again

Yesterday 6th June I received another unexpected cheque from Thames Wharf Charity for the same amount as last month, £518. This came as a wonderful surprise and is received with grateful thanks.

Unexpected donation

On my return from South Africa I received an unexpected cheque for £518 from Thames Wharf Charity. This came as a wonderful surprise and will add to the monies to be sent out to S. Africa shortly.
We need to provide the basic essentials for better living conditions.Electricity is essential for the African shacks as so many children are burnt due to candles being knocked over. Many children become sick due to inhaling paraffin fumes, this is used for cooking so gas cylinders are a much better option. Also many people need mattresses and blankets to prepare for the coming winter.

All donated money no matter how small will be gratefully received.

Back from Africa

Our trip to S Africa sadly came to it's end last Tuesday and Gwen Cass who came with me and myself arrived back in England on Wednesday 30th April. Since arriving back I have been very tired, probably the flight and the totally different climate and life style.

The trip was a wonderful one and quite varied as between working with the projects and giving help where ever we could we had time for a trip to a game reserve and we were also able to spend two nights in Durban overlooking the beautiful Indian Ocean.

The trip was a mixture of joy and sadness. S Africa and it's people are beautiful but the poverty and sickness and the acceptance of life humbles one and makes one extremely grateful for the way most of us are able to live here in the west.

I will eventually put the next newsletter together and also open a new photo gallery for this year's trip but that will take a little while as I have 600 photos to work through to find the most appropriate ones.

My sincere thanks to all of you who so generously donated towards this trip. Your money was well used and relieved much suffering. We were able to purchase blankets, mattresses, tracksuits, school bags, electricity and the basic items for survival. We both felt blessed and privileged to be in South Africa and to be made so very welcome by the Africans.

It really was a very worthwhile trip and served to keep fresh in my mind how much help and support the people need from charities like mine and the wonderful people connected to them.

Trip to Africa

I leave for South Africa next Thursday, April 3rd. I have a friend, Gwen Cass, a good supporter of One Life, coming with me which is wonderfully supportive for me. It will be her first trip to Africa and we are both feeling very excited now as the date of our departure draws near.

I would at this stage like to thank all of you who so kindly and generously sent in donations for me to take to Africa with me. These donations will be used for the children and families in need of our help who we come across whilst visiting the two projects One Life support.

The next entry on this website will be on our return at the end of April.

Grants for the carers of the children we sponsor/school leavers and new children for sponsoring.

I have just received notification from the Thankdukuphila Centre that some of the carers of the children we sponsor out in South Africa have just received a grant for the care of the children. This grant will also be used for school fees/uniform so these children will no longer need our educational support though many will still attend the centre for food twice a day.

Because of the grants and the four children leaving school at the end of this year we are able to support 51 new children in need of our help. This is wonderful news.

I leave for Africa in three weeks time on Apri 3rd and will be able to bring back with me photos and background information of these children for their sponsors.

Donation from the Guides of St Anne's Parish Church

Last Thursday evening 6th March the guides of St Anne's Parish Church held a fashion show on behalf of One Life. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the enthusiasm of the girls who later presented me with £50 for the charity.

There is talk of these guides joining up with the guides of St Edmund's Parish Church to do another fund raise for the charity at a future date and I look forward to this event very much.

My grateful thanks go to the guides and the effort and time they put into the evening.

Donation from Rowe Sports

A wonderful donation of eight football strips was received from Rowe Sports, South Chingford on Tuesday 19th February. Twenty pairs of football socks were also donated.

These goods will be taken with me to S Africa in April. This is a very generous donation and will bring joy to many of our older orphans.

Our grateful thanks to David (Owner) for his generosity. He has also promised to donate again when I make my next trip.

Funding sent out to South Africa

On February 12th £3,600 was sent out to South Africa. Of that £2,000 went to the Thandukuphila Centre for the repair of shacks, for blankets and goods needed for the two creches and for the six new babies cared for at the centre.

£1,600 was sent out to Hope Project for the repair of shacks and the purchase of blankets for the children.

Winter will start for South Africa around May time so the shacks need to be repaired as soon as possible and the blankets need to be purchased before the winter sets in as conditions for the children can become unbearable.

Result of Fund Raise on February 2nd

The Ploughman's Supper/Fund Raise Event held in St Anne's Church Hall yesterday evening, February 2nd, raised a magnificent £1,520. Of this £1,270 will go to the Shack Repair fund and the remaining £250 will go into the Higher Education Fund.

Our grateful thanks to The Rev Jude, Vicar of St Anne's for his support and to Penny and David Rolfe and also Barbara and Paul Carter for their hardwork in organising this event and making it into a most enjoyable and successful evening.

Requests to local football clubs.

Today 30th January I am posting letters to Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham United Football Clubs to try and get some support for my charity, possibly T Shirts for two of our youngsters who are showing much promise with their football skills and need to be encouraged to continue with this.

I also appealed to the clubs for some financial help to go into our fund for higher education. Any results from the clubs will be placed on the website at a future time.

Thank you Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

I wrote to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club a short while ago to tell them about the fund raise event to be held this Saturday Feb 2nd in St Anne's Church Hall, Highams Park. I asked if they could possibly let us have something signed which we could raffle at the fund raise and I was delighted to recive a letter from them stating they are sending us a signed pennant.

So along with our grateful thanks come our very best wishes to them for their future matches.