Project of the Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise Foundation:

All donations will be administered by the Rotary Club of Burnaby.

2009 Update:
Joy, oh joy - on arriving there in September 2009 I found great changes. A loved and cared for school - yes - a school!! Every item that we had brought and donated the previous year was accounted for, cared for and b eing used. The new classroom is beautiful and the villagers had built a playground. Please see the new pictures.

We met with the villagers and once again - from the funds that were donated this past year by the Rohrs and Anderson Families, by the Rotary Clubs of Vancouver Sunrise and Burnaby - we were able to leave enough funds to complete the following:

1. Fence the whole property
2. Build on washrooms (pit toilets) 2 for chldren (2 seats in each room) and 1 for adults.
3. Build a kitchen - this will be a roofed, half-walled room to contain the open fire and protect the children from burning themselves.
4. Funds for food for the now 55 children for the remainder of the year untill I return in September 2010.

My most heartfelt gratitude to all that have made donations - you have changed the lives of a complete village. I see pride, I see excitement and best of all I see happy and educated children.

2008 - the story of ow it began:
Imagine a small rural village in the north of South Africa near the Kruger National Park. 700 inhabitants of which 1 in 4 has AIDS and of which 60% are unemployed. There is a samll primary school in the area and a high school 8 kms away - but nothing for the pre-schoolers. There are only 2 water taps in the village that supply water for 2 hours a day, no electricity, no shop, nothing,

But this villge had a dream - to start a pre-school - what they call a Nursery School/Creche.... and somehow they got started on their dream. I have no idea how they raised the funds, but they got together enough money to buy the supplies to make the cinderblocks and and build a room - and cover it with 'rescued' and new corrugated iron. 5m x 4m bare cinderblock walls and a rough concrete floor. 2 old window frames, a door fame - but a vision. I found this small school in August - 4 lady volunteers from the village with almost no education themselves, a champion for the project called 'Maybe' - one of the teachers from the primary school...... and 35 children. No furniture, no supplies or equipment, 2 meals a day being cooked on an open fire and fed to the children as they sit on the bare ground. No toilets, no running water - you could say nothing but the heart and the dream of a village.

Fortunately I had funds with me contributed by the Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise, Rotary District 5040, the wonderful Anderson family, my own family and friends and an International Guest at Djuma - Sue Spenser. This made it possible for me to build on another classroom twice the size of the one that had been built, buy supplies, furniture and food. When I left in September the building was shoulder heigh and I am now told that it has been completed. Since then I have sent $500 which has allowed the interior walls to be plastered, put glass panes in the windows and kept the food supplies going.

The need is still great - with the next steps including the training of the wonderful lady volunters whowork in the school. This is next years project.

We really need help. At this stage, friends and family are donating funds to the tune of $150 a month to feed the children. The enrollment has grown to 55 - so 55 children getting 2 meals a day for just over $1 per day.

Please join our Rotary Club, family and friends by donating to this magic project - and all the children of Thorndale will thank you. You will know that you have made a difference in their lives.

Past District Governor Dean Rohrs
Rotary District 5040

This dream gift helps support