Video to find remaining members

Vicki has completed a video posted on YouTube to help find remaining members. A great trip down memory lane too! Thanks Vic for the work you put into this!

The European Union

"Friends of Thembalethu, Sweden"


The forum is great for catching up, but in cases where we have a lot of photos to show off, I'm going to list them here. The whole FTP thing is a bit of a problem at the moment.

These photos are from 2006, generously shared by Ulf Sodahl (in the jean jacket), brother-in-law of Bjorn Sodahl(in the red), nephew to Sister Ronnie! That name should ring a bell (and yes, working on a reconnect). Ulf shared these last fall but they were massive and I couldn't download them. I have just been able to see them myself in all of their glory. The Sodahls were instrumental in helping keep Thembalethu going with monetary and physical/spiritual/mental support all of these years. Ulf and his family spent a year with the Sarjous helping them at Thembalethu. Back in Sweden, they have organized 'Friends of Thembalethu', a non-profit to raising funds for TCH. They have been instrumental in getting school uniforms, updating the water system, and building a new 'rec center'. This center also provides entertainment options for the children from rural Harding, which then helps unite the kids at TCH with the town children. Eradicating isolation is a good thing.

you can see that even with such support, 22 years has been hard on the building. Being in such a rural area just makes it a little harder for things to come by. Still, everyone looks quite happy - especially at the beach. Enjoy the montage:
22 years later...

Memories

This beautiful photo of Dollie and Nan was taken by Laura. Laura spent a lot of time holding her! What wonderful news that the sisters are still around. I must confirm the story, but I believe one of them teaches at the home.

There were so many things to enjoy and reflect on. Some of the unique occurrances:
the daily goat run (and making sure nothing from your tent was eaten), gnats swarming as we were pouring concrete, wild dogs, and snakes in the ground getting unintentionally sliced as we dug the foundation.

Then there were the children. They were just so beautiful and loving and fun. I remember dancing on hilltops at night during the burning of sugarcane, under a full harvest moon. I remember their beautiful smiles and kind words. I remember how they always wanted to be around us.

My heart is broken. I have just found out that two of the children died from Aids. One, and I am not sure I am spelling her name right, was Tanana, who passed around age 19. The second was my sidekick, Happiness. Yes, that was her name! She had the most gorgeous smile and was always with me. She has been in my thoughts all of these years. I heard she did marry and had four children before passing, although no one was sure of her age. She had to be very young. Her children are now in the area where their father's family is from.

Travis Thomas, are you out there? You had such a beautiful photo of all of us with Happiness by my side. I would love to see it again.

Do you have a photo you would like to post? Please send it along with any memory you'd like to share.

What have we here? Leah Sarjoo to wed...

Congratulations to Leah Sarjoo and her lovely Nuku.

Leah is the daughter of the Sarjous, the couple that founded Thembalethu Welfare Society in South Africa, the recipients for the Hummingbird Foundation.

The last time I saw Leah, she looked like this (3 years old):

Our photos are MIA at this moment. If anyone has photos they would like to share, please email!

I have one request for their first dance: