Xhosa Gospel Mission / Manyanani Mission NPC
Email: [email protected]
  • Home
  • Donate
  • Children's Homes
  • Sponsor a Child
  • Churches
  • Schools
  • Updates
  • Newsletters & Media
  • AIDS Home
  • Needs
  • Volunteer

First Day of School!

3/6/2014

3 Comments

 
Picture
January 15, 2014 marked the first day of school for Achuma ('Smiley,' 8 years old) and Ayabonga ('We are Thankful,' 9 years old).  They live in one of our children's homes.  This was an exciting day, and we are happy to hear that they had a good first day of school!

That these children are receiving education is wonderful.  Here is a quote from Wikipedia, from an article titled Education in South Africa, viewed 2/15/14: "According to the national census of 2011, among the South African population, 35.2% of black/African, 32.6% of coloureds, 61.6% of Indians/Asians and 76% of white citizens have completed an education of high school or higher. 41.7% of the total population has completed an education of high school or higher, whereas 8.6% of the population aged 20 years and older has not completed any schooling.[4]"  That is a rather sad statistic!  

The children housed in the Xhosa Gospel Mission's homes go to different schools, and there are fees for these schools.  The small children go to Kindergarten schools. The fees are $12 (US dollars) a month, which would equal $144 a year.  The older children are at various public schools. The fees for their schooling are $7 a month, which equal $84 per year. The school fees come out of a government grant of $80 per month, per child. This covers school clothing and other clothing, food, school fees, and transport to schools, if the schools are not in the area.  One child travels by taxi mini vans to school. We have a contract for 2 of the children to go to these schools which are far away. The rest are within walking distance from the homes.                                                                      


Welcome to our new website for Xhosa Gospel Mission!  The mission has been working to help Xhosa people for many years.  Check our 'Newsletters & Media' tab under 'More,' for updates from previous years.  To subscribe to this blog, click on 'RSS Feed' on this blog page, to be notified when new blogs appear.
3 Comments
Jean Venten link
3/9/2014 07:25:03 pm

Sir, I made a difference to that one!
The year 1976 was a black year in the history of my hometown. I worked at Baragwaneth Hospital, Soweto, near Johannesburg in South Africa. It was a year of riots.
With the stench of burning flesh ingrained in my nose and tear gas burning my eyes, I watched from the comparative safety of my position behind a military guard the carnage in the hospital grounds and beyond….. Wondering in fear what the future held for us.
Then into the lull that followed a spate of violence stepped a man. This policeman, a dreaded symbol of white domination, was armed with only a soccer ball. He walked slowly but unwaveringly out of the gate and into street beyond – steadily bouncing the ball as he went. In the eerie silence everyone was fixated on that rhythmic bounce, bounce, bounce. Another man joined him and before long children were popping out everywhere drawn by their natural ability and love for soccer. Over the next half hour a miracle game developed, binding black and white players in a desperate plea for sanity ….. Before everyone faded off in different directions and I returned to the reality of my job.
Thirty eight years down the track, I am blessed with a wonderful new life in Australia, but a part of me will forever be locked in time with the people left behind. Over the last few years, I have been lead more and more to reminisce over some of those people. With the advantage of internet technologies I have followed the often sad depressing stories of some dear people.
This week however I have been greatly moved by the story of another person bouncing a ball of activity into a community. Hoppy was the minister at a church I attended some thirty years ago in a very different South Africa. I read with amazement the story of the Xhosa Gospel Mission. Was this really the same minister I remembered from all those years ago from a small comfortable country town in a very different South Africa? His return email proved to be a testament to God’s unending mercy and love poured out on someone tested as Job had been, yet still prepared to listen to God’s calling.
God has deeply moved me with this story and I’d like to share it with all who will listen. If you feel God’s spirit moving you, please act. Hoppy ended his e-mail to me with the words:
“I appreciate your concern and desire to support the ministry. Just pray about it and see how the Lord works things out. I am always amazed at how the Lord works. Maybe the Lord may lead me to Australia. If you could arrange some meetings in churches I would come. “
Now I’ve never arranged a meeting in my life but someone out there has! So I’ll just keep sending this out in the hope that God will do the posting into the right inbox. Please google “Xhosa Gospel Mission” and let God speak to your heart.
We may not be able to save all the millions of orphans out there, but we can, as in the words of the boy in Hoppy’s video, say:
Sir, I made a difference to that one!
Bless you
Jean Venten

Reply
Michael Valentine link
11/11/2022 09:19:18 pm

Look thousand three good hand value senior trade.

Reply
Office Designers Florida link
2/14/2023 09:12:26 pm

I enjoyed rreading this

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author: Bo

     These blogs have several authors - people who are involved with Xhosa Gospel Mission.  The oldest blog is from June, 2014.  For updates from previous years, check our newsletters tab, under the 'more' tab, above.  Click on RSS Feed to be notified when new blogs appear.

    Archives

    February 2020
    October 2019
    September 2018
    December 2017
    September 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Children
    Childrens Home
    Land
    Mission
    Orphanage
    Orphans
    Schooling
    South Africa
    Xhosa
    Xhosa Gospel Mission

    RSS Feed

Checks to XGM may be mailed to PO Box 260561, Lakewood, CO 80226