September 2024 Pikkewyntjies / Penguinkidz Ne...
In this month's newsletter, we celebrate our remarkable alumni, including three former Pikkewyntjies kids.
A couple of Americans have just been to the Cape to taste wine and marvel at the scenery.
They went to Gansbaai on the advice of locals that there would probably be whales to be seen from Coffee on the Rocks - and there were.
They also came to Betty’s Bay and heard all about Pikkewyntjies Preschool. They were very interested, asked questions and if it had not been a weekend would have asked to pay the school a visit.
We got to talking about what happened to the children once they left Pikkewyntjies which led us to the question of school uniforms - and the expense which is a huge worry for the little school.
It is unthinkable to have our children arrive for their first day in the wrong clothes and without the stationery expected. So much love and care goes into preparing them mentally and emotionally to succeed at school and think of the blow that would be to their confidence.
Still, jerseys, shoes, shorts, dresses add up to an alarming total and anyone reading this can imagine our gratitude when this couple, Susan Harris and Les Hansen said, almost together that they would like to make a contribution. Any help would be a godsend.
They were on their way to Addo Wilderness Camp and then in stages to Johannesburg and promised to send an eft when they arrived.
They did but it took a long while to come because the funds had to come from the US and we were beginning to worry there had been an error with account numbers when the gift arrived and we saw they had not given us a contribution but enough to kit out each child for school and buy school bags and stationery for them all. Just in case we might find ourselves short, they added a couple of thousand rands.
If we don’t spend it on this year’s uniforms, our board will have no trouble allocating it to some other urgent need.
Juffrou Zaan is over the moon and we are all so happy that the big cloud of anxiety about where to find the money for school uniforms has drifted out of sight.
Anyone who sometimes feels like giving up on humankind should volunteer at a non-profit organisation. Very soon you’ll wonder how you could have thought people were selfish and uncaring.
