NEWSLETTER 25 - December 2012

Nurturing home-grown development in South Africa

www.thatu.org

An invaluable oasis on the Cape Flats

Your donations do make an impact: they help create results like this 

Once she had stopped her home being demolished for the third time and had settled in a "home of my own" built from materials from the local dump, Royce Peters turned her attention to her garden with the help of Thatu. In just six months, her achievements are miraculous as Thatu trustees Jackie Meldrum and Margery Povall found out on a recent visit.

Royce and her family of six, which contains only one bread-winner, live in a two-room self-built shack in a community that has developed on the desolate environment of the sea sand of the Cape Flats. At first the home was classed as illegal, but eventually the authorities relented, stopped demolishing homes and installed overhead electricity lines.

Royce joined a Soil for Life project funded by Thatu to get one year's support and guidance on cultivating a garden. They started by digging a trench in the harsh environment to fill with the nutrients of household waste and scavenged compostables.

Six months later, Jackie and Margery were astonished to see a small green oasis with cabbages, spinach, onions and other vegetables. In a country where food prices have soared by 13% in the past year and with even greater price hikes threatened because of drought, the value of this food source is hard to exaggerate!

Not only is the garden productive, but it is something of a work of art too. All around the garden are labels and decorations showing great creativity and artistry -- and reflecting just how much the family treasure their food source in an area of poverty and frightening aridity.

This is one example of what Thatu's funding can help achieve. Please help us achieve more.

As Christmas approaches, you'll doubtless be thinking of presents, so why not make your gift count double by buying from Thatu's online shop or buy anything online by going through EVERYclick (Thatu will get a percentage if you do). 

• Send a friend a Virtual Gift from Thatu's Shop . You can spend between £6 and £250. 
• If you are buying anything online please do so through EVERYclick and support Thatu. Hundreds of stores and companies donate a percentage of every purchase to your chosen charity
• Buy a xmas decoration or bag made by disabled people in South Africa
• Save paper by sending e-cards to colleagues and friends, or buying Thatu reuse labels 
• Send us your stamps from the Christmas cards you receive.

Please donate to Thatu to help people like Royce and her family.

You can follow us on Facebook, and Twitter where we have an enthusiastic young volunteer Megan putting up to date news.  Even if you aren't into Social Media, your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews might like to become Friends of Thatu.

If you would prefer to receive a hard copy of our newsletter, or no longer wish to receive one, please email us at info@thatu.org

Thatu is a UK Registered Charity No. 1108655