Fundraising campaigns for Siyabonga
September 2026: Once again this year, we’ve been delighted to receive tremendous support through a wide variety of fundraising campaigns. In this newsletter, we’d like to give you an overview of these efforts and let you know how the donations have been used so far.
For many years, the Moritzschule and the Edith-Stein-Schule in Erfurt have been actively involved in our organization’s work and have supported us with great dedication. At this year’s Moritzschule charity run in May, held under the wonderful motto “By Children, For Children,” an incredible 4,726.09 Euros was raised. The Edith-Stein-Schule in Erfurt raised funds during the graduation service and at the school festival and was able to present us with an impressive 1,262.91 Euros. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to both schools and to all the students for their dedication and their wonderful initiatives.
At the Immenstaad Children’s Clothing Bazaar this spring, 843.07 Euros were raised for our organization’s work. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this possible and supported us during the bazaar.
This year’s World Cup fundraising campaign was also a resounding success. Our goal was to raise 500 Euros for soccer balls as well as educational and play materials for the children in our projects. We even exceeded this goal: 521 Euros were received via PayPal alone, plus additional direct donations to our organization’s account. Many thanks to everyone who supported this campaign as well.
Just how important this support is becomes clear every day in our four projects in South Africa.
At the feeding project in Greytown, meals continue to be served twice a week to people in need and street children. A wonderful example of how our aid directly benefits the children was this year’s Nelson Mandela Day on July 18 at our feeding project. There, we were able to give 35 children food packages and a pair of socks each. We also visited Quarme School, a rural school outside of Greytown, and brought school and craft supplies, modeling clay, paper, as well as apples and oranges.
As part of our village project, we regularly provide the four preschools with food and learning materials. It’s especially heartwarming to see how dedicated the children and caregivers are to tending their own vegetable gardens and how they’ve now successfully grown vegetables. In addition, we visit particularly poor families who live in simple mud huts once a month and support them with food packages and seeds.
The children in our preschools in the village project were once again delighted this year to receive their own gym bags as a farewell gift before moving on to elementary school. The bags contained learning materials, toys, and hygiene items. This allowed us to provide them with important items for this new phase of their lives while also bringing them a little joy.
Support also continues steadily in the township project. Fifteen families each month receive survival packages containing essential food items and hygiene products. In addition, we help older adults and those in need of care — especially those who have suffered a stroke — by providing adult diapers, which are a vital source of support in daily life for both the individuals affected and their families.
At the children’s home in Greytown, we cover ongoing expenses, including school tuition and the children’s educational needs. For the preschoolers, we were also able to provide bedding, water bottles, lunchboxes, hygiene supplies, and art supplies.
This year, there have been some personnel changes at the children’s home: Since March 2026, John Martin has been supporting us as our new fundraiser. John worked at the children’s home several years ago, and we are very grateful to have him back on the home’s team.
Meanwhile, Kelisha Krijay Ramdhew, who has done important work for the children’s home as financial manager over the past few years, left her position on July 31. We thank her from the bottom of our hearts for her dedication and commitment and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
At the same time, Futhi Ivy Khumalo has taken over sole management of the children’s home. Previously, she served as senior social worker and facility manager. Together with Kelisha, she provided important impetus last year and contributed significantly to the further development of the children’s home. We warmly congratulate Futhi on her new role and look forward to continuing to work with her.
All of these examples show how donations turn into very concrete help. The funds raised this year will continue to benefit the children and families in all four Siyabonga projects. Our goal is to help where support is most needed—with basic needs, learning, play, and, above all, in giving children and families better opportunities for the future.
Thank you to everyone who supports Siyabonga and brings joy to hearts in South Africa.
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