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 April
2005 Newsletter |
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Nicodemius
in facilitated study session |
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Welcome
Back...
It
seems like yesterday that we sent out our December newsletter,
and it is hard to believe that it is already mid-way
through the first school term of 2005. I want to share
with you some exciting accomplishments since our previous
newsletter.
We
have been busy since finalizing last year’s program,
and one of our goals was to receive official, non-profit
status from the IRS. As of February 2005, MYO is legally
a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, and all donations
to MYO are now tax deductible. In addition, we have
our first full-time volunteer managing our academic
program, and helping on dozens of other projects that
we have in motion. Also in March, we signed a lease,
and moved into our new facility at the Rossing Foundation
building in Tamariskia, giving us two classrooms, office
space, and access to a kitchen. Finally, we have completed
our paperwork to operate as a legitimate, charitable
trust in Namibia - another important bureaucratic step
in our march towards long-term sustainability.
During
our January kick-off meeting with the parents, we collected
important data from our member families, and one of
the questions we asked was “why is participation
in the MYO program important to you and your child?”
I wanted to include one of the inspiring responses we
received, and the father of one of our grade-five boys
wrote, “Education is the key to the future, in
fact, together with sports, it allows our youngsters
to concentrate positively in a way that they grow up
as a responsible person. This is a great opportunity
for our children. I’m very grateful for this!”
Our acceptance by the community has been remarkable,
and comments like this continue to boost our commitment.
The
most important thing to remember is that every day we
have 52 kids that come through our doors where they
get a nutritional snack, academic tutoring plus educational
support, life-skills mentoring, and a structured tennis
program. This is the reason MYO exists, and it is a
joy to know that we are making such a difference in
the lives of our children.
I
hope you take a few moments out of your busy schedule
to read through our newsletter, and I encourage you
to continue to support us in any way you can. As always,
you have my promise and obligation that every dollar
we receive will be used in the most efficient, responsible
manner, and that the MYO children will get the maximum
benefit from your generous donations.
PEACE
- Rob |
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From The Field |
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Dr.
Alta Myburgh - Managing Director
As
we mature as an organization and refine our procedures,
it is important that we spend time on distributing critical
information, making certain it reaches the right people,
and making sure everyone is aware of essential program
changes. It is imperative that we commit resources to
reestablish relationships with participating schools
and member families of Mondesa and DRC - not to mention
just locating member participants again. For a variety
of reasons some families in our program moved away from
Mondesa schools and now attend Swakopmund schools. Even
though they may attend another school, both the family
and the children wanted to continue to participate in
the program, and we are making every effort to accommodate
their needs.
In
an effort to keep the parents well informed, a parent
meeting was held at the MYO offices in Tamariskia. The
responses from the parents were tremendous, and it became
obvious that the parents are very supportive of the
MYO program. Application forms were handed out to the
parents, and we discussed the importance of the parent’s
role in the overall success of the program.
Our
activities for the year officially kicked off at the
beginning of February, but because the lease between
MYO and the Rossing Foundation was not finalized, we
needed a temporary location for our academic tutoring.
The MYO program support from the community was demonstrated
when the principal of Tamariskia Primary School made
classrooms available for our academic tutoring. This
was a tremendous help to MYO, and signifies how our
local community is supporting our needs.
One
new component of our daily operation includes a light
lunch/snack for the kids. Some of the kids live 7-8
kilometers or more from our facility, and must walk
to our program - by the time they arrive they are hungry
and thirsty. Also, kids do not receive lunch at school
in Namibia, so this is their only mid-day meal. We found
that providing them with a small nutritional snack,
we could increase attendance and improve program attention.
Although nutrition is not our main goal, we are trying
to offer small, healthy meals and are currently in negotiations
with a local sponsor to get part, or all, of the food
donated.
We
are currently experiencing exiting times - moving into
our own facility, looking for our own transportation,
and becoming a legal entity in Namibia. By the end of
last year we knew what we wanted, but never imagined
our dreams could come about so quickly. With the right
support from everyone and hard work from many volunteers,
we are giving our kids their own dreams for a better
future.
Alta
Myburgh |
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Mondesa Youth
Spotlight |
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Timotheus Absalom “Timo”
Although the
roads of MYO and Timo have crossed only recently, the positive
changes that have resulted in Timo seems miles ahead. Timo is an
example of the powerful changes the MYO program can make on a
person’s life.
Timo is a
grade five student in Tamariskia Primary School. He is an orphan
but has support from Okanona Child Care Project (a local social
agency) - his school and housing fees are paid by this agency.
Unfortunately, Timo has an older brother that is a bad influence
and also involved with criminal activity. In 2004, Beverley and
I observed Timo begging at the entrance of a local supermarket
in town, so we immediately got him involved in MYO.
Timo Absalom – MYO Spotlight
winner
The MYO
program gave Timo the opportunity to do something positive in
his life, and, at the same time, get away from the negative
influence of his brother. As Timo became more involved with the
program, he was spending Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings
with new friends on the tennis courts, and spending less time in
the company of his brother. The MYO program took him to places
outside his brother’s circle of influence, and gave him an
identity of his own. Timo excelled at tennis, and was given
additional responsibility around the training center – this
improved his confidence tremendously. MYO gave Timo individual
recognition for his achievements, and he quickly obtained
positive self-worth through commitment, hard work, and
dedication.
We are in
constant contact with his social agency, and they are assuring
us that his behavior is positive - they are very supportive and
thankful of how our program has influenced Timo. Our program has
made profound changes in Timo in only a very short time -
imagine the additional benefits to children like Timo that have
been in the program for many years. For all of us at MYO, this
is the motivation to keep us working hard so Timo, and others
like him, can have their own successful journey.
Alta
Myburgh |
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From The Field |
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Shannon
Taylor – Academic Program Manager
MYO’s
academic program got off to a good to start the second week
in February, and with the recent move into our new facility
at the Rossing Foundation, we are progressing smoothly. Approximately
50 grade-four and grade-five children have been attending
classes three days a week directly after school. The academic
classes are preceded by a light lunch, and last approximately
90 minutes. The classes focus predominately on the core subjects
of the Namibian curriculum - science, mathematics and English,
with the intent to provide hands-on activities that directly
reinforces what the learners are taught in school.
Shannon Taylor
We are
spending this term evaluating each child’s skill level
in order to tailor the program to their needs. In addition,
we have completed science and math projects, while at the
same time, focusing on reading comprehension. The MYO students
are also involved in an ongoing exchange project with students
in the United States in which they exchange both letters and
information about each respective culture. In the future,
we will incorporate independent study sessions designed to
allow time for the children to complete supervised homework
and incorporate curriculum-based field trips. We also plan
to add a “guest speaker” component, whereby people
from the local community will speak to the children on various
life topics.
Enthusiasm
has been high, and the dedication among the MYO participants
is wonderful. Many of the children race to our facilities
directly after school covering distances up to 10 kilometers.
The MYO students are bright and eager to learn, and have many
questions. Furthermore, community response to our academic
program has been great. We have received small donations in
the form of stationary and other school supplies from local
individuals, and because the principals at the participating
primary schools have been very supportive of the program,
we are confident we will carry this precedent into the remaining
school year.
Shannon
Taylor |
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From The Field |
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Barvely
Von Luttichou - Tennis Program Manager
The tennis
program was up and swinging a week after school started, and
we have 24 grade-five students from last year and 30 grade-four
students who are new to the program. Both groups get at least
3 and 1⁄2 hours of tennis coaching per week.
This is
the second year of tennis for the grade-five students, so
sessions focus more on the tactical and strategic game play.
The focus for first year grade-four players consists of tennis
basics that include hand/eye ball coordination skills, as
well as different shot technique fundamentals.
Barvely
Student
attendance is excellent with the overall attendance at 81%.
We have noticed that a few students will miss some sessions
or are late to sessions, but this has to do more with transportation
issues vs. lack of desire. However, as we hope to acquire
a van soon, we will be able to eliminate this problem.
Left:
Mary Aribes. Middle: Placido Gertze. Right: Elton Araeb pictured
here with his mother
A few
of our children have progressed tremendously and are very
committed, so we picked 4 students in grade five to get additional
coaching. Congratulations to Elton Araeb, Timotheus Absolum,
Mary Aribes, and Placido Gertze - they will join the Swakopmund
Tennis Academy, run by Alta Myburgh, and play on the junior
squad team. Again, congratulations!
In addition,
we are preparing the grade-four students to play a mini tournament
against a school in Rehoboth that has already been playing
the NTA tournaments in Windhoek for the last 4 years. This
will be a tough competition for our children but I am confident
we will be up for the challenge.
Barvely |
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What's New |
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What's
Coming for MYO?
There
is almost too much to report since our last newsletter. Thing
are really moving along for MYO, and we are very excited about
2005. As mentioned above, we were finally able to outlast
the IRS and receive our 501(c) (3) designation. This process
has become more involved in the post 9/11 world, so Larry,
our financial and risk management board member, wrote and
submitted our anti-terrorism policy entitled “Terrorism,
We’re Against It!” --that seemed to get us over
the line. All kidding aside, this was a big hurdle for us
which clears the way for us to contact larger donors to support
our programs.
Moving
in our new classroom and office facility is also a big step
forward. Now we have a place to hang our hats, a large classroom
that we do not have to share with other teachers, a kitchen
so we can prepare our snack lunches, and office space to service
our growing programs. We also have a smaller classroom which
we hope to convert to a computer training room –funds
permitting.
MYO’s new classroom
and facility
In our
last newsletter we talked about the need for transportation
to drive our kids, and this remains a top priority item for
us. Many of our kids are walking as much as 10 kilometres
each way to get to the tennis courts and our academic facility,
so it is critical that we find a van soon. Transportation
will also give us the ability to take the kids on field trips,
and occasional overnight trips to visit beautiful places in
their country that most of them would never see without a
program such as ours.
Stay tuned
for our “Youth Sponsorship Program” program which we will
be announcing within the next month. This program allows you
to donate $15/month towards our general fund in the name of
a child. You will have the ability to communicate with the
child and follow his/her progress throughout the school year.
Another fund raising effort we have planned is selling post
cards, greeting cards, hats, and t-shirts to promote MYO awareness,
and help meet the needs of our children.
So as
always, please stay tuned and please stay close to us as we
continue our journey to bring hope to these beautiful children.
PEACE
-- Rob |
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