Mpilonhle - A Good Life

Home-based Carer Garden Training

Claire Tindula — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:36:04 +0000

Happy November!

It’s always hard to believe how time flies,especially as the year draws to a close. This year has certainly been full of a lot of agricultural adventures, and it’s not over yet! Last month, from 3-5 October, I had the pleasure of working with Mpilonhle’s Home-Based Carers and facilitating a garden training on an introduction to permaculture and organic gardening methods. In putting together the curriculum for the training, I used a mix of information that I had obtained from trainings with both the Peace Corps and the locally-based African Conservation Trust office and Manukelana Art and Nursery in Khula Village, who hosted our last training with the Field Assistants in May. The training took place over the course of three days up at La Colline, the Mpilonhle guest house, and consisted of one day of theory training and presentations and two days of practical work/study. The first day, we covered a wide range of topics, from planting bed construction and the benefits of compost to strategies for water conservation and companion planting and the importance of bees! During the second two days, we filled and planted two trench beds, dug, filled and planted two pit beds, made a gorgeous compost pile and practiced digging some holes and swales for water retention.

Everyone lends a helping hand to fill the bed

Mpilonhle Social Worker Andile Zulu deftly wields the watering can

Time to plant!

Carer Veronica Dube helps prep the ground for a compost pile

The enthusiasm and brilliant spirit of these amazing women was infectious, and their openness, wonderfully encouraging. With equal amounts of laughter and learning, it was a great three days, and I am very excited to continue to work with the carers as they take their new knowledge back to their communities and help their clients develop home and community gardens to fight poverty and hunger.

It's a good life!

Mpilonhle Hosts KNVB

Mpilonhle Admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:19:57 +0000

Twenty-four coaches received their Introductory Coaching Certificate, courtesy of Mpilonhle and the Royal Dutch Football Federation's (KNVB) World Coaches Program.

Eric Whittie, a coaching instructor from the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB), arrived in Mtubatuba with Gramwill "Shortie" Pienaar and Sharon Lombard from the South African based organization Stars in Their Eyes, to conduct an introductory coaching course as part of  the KNVB's World Coaches Program.  Twenty-four school and community coaches, ages ranging from 23 to 53 attended an intensive five day course with both classroom and field sessions to learn how to read the game, prepare training sessions, and run tournaments with little equipment and many participants.

The certified course is part of the capacity development arm of Mpilonhle's new initiative, Home Field Advantage.  This initiative is a water and sports facility project in which four high schools in uMkhanyakude received boreholes and a new sports field complete with a waterless toilet block and change rooms, a community laundry facility, and a food garden to support both school and community agriculture classes as well as orphan headed households and needy families.  With beautiful new soccer fields, the four schools will serve as hubs for school leagues, which will be able to accommodate boys and girls teams from 15 high schools altogether.

On Thursday, the coaches had a wonderful surprise guest appearance by Thanda Royal's own Neil Tovey and his assistants Milton Dlamini and Stavros Tsichlas.  The coaches picked his brain about coaching and he graciously spent almost an hour answering all of them and then posing for pictures alongside the very people who consider him a South African icon.  Needless to say, everyone was ecstatic at the surprise.  And although it cut into lunch, appetites were nowhere to be found.

We got a surprise visit from one of South Africa's soccer icons. Neil Tovey, former National Team captain and Confederations Cup winner, he was famous for leading the team to victory and raising the cup in 1996 with Nelson Mandela. Needless to say, the coaches were in awe. (photo courtesy of Zululand Observer)

Computer Education at Ntandabantu Primary School, Mtubatuba Area

Sifiso Zulu — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:12:47 +0000

It been a long week at Ntandabantu Primary School we had to register everyone at the school especially grade 5, 6 and 7 just before we start our normal job, Mpilonhle Unit Two known as Sisonke was there to take initiative.

Mpilonhle visit first time at Ntandabantu Primary School

After a first lessons introduction I noticed that learners were ready to start with exercise one.

Let the lesson begin

As a witness it was a lifetime experience and a great achievement in community development in terms of skills development, one week training 2x hours per day 4x lessons equals computer literacy.

Full computer lab with 72x computers

One Sight visits schedule October 2011

Sifiso Zulu — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:58:22 +0000

Mpilonhle, in collaboration with the Department of Health and the Department of Education, facilitates every year eye clinic in the uMkhanyakude District. The clinic is run by the One Sight Philanthropy and brings together volunteer aye doctors and technical staff from all over the world and South Africa.

Services During Eye Clinic include

Free eye screening. Same-day provision of free prescription glasses on site for those who require them.

Follow-up care from the Department of Health for those who are identified as having cataracts or eye problems. HIV counseling and and testing. Medical check ups and medication

Location of Eye Clinics and Dates

Tuesday | October 18, 2011 | 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Nomaganga Primary School

Wednesday | October 19, 2011 | 9:00 – 3:00 PM | Nomaganga Primary School

Thursday | October 20, 2011 | 9:00 – 3:00 PM | Nomaganga Primary School

Friday | October 21, 2011 | 9:00 – 3:00 PM | Nyalazi Primary School

Monday| October 24, 2011 | 9:00 – 3:00 PM | Nyalazi Primary School

Tuesday | October 25, 2011 | 9:00 – 3:00 PM | Indukebandla Primary School

Wednesday | October 26, 2011 | 9:00 – 3:00 PM | Indukebandla Primary School

Thursday | October 27, 2011 | 9:00 – 3:00 PM | Indukebandla Primary School

How Mpilonhle Works

Mpilonhle Admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:00:35 +0000

This is a video about how Mpilonhle operates. It also includes visits to Mdungandlovu and Slethukukhanya. There are interviews with our staff and Grassrootsoccer.

Desmond Hughes – Mtuba Soccer Coach

Mpilonhle Admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:57:25 +0000

This is a video about Desmond Hughes, one of the soccer academy coaches here at Mtuba.

Charlize Theron talks of her experiences with Mpilonhle

Mpilonhle Admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:39:34 +0000

Charlize Theron tells of her experiences of the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and it’s relationship with Mpilonhle.

OneSight

Mpilonhle Admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:20:10 +0000

OneSight is the charitable arm of the eyewear company Luxottica and it provides global vision services to impoverished communities internationally. OneSight, assisted by OAN staff, provided eyewear services to 14,000 persons in the Mpilonhle catchment area, including providing eyeglasses to more than 5,000 persons.

Los Angeles Futbol Club-Chelsea Foundation (LAFC)

Mpilonhle Admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:19:13 +0000

The LAFC Foundation is partnering with CTAOP and Mpilonhle to improve sports facilities and activities in the Mpilonhle catchment area, and to integrated health prevention and education initiatives with sports.

IPAS

Mpilonhle Admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:16:59 +0000

Ipas Is dedicated to the protecting woman’s health and advancing their reproductive rights. They have provided funding to Mpilonhle to work with adolescent mothers to improve their health and that of their children, and also to provide training to teachers about adolescent reproductive health.