We don't want your money



Although things have been quiet on the email front we are delighted to be able to thank everyone for continuing to send all those lovely parcels with special items to the HIV/Aids children and Babies in South Africa.  Your continued support is much appreciated.  And believe me there are some lovely items sent over, thanks so much.
 
I know when you got onto our website we have promised you that we don’t want your money, just your childrens’ clothes.  Well as you may have heard in the news, the recession is biting in ways we just can’t imagine, and especially so with the children in South Africa.   Building Blocks orphanage in Cape Town which is part of the Ragbag network is suffering more than we know and can I just give you some statistics of how much money  they have to raise to look after these children on a monthly basis:
 
Nappies R2947 (ie it costs £1 to buy 6 nappies and they need loads due to the medical conditions affecting these babies.
It costs R140 per month just for yoghurt and juice and we all know how vital yoghurt is for repopulating a colon that has been ravaged by retroviral drugs.
Fruit and Veg R300
Cereal R420
Special Nestle foods are R189 per tin and Jenny uses 3 tins a month.
In total with all the other foodstuffs required it costs approximately £340 a month to feed 10 babies.
Sorry to give rands and pounds mixed up but you can see that however you look at it any donations we can give will help. (nb it’s roughly 1.6 rands per pound)
 
If you feel you would like to help financially perhaps you might like to do what I’ve just done and set up a £10 monthly donation to help.  If just 34 of our friends network do similar on a monthly basis, or even 70 people give £5 then it will help the orphanage survive the recession.  Remember just £10 a month!
 
There is now an official Building Blocks Foundation bank account.  Registration no 06706823
If you need the official sort code and account number just email me or Kim@kaproperty.com, as she is the official treasurer this side of the waters.  If you need a bank mandate form just let me know and I’ll email one over to you.
 
Alternatively if you just want to send a one-off cheque the address is:
 
Building Blocks Foundation Ltd
58 Queen Anne Street
London W1G 8HW
 
Please forgive me for asking you for money like too many other worthy causes but I honestly wouldn’t ask if things weren’t getting so difficult for these hard working people in the South Africa Ragbag network.  Like ourselves in the UK, money isn’t going as far as we’d like it to.
 
This photo will remind you what the children look like at Building Blocks in South Africa.   I first went to the home in Cape Town a year ago and their struggle hasn’t got any better, can you help me to help them please?


Sandra thought you might like to share good news from the Bath area in the hope that, if you also have a good relationship with your local school you might like to ask them if they can help.

25th April 2009 - Sandra reports:
I’ve just had three very large boxes from St Michael and the Angels primary school in Twerton,near Bath, all recycled school uniforms in wonderful condition as they have changed their uniform!  There are piles of clean and very good condition football gear which I know Julian and Kirsty will be delighted with as the children in the Aids/Hiv orphanages just luuv football strip.  So I will be sending off lots of little 1.5kilo packages to Julian in the next few weeks!
 
Don’t forget if anyone has any old items like this Julian and Kirsty will be delighted to received them.
 
The next bulletin for Ragbag will be coming soon and will have lots of wonderful pictures of the children at Building blocks – they have 14 little ones now now!  Kim has just got back from a visit to the home and will be giving you an update along with the photos.
 

"Mrs Such, headteacher at Shoscombe Primary School, and Mrs Grebby, headteacher at Bathford Primary school, both very kindly allowed me to send out the newsletter to all their Mums and Dads telling them about Ragbag.
 
Both ladies then went on to let me have their year-end lost property boxes, both of which had a large number of sweatshirts, and tee shirts, plimsolls, small grey trousers, hats and gloves, and in one case a brand new track suit bottom for an 8 year old and lots of other very useful “goodies”.
 
I can’t thank them enough and all the parcels are now sailing their way to the Ragbag network at Julian’s address. (ps plimsolls do survive being put into the washing machine if you want them to.)"

If anyone needs stocks of hard copy newsletters to give out to their local school, just let Sandra  know how many and she will be pleased to send up to date copies on to you by post.  email Sandra by clicking here



And last but not least:
 Our grateful thanks to all of you whose own Ragbag parcels arrived this week.  We would like to thank you all personally but unfortunately you forgot to put your personal details in the package.  But a warm thanks so much!