Welcome to our first newsletter of 2014. It has been an amazing and very eventful first four months of the year. So much has hap-pened that we want to share with you but even in our news letter it simply is not possible to share it all. So please follow us on Facebook to stay up to date. One major theme for this year is the all exciting new building project, The Sozo Foundation - Transfor-mation Centre that is now being built in Vrygrond. This is history in the making…the first ever youth education facility in the history of one of the oldest settlements in the Western Cape. With your continued support and encouragement we have been able to con-tinue pursuing excellence in achieving our vision of seeing “a restored Vrygrond community, living with dignity, purpose and hope”.

Thank you for partnering with us...

- Anton Cuyler (CEO) -

A glance at 2014 So far• Our first staff conference• New staff members on board• Our first internship• Workshops• Eden training has begun• New partnerships (Educentre)• International interns• In house staff development• Cisca New garden trainer• New structures implemented• #TAG (Transform A Generation)• The start of the New Building.

Sheldon Kidwell

Board Member profile

When I started working at The Bay CC in 2008 The Nceda Trust was in forma-tion and I was involved with the small projects this trust ran. Once Anton had arrived in Cape Town it became clear that new doors were opening and the formation of Sozo in 2010 was the start of this amazing journey. I know the link between the church and social action in our community is crucial and it’s amazing to have the connection between the two based on relationship and not just function.

I see Sozo as a light in the darkness. The slogan of “We help people to help themselves, so they can help others” is the key to empowerment. Sozo has not arrived with the answers but solutions to equip and train those based in the community to see their community shine. Again, the work is based on rela-tionship and not function, so the journey goes far deeper and is long lasting with all of those connected to Sozo.

This nation has been ravaged by the evil hearts of leaders that caused separation in our society. This caused many to feel less worth than others. Sozo is bringing meaning, worth and stirring the hearts and dreams of our youth to become the leaders of tomorrow. Maximus from Gladiator encouraged his men before going into battle with these words “what we do today will echo into eternity”. What Sozo does today echo’s into the years to come…

New additions to our team

Sophie Olivier

Resource/ Building Manager

Sophie is a fun, outgoing and ex-tremely positive person. It’s no won-der she’s our Resource Manager! She has a talent for making people feel special and she is really organ-ised and unafraid of new a challenge which is why she’s managing the building of our new Educentre in Vrygrond. Sophie fits in with the Sozo Tribe perfectly!

Keenan Mowers

Design Intern

Keenan is a dedicated, responsible and creative young man with a pas-sion for rugby, art and hip-hop. He has been goal-driven from a young age and overcomes setbacks with tenacity. He is inspired to see future generations reach their full potential. Keenan began as an intern at Sozo and lives in Vrygrond. He has a keen eye for design and is Sasha’s right hand man when it comes to branding and graphic design at Sozo.

Short term additions (Sozo Interns)

Recently Sozo had been inundated with interns from the UK! These adventurous, generous, vibrant young individuals have blessed us to no end by helping out with driving, admin, lam-inating, collecting horse manure, tutoring and organising courses for the Sozonites at Educentre as well as sharing their faith-driven passion with us.

Words are not enough to express our gratitude, we hope you take the experience you have gained and put it to good use back home, and perhaps even come back one day soon!

Kimmy Nicholas

Esther May BarehamCharlotte Wells

IF YOU SEE OUR “SOZOSWAGGERMOZO” VAN SMILE AND WAVE!

We are so thrilled with the great start to 2014! It has been a phenomenal time of laying strong foundations, introducing ef-fective structures and building authentic relationships with the Sozonites, the community, volunteers and partners! The So-zonitesreaching their own personal dreams and learning a great deal as their journeys unfold. A massive thank you to all our amazing group of willing individuals who are a part of Educen-tre and we wish to honour each one of you! Keep watching this space!

WHAT HAS EDUCENTRE BEEN UP TO?

• Sisanda Connect – Interactive & Adventure Day - 22 Feb & 22 MarchIn partnership with Sisanda Fundaytion, Six Sozonites were chosen as part of the Sisanda Connect programme to pay-it-for-ward by creating a safe space and leading a younger child through interactive activities & explore our beautiful city. It provided them with the amazing opportunity to build leadership skills, gain the value of giving back and also the exposure to a possible career option in working with younger children!

• Design Indaba Expo 2014 - 9 Learners Attended, 2 March“I liked seeing the beautiful things that designers do…I enjoyed it, [it] somehow made me see that nothing is impossible” “It made my passion for Fashion Design come back”These are just some of the responses from the dynamic group of Sozonites who earned the opportunity to attend the Design Indaba 2014.

A world of creativity saw lit up faces every time they identified a design that intrigued them and they loved engaging with the designers, asking them very well thought out questions! The biggest treat for them was seeing DJ Fresh perform live!

• DTS Tutors (YWAM)This was a great opportunity to partner with YWAM and their group of passionate DTS students spent the Tuesday afternoons during term one tutoring our Sozonites!

• Collaboration Programme We are so excited to be a part of the Collaboration Programme facilitated by Ikamva Youth, a national youth education organi-sation, with the purpose to gather, equip, support and encour-age a network of organisation in the field of youth education, particularly after school academic programmes.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Fine Art Course:

We are so excited to have our newest intern Esther Bareham who is currently running a four week Career Inspiring Course with the help of our design intern Keenan Mowers. 10 Sozonites are being equipped and exposed to techniques, theory, and practical aspects of the field of Fine Art. Both are very passion-ate and qualified in the areas of design and art, exuding with the ambition to share of their giftings and skills with the Sozonites.

Story updateCamphor Family Miracle

As you may recall in our first newsletter featured the Camphor family who were beneficiaries of a Sozo Boutique and what and amazing story it was, title “From trolley to treasure” and the journey begins.

Our hearts is not to transform buildings but to have lives transformed.

Here is the testimony of Desiree Camphor.

As Desiree walked closer to me I could see that an amazing transformation has taken place in her life. Her face glowed with beauty and radiated so much love. “I have accepted Jesus as my personal savior and am going to church every week. When I feel tired, I tell myself to get up be-cause I do not want to miss out on the blessings of the Lord, it is the only way. I am back to with my husband and we have forgiv-en each other for the mistakes that we made and we are trying again. I am so much happier now and I realized that where I was, was not right for me. My sister comes along with me to church because she has seen the change that has occurred in my life. I have stopped drinking and pay more attention to my kids.”

These are but a few words that Desiree Camphor shared just a few days ago. A real journey has started for this family. A family that was wounded by betrayal, affairs, lies and alcohol addiction now has a chance of healing and restoration.

What has Boutique been up to?

• We have donated R10 000 to the Vrygrond community library to upgrade the facility.

• A Boutique has been planned to be done in June when the UK team are here

• In 2013 we decided to change our strategy from depend-ing on volunteers to train home-gardeners one-on-one to employing one trainer from within the community to train more people per season, thereby making more efficient use of our resources. However, Sozo Eden would not be what it is today without those willing volunteers (from the Bay Community Church)- Thank you for the support!!

What has Eden been up to?

INCOME GENERATION Sozo Eden produces Self-Generated Income by selling the or-ganic vegetables we grow at our Garden Centre in Vrygrond to local community members. Below is a graph showing income received for the period March 2013 – February 2014, totalling R2300.

The veggies we have grown and sold include pumpkin, marrow, butternut, brinjals, green pepper, beans, tomatoes, beetroot, spinach, broad beans, onions, radish, carrots, celery, kale, leeks, chillies and herbs like mint, flat leaf parsley, rosemary and basil. Come and pay a visit to our garden centre in Vrygrond to see what we have to harvest or sign up to receive an email when we have lots to sell!

We have also been selling organic compost at R20 a bag, full of earthworms and guaranteed to make veggies grow big, even in Vrygrond.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

We are currently running another Home-gardening training course which began in March and will end in May. The group of 7 women have called themselves the “Happy Green Girls” and despite not knowing each other before the coursethey are now willing to share knowledge and resources and help each other out when it comes to gardening!

Francisca Jeftha, who has been employed by Sozo Eden for over a year now as our Garden Center Manager, has stepped up to become our Home-Gardening Trainer. Francisca is passionate about gardening and fits the role of trainer perfectly because of her outgoing nature and her experience with gardening. She is also a resident of Vrygrond which enables her to be available and understanding when it comes to the challenges of garden-ing in her local community.

INTERNS and VOLUNTEERS

Since the beginning of the year Sozo Eden has been blessed by some willing and hard-working volunteers who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty!

We are endebted to Thomas Golder for his selfless manual la-bour and Kimmy Nicholas for her organisational skills, countless hours of driving and her sunny disposition even in the face of horse manure.

DID YOU KNOW: Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green ma-nure, compost, and biological pest control. Organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides if they are considered natu-ral, but it excludes the use of various methods (including synthetic petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides and plant growth regulators such as hormones) for reasons including sustainability, openness, independence, health, and safety.

What has Lifeskills been up to?

Fire and Safety workshop 2014On the 23 April 2014 we had our second Fire and Safety work-shop at the Vrygrond Community Library. Joining us were a few community leaders as well. Beneficiaries participated and inter-acted well with the facilitator of The City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue services.

The group was curious and eager to learn more, as fires are a familiar experience here in Vrygrond. With some properties holding up to 6 bungalows with families for rental to secure some form of income.The vibe was amazing, the first signs of a community having a voice and wanting to be heard.

What the group had to say:

“I enjoyed myself and what I found most helpful was to know the various kinds of fire”

“I learned how to distinguish different fires and the importance of safety”

“It was a very excellent workshop and making us aware of how quick a fire can spread”

What is #TAG?

TAG – Transform A Generation is Sozo Educentre’s monthly giv-ing campaign. It is an easy and exciting way for everyone to get involved in transforming the lives of the young people we work with. Your involvement and partnership means you can be a part of the work of the Sozo Foundation, where we are seeing a new generation being given hope and a purpose. Your contribution will go towards stationery, daily meals and a safe space for high school learners to be equipped and empowered within their own community so as to achieve their full potential through af-ter-school tutoring and academic assistance.

What does your contribution provide?

That equals 64 additional days of school per learner!

So how can you start your monthly contribution?

There are three donation options and with each option comes something small that we want to give back, simply to say thank you!

Please go to to start

your monthly donation to now

R150 £15 $15

#TAG TIMES+

#TAG MUGLimited Edition

R200+ £20+ $20+

#TAG TIMES+

#TAG MUG+

#TAG TALES COLLECTION

Limited Edition Raw, real poetry out

of the hearts of a new generation

R100 £10 $10

#TAG TIMESSpecial Edition

Newspaper

The new Sozo Building work has begun!

The centre is going to be the first Youth Education facility in the community of Vrygrond. It will be 610 m2 in total, a 2 story build-ing which will include five large grade specific classrooms, each with its own computer centre and multi-learning style design to create a beneficial learning environment, as well as Sozo offices and a new “Lifeskills” centre.

Cecil and his team have been hard at work digging the trenches for the foundations. Behind the scenes the architect, engineer, electrician (all donating their time for free) and others have been working hard getting things in place. We are excited to see how this journey progresses and hope to be able move in by August/September.

To all our partners and funders of the Building Project, THANK YOU for joining us on this exciting journey. Here is an overview of where we are at:

NEWEDUCENTRE

BUILDING

PLANSDrawn up by architect

with Council for planning approval

SITE The site has been fully prepared with site hut, fencing, security and

container.

SUPPLIERSCommunicating with potential suppliers

All locks, some interior products donated

TEAMArchitect, Structural Engineer and Project

Manager in place

BUDGETExpected Cost: R2m

Income: R1.64mExpenses to date:

R198, 000

CONTRACTORSBuilding Contractor and

team are in place.

The Building Team

We have a team from the community doing most of the labourer - work, and some contractors from local areas involved. Here are some of the team involved:

The Building Wish list

MATERIALS• Readymix Concrete• Aggregates• Cement • Bricks• Roofing - Trusses

INTERIOR • Cupboards & Frames• Windows & Frames • Paint • Kitchen Units• Flooring

EXTERIOR• Paving • Landscaping

Cecil John Building Contractor

Pat Ellainer Electrician

Jessica Bowring Architect

Sophie OlivierProject Manager

MAY!!! IS CHILD PROTECTION MONTH

What?This month is nationally devoted to promote a culture of respect for children rights, thus ensuring that all children and youth grow up in an environment that is free from neglect, abuse and exploitation. It raises awareness and sheds light into the chal-lenges that face our children and young people and what we as a body can do to.

Why green?The colour green for child protection represents life, growth and the safety of our children. We are excited to welcome you in on standing in agreement, by wearing green on Sunday 1st June as we share on this very important area.

What’s in the pipeline?

Educentre:

Open DaysWe will be taking Grade 11s and 12s to open days at various tertiary institutions over the next couple of months to expose, inspire and prepare them for postmatric.

HikeIn partnership with Wilderness Foundation, the Sozonites with have the opportunity to climb from Kirstenbosch gardens to the contours of Table Mountain.

Boutique:

We are looking forward to having another team from the UK come and do a Boutique in June

Eden:

The next Home Gardening Training Course will take place from September to November 2014. We hope to train at least another 10 people in Vrygrond.We plan to host a “Garden Room” group discussion with all our gardeners in May. This will be a space for home-gardeners to interact and talk about their gardening

successes and issues as well as provide an opportunity for them to help each other.Our end of year Home-Gardener Competition will take place at the end of November!

Lifeskills:

• 6 sessions running over a period of 6 weeks for the relationship building program May-June 2014. Facilitated by Creative Change• Parenting workshop in June. This will be facilitated by a parent of the UK team qualified in this field.

Projects Wish List

Educentre:

• Dictionaries – English, Afrikaans, Bilingual • (Eng/Afr) Maths & Science Saturday Tutors • Scientific Calculators & Stationary• Homework diaries • Memory Sticks• Non perishable food items for the Nutrition Programme• Grade 8 & 9 School Textbooks and Study Guides

Eden:

• Strapping young men to help with lifting and delivering big bags of horse manure and organic waste on Tuesday mornings.• Your garden waste! Particularly grass cuttings, dry • leaves and rotting (uncooked) vegetables/fruit. Bring to us or we’ll collect!• Prizes for our End of Year competition for our home Gardeners (electrical appliances, gardening tools, hampers, vouchers etc.) • Paving slabs for the floor in our nursery• Long hose pipe (at least 30m)

How to get involved

Should you wish to donate online please go to:www.thesozofoundation.org.za/donate

Banking detailsThe Sozo Foundation072043776Standard BankBlue Route Mall 025-609

Donate time:Educentre: arlene@thesozofoundation.org.zaEden: kate@thesozofoundation.org.za

Corporate sponsorship team building Boutique stylenatasha@thesozofoundation.org.za

Get in contact with usOffice: (021) 825 5529/7Cell: 071 403 5516Office Email: admin@thesozofoundation.org.zaAnton Email: anton@thesozofoundation.org.za

Come and visit usCnr Vrygrond Ave & Trevor Siljeur rd,Vrygrond, MuizenbergCape Town7945