I recently received a letter from a colleague of mine regarding a really intrepid adventure to raise funds for rhino, as follows:

I consider myself a passionate teacher, who strives to make a difference in the lives of children. For the past few years I’ve been wondering how I could reach out to the community and make a difference. 

Of all the many things that America does well; democracy, hamburgers, bottomless soda and happy endings – it does overkill best of all.

Every year we get stats and facts on road fatalities, but never formulate concrete plans to decrease them. Thousands if not millions of Rands are spent on road safety campaigns, yet the impact seem to have minimal effects.

 

I met Clinton Swartz in December of 2011, he had been unemployed for 2 years, his confidence was low, his drive minimal and his determination poor.  In SA - and given the kind of work I do - one meets many people like that. Most need to adjust their outlook before you can consider working with them.

A Cape-based NPO is achieving remarkable successes in diversity training and assisting victims of prejudice and abuse, using non-threatening, lifelike dolls to break down barriers and encourage interaction. Their unusual model, which provides solutions while helping women generate income through the manufacture of these unique figurines, has received interest from as far afield as Uganda and Belfast.

My Uncle Reggie is back from Australia. He and Auntie Liz emigrated there about 18 months ago but are now back. At a little welcome home gathering he cornered me and sheepishly admitted that I had a point when I said that South Africa was a great country to live.

The claim that 28% of South African schoolgirls are living with HIV started with a remark by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, misreported by The Sowetan. Unquestioned, it has been repeated by media across the country and the world. The true rate is half that.

Justin Foxton, founder of The Peace Agency, writes of his hope for the future after hearing Prof. Jonathan Jansen speak about education.

Projections that Nigeria's economy will be more important than South Africa's by 2020 underplay serious instabilities in Nigeria's economy, political systems and surrounding region.

The budget read this week is one of the most business-like no-nonsense efforts I have ever witnessed.

As South Africans we do love a good conspiracy theory. As an example, we have become certain that the absence of whities in the national football team amounts to a vicious racist attack on us pale folk. It never occurs to us that we just aren’t very good at football. No, no that would be simple and dull. In order for our theories to have any true round-the-braai-cred, they need to suggest some form of sinister plot against one or other group of people.
Another example is the recent furore over NGO’s who have been deregistered or made non-compliant by the NPO Directorate.

Sean Segar, of Nedgroup Investments, considers the importance of a positive budget speech on the back of what, in our view, was a long-winded State of the Nation address. (see this week’s newsletter)

Steuart Pennington writes, “A few weeks ago I wrote a newsletter on our Social Prospects for 2013 . I received an extensive reply from David Harrison, the Chief Executive Officer of the DG Murray Trust. It is reproduced here as is.

My daughter, Emma Pennington (9) and her school friends have embarked on a project to make scoobydoo’s, and sell them, to raise funds for the SANParks Honorary Rangers project ‘Unite Against Poaching’.

South Africans against Drunk Driving (SADD) has launched its annual "AlcoFreeFeb" campaign for 2013 and would love you to be involved as one of their "Zero Heroes".

Justin Foxton, founder of national awareness campaign Stop Crime Say Hello, writes about the inspirational story of 12-year-old Jordan van der Walt who started the "Just One Bag" campaign.

A silent moment is not known of; with a rhythm and song to usher every occasion away, it is hard to avoid the musical element of the African continent. An element of culture not everyone can embrace to the full extent like African’s do. Above all the endless poverty cycles (which I believe will soon come to an end) and civil wars, I hear a song that cannot be silenced.

In July last year, SchoolNet reported about the development of a digital world atlas application for tablets that would allow children from around the world to teach each other about their own countries. SchoolNet had become involved through Ed Gragert of IEARN (International Education and Resource Network). The developer, Tudor Clee made a flying visit to South Africa last year to donate 10 Google Nexus tablets to each of the schools that took part in the creation of videos for the world atlas app.

Now that the matric exams have finished and the holidays have arrived, thousands of school-leavers are starting to indulge in their fantasy of doing a whole lot of nothing-but-fun. But these summer days do not all have to be lazy and can in fact be used to give you a head-start in 2013, an education expert advises.

In Kay Sexwale’s open letter (below) to the surviving Rivonia Trialists, she points to the Marikana massacre as an encapsulation of everything that is most rotten about South Africa under the current leadership of the ANC.

Professor Mark Laing, Professor of Plant Pathology from UKZN, received an award from Mr Kofi Annan, Chairperson of AGRA recently, for his work involving food-crop improvement without Genetic Modification Organism technology.

South Africans are extraordinary people. I came across this story recently, and although we have featured part of it before, it bears repeating. Braam Malherbe is a South African; an extreme adventurer with a simple cause which challenges all of us: DO ONE THING (DOT) in order to make a positive difference for our planet and to do something about which our children can smile!

Recently my daughter and some friends walked the Wild Coast, they spent every night with local villagers. They ate ‘delicious’ food, were comfortable, felt safe and hugely enjoyed the journey of discovery……….as well as the scenery. Why don’t more of us local tourists do this, and how can we get the message to international tourists? (Steuart Pennington)

Claire Allison provides some options

This could be a modern fairy tale, except that it’s true. What makes it doubly inspiring is that it brought together protagonists from miles apart in a country obsessed with race, class, and language groups. Illness, however, is the great equaliser of people – it can strike anyone at any time, and when it does, you can’t choose who helps you find your miracle.