Isipho Blog on Poverty and Solutions in South Africa http://isipho.org/blog A conversation about Isipho, poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, education, and the work to create a self-sustaining solution in iNzinga, South Africa Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:15:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Back in eNzinga http://isipho.org/blog/2010/07/29/back-in-enzinga/ http://isipho.org/blog/2010/07/29/back-in-enzinga/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:15:37 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/2010/07/29/back-in-enzinga/ We are back in eNzinga again. To spend the evening sitting on the grass mats around the fire pit in the middle of the main mud round and catch up with the Zumas again, is amazing. A few quick thoughts because we’re exhausted and have a long day tomorrow:
– Fantastic meeting with Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA) this morning before we left Jo’burg. Good organization. Real good partnership opportunities. Very exciting.
– Seeing Miranda and Patrick, the young program manager from FTFA, get excited about the potential future of young people, and their power to form that future was something I was very happy to be able to hear and watch.
– After alternatively spelling the name of the village we live and work in Nzinga, Inzinga, and iNzinga over the last 2+ years, tonight, when driving down the dirt road here, we saw a new sign that simply read eNzinga. Well, at least now we’ve seen it officially written somewhere…
– I know we were ready to get a break from the heat of July in Atlanta, but it is extremely cold here tonight, which makes the walk to the outhouse seem pretty far. It’s all relative.
– Talking to Nonjabulo tonight was awesome. She really has taken on the leadership role; she knows the people, the issues, has a great sense of the needs, the best way to solve them, and can really articulate it clearly. She is a strong, smart woman, and a great asset for her community, and our nonprofit. We could not have done better in our first and most important employee. The impact she will have on other women in this village through her example has the potential to fundamentally alter lives. Simply inspiring.

More soon!

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2010/07/29/back-in-enzinga/feed/ 0 MORE auction items — they just keep coming! http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/21/more-auction-items-they-just-keep-coming/ http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/21/more-auction-items-they-just-keep-coming/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:47:34 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/?p=125 Art collectors rejoice!   Isipho has just received three awesome pieces of art for the Celebrating Hope silent auction next weekend.    

Choose from a 20” X 24” oil on canvas by Kim Karelson;

 a 23” X 30” acrylic on glass by Mark Karelson;

 or a 25 3/8” x 32 7/8” signed Itzchak Tarkay serigraph.

The Karelsons are good friends of ours (they’re attending the event!), and their daughter, Katie, is one of my close friends and is volunteering as the stage manager during the event! Be sure to check out the awesome art!

Miranda

P.S.  28 hours until Nonjabulo gets here!!!!!!!

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/21/more-auction-items-they-just-keep-coming/feed/ 0 Bono on Aid in Africa (Maybe we could get him to work with Isipho? :D) http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/21/bono-on-aid-in-africa-maybe-we-could-get-him-to-work-with-isipho-d/ http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/21/bono-on-aid-in-africa-maybe-we-could-get-him-to-work-with-isipho-d/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:22:16 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/?p=122 “Aid, it’s clear, is still part of the picture. It’s crucial, if you have H.I.V. and are fighting for your life, or if you are a mother wondering why you can’t protect your child against killers with unpronounceable names or if you are a farmer who knows that new seed varietals will mean you have produce that you can take to market in drought or flood. But not the old, dumb, only-game-in-town aid — smart aid that aims to put itself out of business in a generation or two. “Make aid history” is the objective. It always was. Because when we end aid, it’ll mean that extreme poverty is history. But until that glorious day, smart aid can be a reforming tool, demanding accountability and transparency, rewarding measurable results, reinforcing the rule of law, but never imagining for a second that it’s a substitute for trade, investment or self-determination.”

- Bono   –  in an Op-Ed column in the NY Times

Wow. Well said, Bono! And we’re not only blogging about this because we love that U2 walks on, but because this is yet another person who realizes that giving a man a fish is not the solution! We must teach the man how to fish. This idea is spreading, and hopefully, very soon, people will learn to take the time, and work with the people in need instead of dropping bags of rice that postpones death one more day.

I am you and you are mine
Love makes no sense of space
And time…will disappear
Love and logic keep us clear
Reason is on our side, love…
   — U2 — Miracle drug. The first song that dad and I listened to leaving the village in 2008, and probably the reason I wanted to start Isipho. There is love, and power there that can break out!

To read the full article; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/opinion/18bono.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Peace and love!

Miranda

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/21/bono-on-aid-in-africa-maybe-we-could-get-him-to-work-with-isipho-d/feed/ 0 Update…. http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/08/update/ http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/08/update/#comments Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:03:25 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/?p=120 Hello readers!

Two more weeks until Nonjabulo gets here! Two weeks and a few hours! We can’t wait, and were very excited for her arrival! I am counting down the days. It is worth waking up at 3 AM on a Friday morning to go to the airport

Silent auction items; autographed items!

Item #3!

Autographed Virginia Willis Cookbook! A cookbook of Virginia Willis, her daughter, and her grandaughter;                 Bon Appetit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking

Willis’ “simple is best” philosophy is what made her not only Atlanta’s favorite chef, but an international icon.

Item #7!

Get Slaughtered at the Beach! Ten of Karin Slaughters best-selling novels, each autographed, in a lovely beach bag to take with you on a trip to the beach!  “Karin Slaughter is one of the best crime novelists in America” — The Washington Post

Item #20!

Autographed John Smoltz Baseball! This baseball was autographed right on the sweet spot by Atlanta Braves superstar and Futire Hall of Famer John Smoltz. No certificate of authenticity is included, as this baseball was hand-signed at a game and handed directly fro John Smoltz to its recipient. Includes acrylic display case.

awesome!

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2010/04/08/update/feed/ 0 Celebrating Hope — Auction items! (Miranda) http://isipho.org/blog/2010/03/30/celebrating-hope-auction-items-miranda/ http://isipho.org/blog/2010/03/30/celebrating-hope-auction-items-miranda/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:46:01 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/?p=113 In preperation for the event, I have decided to post about 2 Silent Auction Items per week, just to let you all know what we have in store for our event guests!

OUR FIRST SILENT AUCTION BLOG ENTRY—-
Item #1 –
A gift certificate for Pixorium, enough to make a 10-15 minute DVD show of your photos and choice of music to honor a loved one or celebrate an big event!
INCLUDES; +Approximately 100 photos
                        +3-5 pieces of music
                        +Basic photo correction, panning and zooming
                        +A data disc with the scanned photo images

http://pixorium.com/
Cool, huh?
aaand

Item #2 -
One week at a Big Canoe Mountain Cottage!!
Three bedroom, 2.5 bath cottage in Big Canoe, Georgia. Just over one hour away from Atlanta, but feels farther!
Explore beautiful waterfalls, creeks, go hiking, and come home to a stone and gas log fireplace! No smoking, and no pets!

www.vrbo.com/44161

We have a bunch more! Cottages in Europe. Signed baseballs, pictures, and books. Gift certificates, and even something very close to the heart of the starting of Isipho Inc. PLUS something AWESOME for the event!!!
Keep checking back in!  For the whole list, and more info about the event, please visit www.isipho.org/hope. 
And thanks for reading!

Miranda

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2010/03/30/celebrating-hope-auction-items-miranda/feed/ 0 Incredible First Board Meeting http://isipho.org/blog/2010/02/19/incredible-first-board-meeting/ http://isipho.org/blog/2010/02/19/incredible-first-board-meeting/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:58:07 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/?p=109 (Miranda) Tonight we had our first board meeting! The energy was great, and everyone got along really well. We had a nice time talking about how each of the members got involved, making a nice toast, and munching on South African foods. We also covered a great deal, some which was on our agenda, such as when our meetings should be, and what we will do during said meetings. We also covered a lot of other stuff, and threw some ideas into the Isipho Cauldron of Wisdom and Ideas ©. I really think this is a good foundation for our board! Off to sleep! I want to be rested for my Friday!

Miranda

P.S.  The Isipho Cauldron of Wisdom and Ideas is not actually copyrighted. I made that with skill and craft, and witty expertise (copy and pasting).

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2010/02/19/incredible-first-board-meeting/feed/ 1 Happy letters from Nzinga! (by Miranda) http://isipho.org/blog/2010/02/05/happy-letters-from-nzinga-by-miranda/ http://isipho.org/blog/2010/02/05/happy-letters-from-nzinga-by-miranda/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:32:37 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/?p=105 In the past week or so we have gotten two extremely uplifting and encouraging letters.  The first was from the Principal at Nzinga Primary School, Mrs. Florence Thandiwe Nxumalo.  She said, “God gave us a blessing that we will never forget that is Isipho;  you wipe away our tears.”  It makes me so happy to see the vision that my dad and I had when we were driving away from the village for the first time two years ago, is now resulting in letters like this.  It also makes me very thankful for all of our volunteers, and donors, who helped create this opportunity for the village.

The second letter we got was from Amahle’s mom, Nonjabulo.  She told us that one of the crèches that received an Isipho garden had so many vegetables they couldn’t eat them all.  So the crèche teachers sold the excess vegetables to villagers who don’t have a garden, and then they used the money they made selling vegetables to buy some books for the children in the crèche!  That made me so happy!  Self sustainability!  This is the sort of thing we are hoping for in Nzinga.  Positive cycles are starting to take place and the people of Nzinga are starting to develop a self-sustaining community!  This is a great bit of progress.

Lastly, we received some photos from a volunteer who helps us in Nzinga, of the gardens full of vegetables.  It makes me so happy to think about the huge difference that something as simple as having fresh vegetables will make in Nzinga.  Thanks to everyone who has supported Isipho and the people of Nzinga, South Africa, things are starting to change!!

One of seven community gardens in Nzinga, now full of fresh vegetables!

One of seven community gardens in Nzinga, now full of fresh vegetables!

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2010/02/05/happy-letters-from-nzinga-by-miranda/feed/ 0 University of KwaZulu-Natal African Centre for Food Security Studying Isipho Garden Programs http://isipho.org/blog/2009/10/20/university-of-kwazulu-natal-african-centre-for-food-security-studying-isipho-garden-programs/ http://isipho.org/blog/2009/10/20/university-of-kwazulu-natal-african-centre-for-food-security-studying-isipho-garden-programs/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:30:44 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/?p=98 316_1_ACFSBADGE(SHERI) This week Isipho received some really exciting news.  The University of KwaZulu-Natal African Centre for Food Security is beginning a research project tomorrow, October 20, to study Isipho’s impact on nutrition in the village of Nzinga.

Specifically, they will examine whether Isipho’s approach of providing gardening training in conjunction with fencing and other gardening supplies results in improved health. This will be measured by making a baseline health assessment of the Isipho gardening participants in Nzinga, and then tracking their nutritional levels over time and comparing the Isipho garden recipients with recipients of other (non-Isipho) gardens in South Africa that do not include the training component.

This is especially exciting for us because the African Centre for Food Security is one of the leading organizations in eradicating food deprivation and promoting sustainable livelihoods among the people and nations of sub-Saharan Africa.  This study will give us valuable data that will help quantify what we’re doing in Nzinga, and if what we’re doing is working as well as we hope, this study will provide a template for other nonprofit groups to use in other villages.

In Nzinga, their malnutrition is not caused by a lack of food. In fact, some people in Nzinga are overweight. Malnutrition in Nzinga stems from a lack of variety in the diet. Because the village didn’t have access to fresh vegetables, there was an imbalance in vitamin and mineral levels, resulting in stunted growth, chronic illnesses and birth defects. By reintroducing spinach, beets, chard, beans, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, butternut and cabbage, Isipho hopes to improve the nutritional levels in Nzinga. This study will substantiate our success.

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2009/10/20/university-of-kwazulu-natal-african-centre-for-food-security-studying-isipho-garden-programs/feed/ 0 When Your Vice President is 15 http://isipho.org/blog/2009/09/27/when-your-vice-president-is-15/ http://isipho.org/blog/2009/09/27/when-your-vice-president-is-15/#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:05:20 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/2009/09/27/when-your-vice-president-is-15/

We just had a fantastically productive weekend retreat where we hashed out all of the 2010 Isipho goals and strategies, then broke everything down into tasks to make it all happen. Look for great things from Isipho next year!

It was a busy weekend, with a lot of work on our agenda. But as you can see by this video, when your Vice President is a 15-year-old, even the most productive meetings can be made comfortable. Just show up in your pajamas and hang upside down. I think all businesses should allow that!

- Sheri

]]> http://isipho.org/blog/2009/09/27/when-your-vice-president-is-15/feed/ 0 Ngizophenduka – I will return http://isipho.org/blog/2009/08/21/ngizophenduka-i-will-return/ http://isipho.org/blog/2009/08/21/ngizophenduka-i-will-return/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:59:00 +0000 Tom http://isipho.org/blog/2009/08/21/ngizophenduka-i-will-return/ [Tom] Sorry for the lack of updates the last few days, as our time in Nzinga was extremely busy and intense.  Honestly, looking back on the last few days now, exhausted, sitting in the Joberg airport, I don’t even know what to write. So much has happened.

Eighteen people received certificates for graduating from our three day garden training provided by Cedara College, and they all have plans for creating plots that can be rotated properly in their gardens in the Creches (preschools) and schools and orphan drop-in centers they represent. They will immediately begin implementing what they learned, teaching the parents and other adults affiliated with their respective gardens. In two weeks when the folks from Cedara and the Department of Agriculture return, there will be more than 60 people in the village who have worked on gardens using knowledge they didn’t have several days ago.

Due to the unbelievable generosity of several people, over 20 people are now constructing fences for their own individual family gardens, and more will begin preparing their family gardens soon.  They will all receive training and a “garden starter kit” when they have finished building their fence (their initial sweat equity).  

There are so many emotional things that happen in Nzinga when we are there, but this time, something happened in the States that made us all really pause and understand the power of connection and the impact one generous person can have in the world… When we received the forty starter kits, we then needed roughly $1,000 to buy the fencing in order to kick off the greatly expanded individual family garden program before we left, so we made a request on our blog. The next day, we received a very generous donation from Diana Getz in memory of her recently deceased brother, who she simply described as “a generous person.” 

We received donations from others as well, and the impact is something that will last for generations. It is the pride of being able to create something themselves, the relief in being able to better take care of their children, and the legacy of once again being able to pass on to their children the knowledge of how to plow the earth for sustenance that was lost over the past decades. And we will make sure they know of the generous people who made it possible.

As we get home and are better able to download and edit photos and video we will be sharing much, much more. For now, ngiabonga – thank you – for everything.

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