The Hope Challenge

I just became a Hope Ambassador...Join the Hope Challenge today and improve the lives of others while improving your own life. To find out more, go to   http://splash.thehopechallenge.com/laurenjean/

NELSON MANDELA“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

How Our Sponsors Benefit

Hunger & Thirst is registered as a: 

• Section 21 Company with the Registrar of Companies (CIPRO)
• Non Profit Organization (NPO) with the Department of Social Development
• Public Benefit Organization (PBO) with SARS

Tax Advantages: 
In terms of Sec 18A of the Income Tax Act, we are authorized to issue donation receipts, making your donations tax deductible.
BEE Advantages:

Entities also get up to 25 points (out of 100 points) on their BEE scorecard, as more than 80% of our foundation’s beneficiaries are previously disadvantaged individuals.
Self-fulfillment & the Joy of Contribution:

Apart from these practical benefits, the deeper benefit of becoming involved in our mission is the chance to reach out and enrich the life of a child in need.  The extent of positive repercussions stemming from this one action cannot be known or calculated.  Who knows who this child will become one day?  A future leader in our land?  A teacher themselves?  Who knows who he or she in turn will reach out to and assist?  You can be responsible for massive, positive change within a person, a community, a country.

Anthony Robbins

Eleanor Roosevelt

"Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.”  Anthony Robbins

“When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

Leave a Legacy

Corporate Sponsors: Please use some of your CSI budget to sponsor as many children as possible for at least 12 months with a view to extending to 36 months once you assure yourselves of the viability of our program.  

You can also offer the opportunity to your employees to personally adopt a child as their part in our community development program.

     

“There are certain things that are fundamental to human fulfillment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase 'to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy'. The need to live is our physical need for such things as food, clothing, shelter, economical well-being, health. The need to love is our social need to relate to other people, to belong, to love and to be loved. The need to learn is our mental need to develop and to grow. And the need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence, and contribution.” Stephen Covey

What we require of our sponsors

As Hunger & Thirst is now well established and we understand how best to run our project with a 100% success rate, we are now able to expand country wide. We are looking for partners who can:

• sponsor any number of children at R247.50 per child per month, for a minimum period of 12 months (R 2970 per child per year)

Once we are assured of a 12 – 36 month commitment for a minimum of 1 000 beneficiaries, we can then put the program in place in your community. 

We will identify the children, create 109 jobs, set up the training schedule and implement our support centres.

"You are not here merely to make a living.  You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement."  
Woodrow T. Wilson

Are you inspired to get involved?

2 Million Steps has a huge mission. Feeding 14 million children and creating 2 million jobs. This is no mean feat – and to achieve our aim – we want to empower people to join their efforts with ours towards this worthy cause. 

We are offering you an opportunity to become a 2 Million Steps agent, earn a monthly income and help us to spread our project into all 9 Provinces. For more information please contact me.  

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.  I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.  When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town.  I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.  Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family.  My family and I could have made an impact on our town.  Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.  ~Author Unknown

2 Million Steps

With the success of our project and future expansion plans, along with our association with Pro Africa and Nourish the Children, we found ourselves requiring a more professional approach to securing funds. From this need came the birth of our marketing arm 2 MILLION STEPS whose mission is a simple one :– 

IT IS MY JOB TO CREATE YOUR JOB! 

Ø  To Feed 14 Million children.     

Ø  To Mentor our children to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Ø  To Employ 2 million unemployed unskilled South Africans.

Ø  To Uplift Communities and build a sustainable economy.

Ø  To make South Africa safer and more prosperous.

Ø  Together we can leave a LEGACY for your children and mine!

"I am only one, but I am one.  
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  
And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."  ~Edward Everett Hale

Creating 2 million job opportunities

How our leadership schools are staffed:

For every 1000 young leaders in our program, we provide 11 mentors, 67 previous year matriculants (coaches), 29 food team members and 2 overseers with employment, a total of 109 jobs. A further 30 jobs are created with our added association with Pro Africa and Nourish the Children who provide our feeding component.

Our vision to feed 14 million impoverished children in South Africa will require the establishment of planting factories providing huge opportunities for business ownership and employment. 

Each factory employs 40 - 50 people and will be run on a franchise system. This initiative will create in excess of 2 million job opportunities. The first step to achieving this goal took place in February 2010 when the first four prospective business owners started their apprenticeship with Pro Africa.

“Every child I know who overcame long odds and grew into a responsible adult can point to an adult who stepped into his or her life as a friend, a mentor, and a guide.” - S. Truett Cathy, Founder of  Chic-fil-A

Our vision - feeding 14 million children

Hunger & Thirst purchase their feeding packs from Pro Africa. These packs offer our children a porridge for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch and a dried soya meal which is added to a families evening vegetable stew to provide a substantial and highly nutritious meal.
Our vision is to feed 14 million impoverished children in South Africa.

"As a people, we value family, education and success. Hunger is an enemy to all three. Scientific studies have demonstrated that even brief periods of hunger can permanently inhibit a child's mental, emotional and physical growth. Kids who are hungry do poorly in school and are unlikely to grow into productive adults. For families, experiencing hunger means living in a world of isolation and shame. Caring citizens must put an end to this disgrace." - Ted Danson

Benefits of the Leadership Centres

1.      Job creation.

2.      Improved passing rates for schools.

3.      More time with the children means improved life skills transfer.

4.      More children are fed healthier meals.

5.      Children receive wider exposure to life’s opportunities.

6.      They offer a safe environment for children to blossom.

7.      They encourage our children to strive for a better future.

The H&T after-school centers are true prevention centers. Many of the children in poorer communities have nobody to help them with their homework; often their own parents are not schooled. Something as basic as this helps build a child’s morale, results in better opportunities and makes it possible for that child to later qualify for a higher education.

“Therefore my challenge to each of you ... is that you ask yourself what you can do to make a difference. And then take that action, no matter how large or how small. For our children have a right to peace.”  - Graça Machel-Mandela

What do the children do in our After Care Programme?

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him." - Pablo Casals

Activities include the following on a rotation basis:

1. Lunch: a proper balanced meal just after school improving performance and health.
2. Homework: The children are assisted by their coaches in doing their homework.
3. Sport: facilitated by the sports coaches.
4. H&T life skills lesson: includes discussion/ mentoring on real-life issues the children face such as HIV/AIDS, violence, crime, peer pressure etc.
5. Games: The practical application of the life skills lessons are made fun and interesting through games and role-plays. Leadership principles are also coached.
6. Other activities include visits from doctors, dentists, psychologists, policemen, optometrists, accountants, community workers etc. who volunteer their time. These people not only visit to teach the children on what their profession involves, but also to inspire the children to dream bigger dreams. These professionals can also basic checkups, identify possible problems and where possible administer treatment.

"You must work - we must all work to make the world worthy of its children." - Pablo Casals

Results of our mentorship model

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank
In 2009 our mentorship model had phenomenal success. Testimonials from Principles, teachers and parents confirm that H&T children are indeed becoming the leaders we anticipated. 

Through our ‘adopt a child’ program our mentors spent 20 minutes a week with groups of 10 children, imparting life skills, leadership principles and feeding packs with 3 nutritious meals per day, with stunning results - achieving a 99% pass rate at the different schools. 

Due to this tremendous success, 2010 saw the birth of a far superior model, the Hunger &Thirst SUPPORT CENTRES which operate at the schools from 2pm to 5pm each afternoon. These centres allow us to spend far more quality time with our children. The total time is divided into 30 minute sessions consisting of various activities.  

The Hunger and Thirst Mentorship Model...continued...

Training our Team - The School Principals and community leaders help us identify proper mentors (role models) from within the community where the children live or go to school. Nominated people undergo an assessment process, mentors are selected, and then given in-depth training for 3 months in the 12 Keys (life skills and leadership principles they will use to coach the children.
Involving the Community - Unemployment is a major challenge in South Africa and our mentorship programme offers a unique solution, creating much needed jobs for previous year's matriculants. These matriculants are trained as life skills coaches and also have the opportunity to be trained as Soccer coaches by qualified "TREC Ambassador in Sport" personnel and gain a recognised qualification as a soccer coach. This all helps them to build up their CV's. We encourage our mentors to use this experience as a stepping stone to further career growth. We also help our coaches to obtain bursaries for higher education.
Our top performing  mentors are promoted to overseers of mentors. We financially remunerate the overseers, mentors, coaches and our food team members, alleviating poverty and unemployment. 
"Education is the way to move mountains, to build bridges, to change the world.Education is the path to the future. I believe that education is indeed freedom." Oprah Winfrey

How Hunger & Thirst began...

Hunger and Thirst Foundation (H & T) was established in May 2006 in Kimberley.  Neil Pretoriusused his many years of involvement with soup kitchens and his business acumen to put a project in place that could offer longevity and sustainability. In the Northern Cape:

• unemployment averages 30%
• malnutrition, neglect and disease are rampant
• school feeding schemes offer at best 3 meals a week of food lacking vital nutrients for healthy growth, and 
• parental supervision is minimal, leaving children susceptible to negative influences. 

Our After Care Centre and Mentorship Model: 

Identifying our Beneficiaries -  Through consultation with community leaders H&T selected Primary Schools most affected by poverty. The School Principals and Teachers then assisted us to determine children in need.
Finding Partners - The next step was to find partners to "adopt" these children. Our current partners are individuals and businesses. Each donation covers the full needs of one child per month including 3 nutritious meals per day.  

"We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark." - Whoopi Goldberg

We are not alone

"...Something captured my heart like never before. In my travels to undeveloped countries, I witnessed children and their families barely surviving and living without hope of a better future. I also saw a few communities where the children actually had a school to go to, but they were nothing more than shacks made of sticks, dung and dirt floors. These children literally ran to these huts in pure delight for the opportunity to learn and have hope for a better future. The fact that 120 million children, 30% of whom live in Africa, will never step foot into a classroom was something that haunted me.

Feeling called to do something to support these children and their communities, I started to do research and found that there is no magic bullet to eliminate poverty. But if there was something close to magic, it would be universal primary education. Education has a larger impact than any other form of help or aid we can give. Studies show that for every year of education a child receives, HIV rates go down, early pregnancy rates decrease and earning potential increases. Just by learning to read and write 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty."

Cynthia Kersey, Unstoppable Foundation  - For the full story, go to: http://blog.mydailyinsights.com/2010/12/daily-motivational-quote-for-12102010/

Feeding a Child at School Works Miracles

"I can’t think of any issue that is more important than working to see that no schoolchild in this world goes hungry.Feeding a child at school is such a simple thing – but it works miracles." - Drew Barrymore (as quoted on http://www.betterworld.net/)

Hunger & Thirst purchase their feeding packs from Pro Africa. These packs offer our children a porridge for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch and a dried soya meal which is added to a families evening vegetable stew to provide a substantial and highly nutritious meal.

"School feeding not only fills stomachs, but has a proven track record of boosting enrollment, attendance and academic performance." - Drew Barrymore 
  

What do we feed the children?

The younger children on the programme receive Vita Meal. Pro Africa is proud to be the South African suppliers of Vitameal, which we manufacture under license for Nourish the Children, a division of the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation established in 1996 to create a better world by improving human life and protecting indigenous cultures.

Nourish the Children: (NTC)                

Since its launch in 2002, Nourish the Children (NTC) has provided more than 200 MILLION meals to malnourished children around the world. Malnourished children are missing key nutrients in their diets which can hinder brain, bone and immune system development. Most Humanitarian food aid is grain, such as corn, which may lack certain essential nutrients for healthy development. Vitameal is specially formulated by experts in third world nutrition to provide:

1.      A balance of carbohydrates, protein fat and fibre.

2.      Essential fatty acids required for normal brain development and immune defense.

3.      Electrolytes necessary for maintaining normal fluid balance and muscle function.

4.      25 essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A for normal sight and immune functions, as well as nutrients for normal growth and skeletal development.

Vitameal packs are donated every month to Hunger and Thirst by local NTC distributors. For more information go to: www.nourishthechildren.com

"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much." Marian Wright Edelman 

How we will reach out to 14 million children

14 Million children is a BIG number, and though I'm appealing to you all as individuals to sponsor a child or two, I know it is essential to involve Corporates to achieve our greater vision.  

Corporates use their CSI budget to sponsor any number from 1 to 1000 children for 12 to 36 months. Companies can also offer the opportunity to their employees to adopt a child on a personal basis as their part in our community development program.

Hunger and Thirst is registered as a Section 21 Company with the Registrar of Companies (CIPRO), as a Non Profit Organization (NPO) with the Department of Social Development and with SARS as a Public Benefit Organization (PBO). In terms of Sec 18A of the Income Tax Act, we are authorized to issue donation receipts, making your donations tax deductible.

"It's easy to make a buck.  It's a lot tougher to make a difference."  ~Tom Brokaw

2011 is going to be grrreat!

2011 is going to be a brilliant year - I can feel it in my bones... after a few very tough financial years, midway through 2010 my ship came in, and my life started turning around.
As I enter 2011, I am grateful for the many, many blessings I received in 2010...

• I am grateful for the people who believed in me at a time when I was struggling to find that belief in myself.
• For family and friends who gave me financial support, trusting I would someday be in a position to repay their kindness and generosity. 
• For the brilliant free "Successful Author Secrets" course I completed, learning tons of helpful stuff (including how important it is to have my own blog).  
• For being offered a fantastic job in a whole new industry and finally becoming a healthy contributor to the economy again. 
• For my gorgeous new studio apartment with communal pool and gym, and Mom's help in creating my lovely garden complete with veggie patch and water feature. 
• And finally... am deeply grateful for discovering a way to live my calling, to do what makes my heart sing - becoming a Hope Creator for Hunger and Thirst.

Hunger and Thirst runs a very special holistic after care mentorship program.  We feed 6 – 14 year olds at schools in rural areas where poverty and malnutrition is rife, and equip them with leadership skills. The children become community role models and future leaders. In 2009 our children received a 99% pass rate in all the schools, in 2010 we improved this rate to almost 100% . 
I am looking for individual sponsors as well as Corporates who wish to invest their CSI funding in a worthy cause.  At present we operate in the Kimberley/Barkly West area and are planning on developing the project locally in the Western Cape. To be financially viable we require a commitment for sponsorship of 1 000 children for 3 years. 
Through our 2 Million Steps initiative we offer South Africans the opportunity to help create 2 million jobs by feeding and mentoring 14 million children.  You too can become a Hope Creator and "adopt" a child for as little as R 8.25 a day (R 247.50 a month).
I'll post more information tomorrow but if you can't wait that long - check out these websites or send me an email.
www.hungerandthirst.net
www.2millionsteps.ning.com
www.nourishthechildren.com
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." Mother Theresa