Downe House
- web site: www.downehouse.co.uk
- telephone: +44 (0)1635 200286
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At half term, eleven girls from Tedworth, Mr Rainey, and Mrs Nurser travelled to South Africa for a service project with Tedworth's link charity, Tiger Kloof school. The aim of the trip was to help in the rebuilding of Tiger Kloof and to support them in their community service projects. The school has a proud tradition of education, being founded in 1904 by the Moffat Mission and the London Missionary Society. It was closed in 1953 under the Bantu Education Act which forbade the teaching of English to Black and Coloured children in South Africa, and was reopened in 1995 after the downfall of Apartheid.
Our introduction to South Africa began before we had even cleared passport control. As we waited in a long and slow moving line of people, we became aware of an unattended bag in the arrivals hall. Several people, all of them English, drew it to the attention of officials, but nothing appeared to happen. Eventually, about fifteen minutes later, a young man returned, picked up his bag and ran off to try to catch a connecting flight.
We realised, if we needed any proof that we were on a different continent, and operating on ‘African time'.
We were picked up at the airport and taken straight to Soweto, the largest of the black townships in South Africa, and home to around three million people. We were shown some of the houses in what the guide called the ‘Beverley Hills' area of town, as well as the government housing and some informal settlements. We walked along the street on which Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu both used to live. It is, our guide told us with some pride, the only street in the world to have produced two Nobel Peace Prizewinners.
One of our days was spent helping at a soup Kitchen in Vryburg, the town about 15 minutes away from the school, and there we met Maggie, whose son had started the soup kitchen and ran it with her. Maggie was an inspirational woman: the children in the shanty town community simply called her ‘Auntie Mags'. Some of the group spent the morning helping to make the soup by preparing vegetables. When the soup kitchen first started, all the food was paid for by Maggie and her son; after about eight months they managed to persuade local businesses that they were serious about what they were doing and now much of the food is donated by local shops. Other vegetables are given by Tiger Kloof school, which has its own vegetable garden.
While we were cutting up the vegetables for the soup for that day, Maggie told us a story of how children had come to see her that morning begging for food because they were so hungry. She had given them some bread and they were so happy: it was like a feast to them, she said with tears in her eyes.
In the middle of our washing, chopping and grating, Maggie's other son arrived, and she just casually dropped into the conversation the fact that he was getting married at the weekend, so Maggie was sorting out all the arrangements for that as well!
As the children walked home from school just before lunch, passing her house, Maggie would shout at them, reminding them to come back for some soup. They all seemed so enthusiastic, like it was highlight of their day, or even their week.
When it came time to serve the soup, we could see just how much it meant to the children to get a decent meal.
Maggie was passionate and determined to see the children properly fed, and her incredible generosity and welcome to everyone was truly inspirational.
At Tiger Kloof we were looked after by a former student called Stix. He cooked us a BBQ and did some really cool dancing. He helped us when we painted our mural on the Primary School door, gave us a tour around Vryburg, and set up some South African movies called Sarafina! and Tstosi for us to watch. When we visited the Abandoned Baby Centre he played football with the children and made them so happy. He was so willing to help and be like a big brother to them.
Next year he plans to go to University and intends one day to work as a diplomat, representing his country at the United Nations or in some other international forum. He was definitely one of the highlights of our trip; he was so generous and made us laugh a lot!
The Thusenang disabled centre was a big wake-up call for us, and reminded us how lucky we are and how much we often take for granted. But it was a great chance to spend some time with people with problems that most of us will never have to face, and we will remember the experience for a long time.
The centre was small, with three classrooms, a little office and a gym. The Centre receives no funding for the South African government, but relies on donations.
We got a chance to teach the children English rhymes which consisted of ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes', The Hokey Cokey and, of course, the Tedworth chant! They taught us some of their rhymes and we spent some time playing games.
We helped feed the most disabled children that couldn't do it by themselves. One of the most difficult things was to see the kind of food they had to eat which had an awful smell and made us realise just how lucky we are to have the food we do.
The staff were amazing, doing a difficult job with virtually no money, but with incredible smiles and enthusiasm.
Perhaps the memories that will stay with us the longest are of the children at the ABC – the Abandoned Baby Centre. On our first visit we tumbled out of the mini bus excited and eager to meet the children, but not really sure what to expect. We were shown into a room full of young children, babies and toddlers. The children just sat in the corner of the room, flies buzzing round their faces, staring into space, presumably not sure what to make of us as we were among the few white people that they had ever met. We took the children outside and began to play with them, and the change in their mood was visible: smiles began to make their way across the children's faces as well as our own.
A few days later we returned to the ABC and were rewarded when some of the children recognised us and came over to give us a hugs. We gave them sweets which unfortunately backfired on us as we ended up with hyperactive children climbing, running and screaming everywhere.
While some of us attempted to control a small group of the children by playing games with them, the vast majority were much more excited by our cameras and sunglasses. Snatching sunglasses from faces, heads and pockets, the children shoved themselves in front of as many cameras as possible, with beaming smiles. Their ambitions quickly rose, and soon they wanted to become the photographers rather than the subjects. This explains many of the strange – yet wonderful – off-centre pictures.
One of the things we found hardest was that there were two girls aged 14 and 16 who were still at the ABC. The babies, toddlers and younger children were easy to play with and with a few hugs they were beaming with happiness. It was harder with the older girls: they were both very shy, yet all they wanted was to hold your hand and sit by you.
It was difficult to leave the ABC, and many of us would have brought one of the children back home with us if we had been allowed. We heard some heartbreaking stories of children who had been unwanted, or beaten, or orphaned as a result of AIDS. We left knowing that we had given the children an afternoon of fun and happiness, but it was hard not to wonder what the next day, or the day after that, would bring for them.
South Africa is an amazing country. It has transformed itself in so many ways in a little over a decade, but there is still so much to do. Apartheid may officially have been abandoned, but old prejudices remain. There are levels of poverty and violence that we simply don't face in this country. And of course there is the curse of HIV/AIDS.
South Africa has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS of any country. The latest figures indicate that five million people have the disease, and some estimate that as many as 30% of the population may be infected.
It would be easy to think that there is nothing we can do to help but, as we hope we have shown you this morning, we can join people like Maggie, Stix, and the staff at Tusenang and the ABC and help to change things one small step at a time.
Despite the many difficulties, one abiding memory of the people we met will be of their faith in God, their hope for the future, and their sheer joy at being alive.
Dan Cruikshank - 'Adventures in Architecture'
Dan is a leading expert on architecture and historic buildings and a regular presenter on the BBC. He is best known for his popular series Britain's Best Buildings and Around The World in 80 Treasures; and for his appearances in Under Fire and What The Industrial Revolution Did For Us. Dan's latest series, Adventures in Architecture has recently screened on BBC 2.
Pupils from Downe House have walked the 300km (200 miles) from Downe House to Salcombe in Devon to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Research UK's vital research. The girls arrived wet and tired, but triumphant, after a gruelling 16 day march which took them acorss fields, rivers and along the coastal path.
The competition is open to all students in Year 12 and essay titles are set by Corpus Christi. Poppy will be attending the Prize Giving on 3 July.
Annie entered her design for her AS Level Product Design Resistant Materials coursework and has been selected as one of the 20 finalists. She will take her project and portfolio to the Finals, which will be held at Dulwich College in London on 20 June 2008.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Performances at 11am and 6pm at 'The Dell', the outdoor performance space in the RSC Centenary Gardens, bordered by the river and Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Bring a picnic, all welcome!
2nd - 4th May in the Performing Arts Centre
‘Times' writer Mary Ann Sieghart gives Summer Term Medley Lecture
Newbury's MP, Richard Benyon, visited Downe House on 25th April speak to thePolitics Society about his work in the House of Commons and the constituency.
Congratulations to Emma Powell (U5) who was selected for NYT's highly acclaimed acting course.
On Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March, Downe House hosted a charity fashion show. The events were organised by Rosie Fortescue, Georgiana Haig and Celia Thursfield, in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, raising a total of just over £5,500.
Gillian Clarke, renowned poet, who has written poetry and prose for children and adults, visited Downe House on Sunday, 16 March. Her poetry reading began with her first publsihed poem 'The Sundial' and the audience were immediately impressed by her passionate and erudite ideas......
Diane Louise Jordan, businesswoman and one of the most popular presenters of BBC One's Songs of Praise, gave a talk and answered questions about how her faith influences the way she conducts her own business life and on matters relating to business ethics and corporate social responsibility more generally.
If you missed House Drama, or would like to see your daughter's performance again, a professional Double DVD recording by Kingsbridge AV Limited of all five productions will be available to order at a cost of £22.50 each.
Click here to find out how to order
This Trust was established in November 2006 as part of the agreed resolution of the OFT's recent investigation.
The objects of the Trust are to:
There are three criteria for eligibility:
For further details go to <Joining Downe> and click on <Scholarships>