Another great year!
READ to RISE did amazing, we gave out over 20,000 new books to children in need and we now have a staff of 4 full-time and 3 part-time staff. We started operations in JHB this year. READ to RISE has also been nominated for the 2016 Civicus Mandela Machel Innovation Awards.
We published our second children's book OAKY THE HAPPY TREE and launched it on 9 September 2015 at the Westridge Library in Mitchells Plain.
We attended the Deputy President's Pre-SONA Youth Engagement at Harare Library in Khayelitsha on 18 February. The photo in the Business Day was with Cyril reading OAKY AND THE SUN to the children :) which was also used for National Book Day.
Athol got accepted into Oxford University for a MPhil in Political Theory - a dream of his to study at Oxford. We spent 3 months in Oxford from October 2015.
Athol won his first poetry prize - the 2015 Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award. Athol was interviewed on SABC. Athol published his second book of poetry Bumper Cars which features his award winning poem "Streetclass Diseases"..
I was named by Cape Town Magazine as one of Cape Town's Fearless Females in 2015. READ to RISE was on Expresso SABC which featured me.
So a busy but great year. I look forward to 2016! We hope to publish our next children's book and Athol his biography. READ to RISE will continue to do amazing things. I hope to develop my photography skills and take some great photos.
Happy new year all!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Monday, December 28, 2015
Christmas in Oxford
This year we spent a quiet Christmas in Oxford, just Athol and I. The weather has been cold - grey with rain most days. The "sun" rises about 8am and sets at 4pm so the days seen so short!
We decided to go to into town today, had a fun day pottering around. Although there were tourists, it was relatively quiet. Most students and admin staff go home for the holidays. It also gave me a chance to try out my new hobby... photography :) with Athol as my model!
Most places were closed - the covered market, Bodleian Library, Museum of History of Science so we spent some time at the MCR at Hertford College. We had lunch at one of our favourite spots All Bar One, even did a crossword (we do at least one crossword a day!).
We also saw the notorious Rhodes Statue outside Oriel College in High Street. #RhodesMustFall
There's been so much controversy over this statue.
We decided to go to into town today, had a fun day pottering around. Although there were tourists, it was relatively quiet. Most students and admin staff go home for the holidays. It also gave me a chance to try out my new hobby... photography :) with Athol as my model!
Athol by The Bridge Of Sigh by his college - Hertford College
We also saw the notorious Rhodes Statue outside Oriel College in High Street. #RhodesMustFall
There's been so much controversy over this statue.
Christmas lights in Oxford
A fun day out!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Day of Reconciliation
Today in South Africa, thousands of people protested that our president #Zumamustfall
It's been a terrible week for South Africans and our poor rand, which dropped about 10% in the two days to R24,30 after our Finance Minister Nene was removed and replaced by unknown van Rooyen. Four days later, Zuma appointed one of our previous Finance Ministers Pravin Gordhan to replace van Rooyen.
Although the rand has recovered a little, South Africa has a mammoth task ahead. Finch has already downgraded South Africa's credit rating and today Moody has downgraded us from stable to negative. It's only a matter of time, when all our ratings will be made junk. Then the country is in deep trouble and we can say goodbye to our dear rand.
We are in the UK at the worst possible time with our weak rand. Rent is about 1000GBP a month so R24k! Zuma's bad decisions have just us a lot, and I mean lot more money, for us to be here in the UK and for Athol to study. If the rand deteriorates a lot more, we might have to re-consider staying here.
It is so sad watching our beloved South Africa go from bad to worst, and the government isn't doing anything to fix things. The corruption, crime and unhappiness of citizens continues. I was saddened to hear that an 85 year old Chinese lady was raped in Malvern on 7 December and her 62 year old son shot in the head, all this for R1500 cash and some other items. What kind of a world has this become. Today there was a march in JHB to appeal to the police to catch the culprits - so sad that we have to march and beg our police for safety and justice.
South Africa is such a great country, great weather, property and things are cheap, great food but the government and crime is really making things unpleasant. I pray for South Africa, I pray for justice, peace, no more corruption, no more crime.
While here in the UK it is cold and rainy and dark most days, but there is a darkness looming in South Africa.
It's been a terrible week for South Africans and our poor rand, which dropped about 10% in the two days to R24,30 after our Finance Minister Nene was removed and replaced by unknown van Rooyen. Four days later, Zuma appointed one of our previous Finance Ministers Pravin Gordhan to replace van Rooyen.
Although the rand has recovered a little, South Africa has a mammoth task ahead. Finch has already downgraded South Africa's credit rating and today Moody has downgraded us from stable to negative. It's only a matter of time, when all our ratings will be made junk. Then the country is in deep trouble and we can say goodbye to our dear rand.
We are in the UK at the worst possible time with our weak rand. Rent is about 1000GBP a month so R24k! Zuma's bad decisions have just us a lot, and I mean lot more money, for us to be here in the UK and for Athol to study. If the rand deteriorates a lot more, we might have to re-consider staying here.
It is so sad watching our beloved South Africa go from bad to worst, and the government isn't doing anything to fix things. The corruption, crime and unhappiness of citizens continues. I was saddened to hear that an 85 year old Chinese lady was raped in Malvern on 7 December and her 62 year old son shot in the head, all this for R1500 cash and some other items. What kind of a world has this become. Today there was a march in JHB to appeal to the police to catch the culprits - so sad that we have to march and beg our police for safety and justice.
South Africa is such a great country, great weather, property and things are cheap, great food but the government and crime is really making things unpleasant. I pray for South Africa, I pray for justice, peace, no more corruption, no more crime.
While here in the UK it is cold and rainy and dark most days, but there is a darkness looming in South Africa.
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