Advent Hope School

This amazing school has grown rapidly over the past five years, since being founded with just 10 children learning under a tree by an inspirational lady called Thandi Masuku. She is a wonderful woman with supreme energy, kindness and has an unsurpassed vision of how her school should be run. Today, as Head Teacher, she educates over 500 children ranging from 5 years to 13 years of age. Most live within the small town of Hluhluwe. Many are orphans from broken homes or were abused and have been taken into care. HIV is prevalent in the area and a significant number of the children have this dreadful disease.

Our involvement started back in 2007 when we helped fund the building a new toilet block. More recently we have helped fund the new building extension for two classrooms as well as providing much needed help with the supply of new desks and chairs, books and other educational material. We have repaired their two ancient school buses that ferry children to and from home – some coming from as far afield as 30km away.

The Advent is not a Government run school but relies solely on donations from the local community and from parents who can afford to pay a small fee. The bulk of the monthly costs come from donors such as the Point Foundation.

Thandi visited us in the UK to learn more about education here and ended up making great friends with our two local schools: Southdown Nursery and St Andrews Primary School both based in Steyning. Both schools and our community have very kindly donated much needed funds as well as 700 school books and other educational materials. Two local volunteer teachers have recently spent a month with Thandi teaching drama and art, having seen our work in Africa.

Advent Hope Creche & School update

During our visit in 2009, we were shown one very hot and stuffy room, at the back of Thandi’s house where 25 orphans lived in an area measuring 20 feet by 8 feet. Boys and girls shared 15 beds, which was not only unhealthy, but against the local communities wishes of girls and boys sharing the same room. The one toilet at the back of the house was a hole in the ground and washing consisted of an old washing up bowl that was filled with water and tipped over the child’s head.

With a further 25 orphans due to be taken in, the facilities were totally unacceptable and thus we took the decision to build a separate house in the same grounds by the school to house 50 children. The new building was completed in July 2010. It has enabled us, to firstly, segregate the boys and girls and to install a small kitchen and separate toilets, and showers with running water. Waste is taken away to compostable septic tanks. The building is bright and airy and each child now has their own bed.  With the improved washing facilities and toilets has significantly improved the children’s well being and with their new house has made them very proud of the new surroundings.