The scourge of AIDS continues to take its toll in Swaziland; we received news of two teachers, both under 30 years old, having recently passed away and another young teacher at Peak Central who is seriously ill. In the coming weeks I will be talking about a new initiative that is underway in Piggs Peak to alleviate the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in Hampton’s partner community. None of this would be possible without the generous donations of the people in Hampton. I would like to personally thank our Starfish sponsors who are helping make it possible for 87 students to receive the benefit of a high school education at Peak Central and Fundukuwela high schools. Some of you have been sponsors for many years and renewing this year when our Starfish coordinator, Chris Rendell, contacts you is hugely appreciated. One of the greatest challenges of our Starfish program is communication between student and sponsor. Since most students have no access to mail delivery, communicating by letters is very difficult. Electronic messaging is similarly problematic due to limitations in both land lines and wireless coverage; however, we are working on some more creative techniques that we hope will provide a solution. We appreciate your patience with us on this. The average cost of school fees at our two partner high schools works out to about $500 per student per year, depending on the currency exchange rate. This cost, combined with the other assistance projects with which we are involved, will result in expenditures of over $50,000 this year. Although starfish sponsorships are an important contributor to our financial requirements, we depend on the support of other fundraising as well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following recent contributors to the Partnership: Hampton High School fundraising drive ($725); HHS Green Team ($500); HHS Baccalaureate Service ($180); Hampton Middle School Dance-a-thon ($1,350); Investor’s Group ($750); and Girl Guides of Canada ($300). I know many people were involved in raising these funds and we are appreciative of each of their involvement. Special thanks to Laura Myers, Glenn Hall, and Janice Dalton who are always instrumental in these efforts. One of the easiest (and most fun!) ways to make a regular contribution to the Hampton-Piggs Peak Partnership is to play the Hampton 50-50 at Hampton Pharmasave. Half of the funds go to the winner and the other half is split equally between the Partnership and other worthwhile community projects. So far, donations have been made to the food programs at all the Hampton schools as well as the HPP Partnership.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 13:34:43 +0000