Desperate Times call for desperate measures!

Dear friends

You are now reading a letter that I had hoped I would never have to write.

The reality is that Sikhula Sonke is in financial trouble and we urgently need your help. Since we first opened our hearts to the women and children in Khayelitsha in 2001, we have always lived from hand to mouth. Thanks to the generosity of our faithful supporters and by the grace of God we have deposited and invested R3,2 million in our training and support programs since inception. But in this tough economic climate, it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise sufficient and timeous funds. At the same time the demand for our programs increases as the impact of our training and support is felt across the pre-schools of Khayelitsha.

New doors are opening for us to begin reaching out to the 80% of children and parents outside of Early Childhood Development Services, and new partnerships are being formed with other NGO’s working in our area.

Please be assured that we are always proactive about finding new donors and supporters. We have been instrumental in drawing up a Khayelitsha District ECD Plan and in the formation of the Khayelitsha ECD Stakeholders Forum, and we have requested financial support from Government for the execution of this plan (we are still waiting for a decision) which we are 100% committed to. We have submitted proposals to the National Lottery for the last 4 years and along with the South African Education Trust have taken them to court for rejecting our application and appeal for spurious reasons (the Court date is set for the 18th of May 2010).

We continue to do whatever is within our power, and we have faith that in the medium to long-term, our financial situation will be much healthier. It is in the short-term that we need urgent help.

Currently we employ 8 staff members at a total salary bill of approximately R60, 000 per month. Please will you consider making a once-off donation or becoming a monthly donor? We are a Public Benefit Organisation and can provide you with a tax certificate.

And once again a very big thank you to all those who have given and continue to give.

Yours in community service,

Wendy Wiemers