Tracy Elliott – letter to the editor
We are so grateful to Bolander for publishing me previous letter, and in doing so, getting some media exposure… and I’d love to share some more good news (“NPO sets sights on building an ECD centre”, June 8).
Three courageous girls from Somerset House decided that they wanted to make a difference.
Rebecca Angus, Jessica Beck and Sienna Vonbun heard about our “Brick in the Wall” Challenge, and thought of a way to share the vision with their neighbourhood.
In doing so, they displayed one of their school’s values of Non-Nobis Solum, not for ourselves alone.
On Saturday July 30, they baked delicious biscuits, made posters, took our project proposal and made a list of people who donated to our cause.
We are grateful to these three young Grade 5 girls who advocated for our cause and stepped out, collecting a total of R4 340.
Well done, Jessica, Rebecca and Sienna. We are incredibly proud of you. For other interested parties, please visit www.4the1.org or contact us on 082 556 2422 for more information.
PREVIOUS LETTER: JUNE 8, 2022 BOLANDER PAGE 2
TRACY ELLIOT, HELDERBERG
The For the One (4THE1) NPO was launched in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village in February 2021.
After driving through the village regularly, we saw the need to engage with Sir Lowry’s Pass Village children.
We desire to use education as a vehicle to reach the community by faith and prayer.
After multiple meetings with community members, we decided to start in the park.
On April 9 2019, we got to the park, and there wasn’t a single person.
As the children came from School, we encouraged them to call their friends and join us. One by one, we welcomed the children. This was the start.
We then moved to the yard of the Christian Assemblies Church. Here we continued to grow and started building relationships of trust with the community.
We achieved this by visiting the children in their homes and meeting their parents and caregivers.
In the three years that 4THE1 has been operating, our focus has been on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, education, sport, relief efforts, biblical and trauma counselling, family support, skills development, and a fundraiser for a young girl with a disability, building efforts and community collaboration.
Throughout these experiences, we have found an even greater need than initially expected and our vision has grown and adapted accordingly.
Our core vision of: “Seeing sustainable change and transformation within the Sir Lowry’s Pass Village community by building on the existing resources to instil hope for a better future” has remained.
However, through research and ongoing interaction with the key community members, we have found that there is a desperate need for a safe place to achieve this vision.
We gather on Tuesday and Friday afternoons under the tree at the Christian Assemblies Church.
Creating a safe place for the children is of utmost importance to us. Sadly, there are few safe places in the village.
The children are faced daily with the realities of gang violence, alcohol and drug addiction, and neglect, and many are yearning to have a space to belong, a place to be loved and cared for.
From the start, we’ve wanted to create a dynamic Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre for the children in “Pine Town” and “Uitkyk”.
The motivation behind this is that children either don’t go to an ECD Centre due to a lack of resources, or they need to cross a busy road alone or with a sibling, which is a significant safety concern for us.
On Wednesday April 13, we engaged with community leaders and members to share our vision and purpose.
Then, on Wednesday May 4 we had a community meeting with over 60 people, sharing our plans and gaining insight into the needs, concerns and questions that community members have.
We look forward to continuing the conversation through meaningful interactions and engagement.
We have identified a perfect location to build an ECD and Multipurpose Centre for the community.
Do you want to join us in making a lasting difference in the people’s lives in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village?
If so, please consider buying a “brick” for R2 000.
You are investing in a grassroots project that will significantly impact many lives for years to come.
We started with humble beginnings and have gained much momentum.
We need to raise R800 000 by Friday September 30, to purchase the land.
Then we will begin developing the land, and in doing this, we will achieve our objectives of serving the community for generations to come.
We encourage young and old to think creatively about how they can fundraise to buy a brick or make a donation. Let’s get our schools, communities, clubs and churches on board in making an impact in the lives of others.
Let us know what you are doing to raise funds in aid of helping us to purchase the land.
We have a GivenGain fundraising page, and our banking details are on our website.
For more information, visit www.4the1.org or email us at info@4the1.org, or call 082 556 2422.
