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Background
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Ingwavuma is situated in the Lebombo Mountains in the north east of KwaZulu-Natal. It comprises a large magisterial district and many sub-districts with a population of approximately 300 000. It is an extremely rural area where the majority of people rely on subsistence farming. Ingwavuma's distance from centres of industry, means that unemployment is very high and many families are living in dire poverty with no means of income. For those children and families where there is no state income, hunger is a daily reality. The high incidence of HIV and AIDS in the area today means that many children have been orphaned or are living with parents and family members who are constantly ill.
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The reality of poverty and HIV in this area means that many children rely on the Government Feeding Scheme (Nutrition Programme) as their only source of food from day to day. Originally this Feeding Scheme ran from Mondays to Thursdays each week, but with the realization that this was a lifeline for many of these children, it has been extended to include Fridays as well. For these children, weekends and school holidays are times of desperation. A grandmother caring for many relatives described how she dealt with hunger at night.
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"I put the pot full of water on the fire to boil, and told the children that I would wake them up when the food was ready. They fell asleep listening to the pot boil with only water in it each night."
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In 1998 Nicky Lee, a social worker from Wales, and Hlengiwe Mthimkulu, a primary school principal, co-founded Zisize Centre. This was originally started as a centre for teachers to access books, charts and up to date resource material to improve the standard of teaching in Ingwavuma. It became, in addition, a more direct means of helping children. Zisize runs a pre-school class, after school club, lending library, and study groups for high school pupils. In addition, Zisize supports a number of families living in dire poverty by supplying food parcels on a monthly basis. School uniforms are provided for many children whose families have no means of buying these.
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A Christmas message to Dining-OUT from Nicky Lee: "Thank you in advance for the November contribution, which I have spent, along with December's!!! I took Nokukhanya to T Junction Cash and Carry and bought all the supplies for the whole Christmas holidays. We have increased the meals to include 11 siblings as well.
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This is the letter from one of the children that I promised: 'The food that I eat from school is helping me because I am getting fat. I even have energy. Since I started eating food from the school there is a difference. Before you could see that I was poor, now people can see that I am better than before. I thank the mlungus (white people) that gave us food during the holidays. I wish that God be with them. I say that, because I am beautiful now since I started eating at school. I am no more lazy. I am no more starving. I have got energy I am getting fat. The only problem that is left is shoes and clothes.' - Sifundo Mkabhela
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Once again, thank you for your help. You have not only helped these kids, but set an example to others, who I hope will follow suit and cover the food for the neediest children in other schools in 2005/2006.
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Merry Christmas & a happy, healthy, peaceful & prosperous new year"
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An excerpt from a letter to Dining-Out from the trustees of the Zisize Trust, Bridget Walters and Hlengiwe Mthimkulu: "I visited Ingwavuma last week and went to Okhayeni Primary - one of the two schools where your contribution is helping feed children during weekends and school holidays. Things are going well, and over 40 children are being fed there. The second school that your donation is helping is Mgedula Primary. Things are also going well there: 35 children from desperately poor families are being fed there too.
It is difficult to explain how much a good meal every day has improved the lives of these children. On behalf of all of these needy children, we would like to thank you so much for this invaluable contribution. We are planning to expand this scheme to include very needy children in another school in the near future."
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In 2001, the Zisize - the Heaton Lee Memorial Trust was registered as a charity in the UK in order for donations there to support initiatives in Ingwavuma. One of the many initiatives supported by Zisize, is the Mpontshini Primary School Feeding Programme.
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