SAA Vacations Adopted Henna Pre-School in South Africa!

"Be the change you want to see in the world."   - Mahatma Gandhi

In September 2007 we visited a remote village in the Sabi Sands area of South Africa to donate school supplies for the 140 students of Henna Pre-School .

The original plan was just to deliver the school supplies that we were donating along with some sweets for the children. However, after meeting the children and seeing the school, we decided to meet with Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, who helped get the school to where it is today. To further help this school along, SAA Vacations is donating a portion of every booking taken to this pre-school!

To get things started, SAA Vacations has donated the money needed for the graduation ceremony for the graduating students in 2007. This is one of the biggest events on their calendar, and involves students, parents and family members. The staff puts forth a great deal of effort to make it a great success, and SAA Vacations is very happy to be able to contribute to making this day special for all of the pre-school graduates who have worked so hard.

The money donated by SAA Vacations will cover the renting of graduation outfits for the children, design and printing of their certificates, a backpack with stationery for the graduates, creation of a sign at the school congratulating the graduating pre-schoolers, as well as a luncheon for the children and their parents. The graduation ceremony will take place on December 3, 2007, and we will post some pictures of the graduation shortly thereafter.

Some larger projects that SAA Vacations plans to help contribute to as this program moves forward include:

 - New Toilets
 - Fresh Water Project
 - New Kitchen
 - Fence around the school-yard

Henna Pre-School first started during 1991 and was named after one of the Indunas of Huntington under the Jongilanga Tribal Authority (the local authority which presides over most of the local villages adjacent to Lion Sands). Henna Pre-School got off the ground after receiving a donation from the Roman Catholic Church. Approximately 20 children attended the school in the early years. The school initially used mud-walled buildings for infrastructure and since the turn of the century, with the involvement of Lion Sands, better facilities have been built and the number of children attending the school has risen sharply to 140.

The objective of Henna Pre-School is to provide schooling and education for children under the age of five who live within the Huntington Community. The goal is to provide the children with basic skills in the English language, games, songs, and pre-school education in their mother tongue, Tsonga, and to provide disadvantaged children with two meals a day while at school.

All sponsors/donations are administered by the Bhubesi Community Project Trust which includes community members from the Pre-School as well as a Director and Management from Lion Sands Private Game Reserve. The Trust is a registered section 21 non-profit entity which is audited on an annual basis by the appointed auditors of the Trustees. Thembi Mdluli, an ex-employee of Lion Sands Private Game Reserve has been appointed a facilitator to ensure that the funds are applied efficiently.

According to the South African Census Department, the average income per household in Huntington (where the pre-school is located) is $25 per month (R174). This in itself explains the plight of the children in this area.

If you book a trip through SAA Vacations, not only will you get a trip of a lifetime, but you will know that you have made a difference in a child's life, because a portion of the cost of your trip will go to Henna Pre-School. If your trip happens to include a visit to Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, from there you can visit the school yourself.

For information about making direct donations to the school, please contact SAA Vacations: 1-888-722-4872 or contact Lion Sands Private Game Reserve. (See contact details located along the right side of this page.)