October 2017

Spring is here in Isithumba - warm, blue skies!

Well, October has come and gone already – but what a busy month for ICDM and The Valley! The promised warm, wet weather has delivered, with floods kicking off the start of the month in Durban. You always see those pictures floating around the internet of cars being dragged along in a river, which is actually a city street, and huge amounts of damage – and you always doubt them. These things actually happened here, people were trapped in their cars on roads, buildings damages and even highways flooded with cars still on them. The Valley got it’s fair share too, lashing 70kph winds nearly ripping round-houses roofs off, and plenty of rain too – enough to make the hills and grass green in a matter of days. The sun has come back out though, with temperatures hitting the early 30s and evening storms following. But, apart from this the organisation has been very busy too – tourists, new volunteers and even big events!

Ndunakaz Primary School.

Starting this month is the Isithumba-Sabadell Language Exchange Programme. This initiative has been organised and set-up by our International Volunteer from Australia, Matthew Phillis, and his good friend and fellow teacher in Sabadell, Juanjo Lazaro Moncada. Sabadell is a city just outside of Barcelona, Spain, and has a population of over 200,000, easily accessible by rail and road to the history and culture of it´s larger neighbour. Juanjo works for the Collegi Mare del Devi Pastor, a school that offers education to children from the age of 5 right through to the end of High School. Originally founded in 1885 by the Capuchin Sisters of the Mother of the Devine Shepard, the school now educated a co-ed population. Juanjo is a Primary School English teacher as well as the P.E. teacher. The programme has just started and is a language and cultural exchange between South Africa and Spain, one that ICDM truly hopes will continue and even grow in the Isithumba area, helping kids from both parts of the World learn more about each other. So far, the kids from the Ndunakaz Primary School have recorded short, self-introductions, ready to be received by their Spanish digital-penfriends, who will in turn reply. As the programme progresses, important topics such as family, culture, environmental issues and the future will be discussed. Both schools are eagerly awaiting this amazing opportunity - please check out the Blog for our new sister-school in Sabadell: http://bloc.mdpsabadell.org/

Tan, Matt and Wan on Isithumba Mountain.

Admiring the view from Isithumba Mountain.

Japanese and Zulu Rap Fusion!

Thanks for visiting guys!

Japan and South Africa!

We were visited for a few days by two Japanese tourists on a tour around Africa. Wan is a dancer who performs all around the World, most recently in Kenya, and his partner Takayuki, or “Tan,” is a photographer. A perfect combination really and they are also good buddies – Tan was the photographer at Wan’s wedding! They stayed in our Home Stay accommodation, where our international volunteer from Australia was staying (who is also a photographer), and so it was meant to be – the three guys headed out for a sunrise shoot on top of Isithumba Mountain, followed by an afternoon walk along the Umngeni. At this time of year, schools are out and so lots of the ICDM kids were spending their time down by the river – when they met up with the new arrivals they were so happy to meet some Japanese people (a fairly rare sight in South Africa and even more so in The Valley), they danced and sung for our guests and Wan even returned the favour, performing some Japanese dances, as well as a little modern rap which the kids loved as well. Later, the guys enjoyed an hour of sports with the kids, really getting into Dodgeball, which happens to be a favourite of High School kids in Japan. ICDM were very happy to welcome our visitors for their time in Isithumba and hope you had a great time – come back any time and tell your friends about our little part of the World.

Some of the ICDM youth performing for our Japanese friends.

Our volunteer from Australia, Matt, with 2 great kids from ICDM - Lungelo and Sato.

Our latest volunteer from Germany, Lea, with the kids and Thando from the ICDM staff.

Johannes getting down and dirty with the BMXs.

The ICDM kids are amazing mechanics!

Two new volunteers also arrived this month – Lea and Johannes. Both are from Germany, Lea is from Hamburg and will be staying with us for 2 months, whereas Johannes lives just outside Frankfurt and is staying for an impressive 12 months.  Possibly our youngest volunteer, Lea is 18 and she’s taking some time to travel and do some volunteer work being going to University. Johannes is a Management and Economics student and part of the Bremen Welwerts volunteer program – we’re very happy to have you both on the team and know you’ll make a difference. Both have already made a good impression with the ICDM kids, Lea being one of the few female workers here so is a big hit with the kids and Johannes has already played a big part in getting our BMX bikes and track back up and running. Speaking of BMX, a lot of work has been put in by the rest of the staff too, clearing out the grass and weeds on the jumps and tracks, making it ready for the kids to get back on it in time for Summer. Bikes have been repaired and are nearly up and running again, the ICDM youth leading this charge and shown that they are absolute geniuses when it comes to bikes - real bike mechanics! Well done team!

Thank you to Puseletso and her team at Hollywoodbets for being so generous!

Our very own Mazwi on television for Hollywoodbets!

The ICDM team accepting donations from Hollywoodbets.

Hollywoodbets visited us this month as well, to have a small ceremony to thank us for organising the yearly Trail Run in August. The crew from HB came down to Isithumba, donating some muchneeded sporting equipment – a table tennis table, rackets and balls, as well as tyre tubes for your BMX bikes and some netball and soccer balls too. We had music and a ceremony, attended by some of the ICDM youth, and everyone received a bag of treats too! Thank you so much to Puseletso and her teammates at Hollywoodbets – working with you guys is a real privilege and pleasure, a relationship we know will only get stronger as we organise more activities together.

Some of the 22km runners - including Johannes from ICDM (far left) and women's winner Puseltso (second from right).

Kids and families took part in the 9km fun run, while some toughed out the 22km.

The winner making it look easy!

A few bumps and scratches - but 22km done!

Women's 22km winner - Puseletso Dladla.

There was also another run held at Isithumba on the 15th, the Kwa-Ximba Trail Run, this time run by the Kloof Conservancy. Although ICDM didn’t have a direct role in the organisation of this event, two of our team member chose to be a part – Johannes decided to run the race and Matt joined the small team of photographers there to help capture the action. 3 race lengths were set up – a 9km ‘fun run’ for families and kids, a serious 16km river run along the Umngeni and a gruelling and unforgiving 22km run, which included the Isithumba Mountain. The runners started out at 7am to beat the African heat, the first runner, Sphamandla Nzama, coming back in a stunning of 2:01:20, closely followed by Sizwe Mkhize (02:07:21) and Nathi Luthuli (02:10:36). The ladies event was won by Hollywoodbet’s own Puseletso Dladla with amazing time of 02:42:22, chased down by 2nd place winner Alison Misselhorn (02:45:51) and Tarry Botha (02:48:38). Johannes came through for ICDM, completing the run and surviving to tell the tale – we’re all very proud of you! Great work to everyone involved, the runners, time keepers and staff on hand for registration and of course The Kloof Conservancy.

The kids and teens loved the aerobics.

Warm up aerobics.

The soccer field.

Netball selfie!

Netball in action.

Due to the success of our Heritage Day last month, the KZN Department of Sports and Recreation requested that ICDM organise a sports day for the Kwa-Ximba area. The ICDM team did this job extremely well, managing to get everything organised and running within 2 weeks – very short notice. A lot of hard work was done by the team, marketing and advertising as well as working with the DSR to make sure everything was ready for the day. We had 10 male soccer teams competing, as well as 4 ladies’ teams and 4 netball teams – 6 more male soccer teams than expected which caused some delays in the games but it was good to see a very high participation rate at the same time. The day kicked off at around 11 for some aerobics, which everyone loved and got involved with. The soccer competitions then started along with the netball, and although they went longer than anticipated due to more teams competing than expected, it all went fine thanks for good sportsmanship and good referees. Snacks and drinks were provided throughout the day and music was also provided by Tholithemba Mthembugoing to keep the vibe happy and energetic. A big thanks to everyone involved in the work leading up to the event and also on the day – no need to write names as everyone knows the work they did to make it all possible!

The always popular soccer competition.

Go team!

The team shot.

That’s all for this month – but what a busy one! ICDM appreciated the support we receive from our stakeholders, however as we are a non-profit organisation out existence and the maintenance of our programs depends on the kindness of your sponsorship and donations. Should you like to make any donations to help out programmes, please visit our webpage  for more information:

http://isithumbacdm.wixsite.com/icdm

The work we do can also be followed on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Isithumba-community-development-movement-162308743839256/

 ICDM We are the future!!

September 2017

The beautiful Valley of 1000 Hills.

Sunny day on the Umngeni River.

September has come to The Valley of 1000 hills, and with it the warmer weather of Spring, and also the evening storms and rain. There was a memorable storm on the second weekend of the month. The storm was brewing for hours after lunch-time, and by early evening it hit, coming in from the South West and hitting the villages hard. The wind picked up to a howling speed, driving rain and debris around and also pulling at trees and buildings. There were a few scary moments for some people I’m sure, as roofs were threatened and a few branches came down, but luckily there was very little damage and nobody was hurt. The days will only get hotter and the evening storms more frequent – but let’s hope they aren’t all as violent as this one was! New goats, cows and chickens are also part of Spring, and there are plenty of baby animals around to prove that here - hopefully soon the grass will be greener soon too!

Group photos on the playground.

Just chilling with friends.

The boys.

The obstacle course

The centre at ICDM is running well, and the kids are loving the playground. It’s been stress tested by the big kids (The ICDM team), and now every afternoon the real kids are out on it and enjoying it. Every kid loves swings, and there are always lines for them. Apart from the activities to do on the equipment – swings, a slide and climbing – the kids love just spending time down here with their friends. The ICDM team have put this playground to another use other than just playing – the kids now have a timed obstacle course! Running their way along the wobbly bridge, balancing over the log and rope balance, clambering up the climbing wall and working their way through the tyres – a great way for them to exercise all of their muscles as well as encouraging some friendly competition. We have a champion of the play set, a current time of 57 seconds!

The trampoline is still very popular.

The kids love the trampoline - maybe we need a second one!

Having fun with friends.

Kids on the playground.

With the equipment donated by the Leeds Beckett University team, ICDM have been able to bring in some new games. The kids were introduced to Touch Rugby and a lot of them took to it quite naturally, especially the girls. The first thing about rugby is the strangely shaped ball, that is hard to pass and also hard to catch if it’s bouncing it’s erratic path along the ground. We practised passing and ball skills, eventually moving up to passing in moving lines, and finally a game came together. The mindset of soccer and being able to pass forward is a hard one to break, as well as the lack of contact, but the kids did really well and had a good time. Cricket was another new sport we tried this month, thanks to the new kids cricket set. We changed the normal rules of cricket a little, making it more active, fast-passed and interesting for the players – 1 batter, 1 bowler and a set field. After the bowl, the batter would hit it as far away from the wickets as possible because when the fielder gets the ball, he has a shot to throw at the wickets – a hit means they are the new batter. This is fast enough to keep everyone interested while everyone gets a chance to bat and bowl.

The tension.

The old sack race.

1, 2, 3 - go! The new favourite game - Dodgeball.

Dodgeball!

We’ve also tried our hand at an ICDM adapted version of Ultimate Frisbee – a fast passed game much like netball but with a frisbee for a ball. It requires many skills, co-ordination, speed and agility, as well as the ability to catch a flying plastic Frisbee! The favourite game introduced this month though is Dodgeball. There are two ways of playing, one is everyone is in the square with one person throwing a ball to hit someone’s legs. If you’re hit, you’re out and help throw the balls to eliminate more people, until it comes down to the final person. The other way of playing, the team play, is the most fun. With the new bibs, we can outfit everyone and get 3 teams running – 2 teams in the middle battling it out, while the 3^rd team helps collect the thrown balls. The rules are simple – if you’re hit below the knee, you’re out. If you catch the ball, the thrower is out and one of your teammates gets to come back into the game – and it’s down to the last player. It’s very loud, exciting and the competition fierce, sometimes tempers run a little high but that’s only due to youthfulness competitiveness and the desire to win. There are no hard feelings at the end of the game, we always have 2 referees in place to help monitor, and sometimes even the kids get the chance to become a ref for a game. This is a great game and the new favourite for many of the kids – even giving soccer a run for it’s money! In fact, the ICDM staff usually participate as well, enjoying the inclusiveness that we have here – it doesn’t matter if you’re big or small, slow or fast, young or old, you get to play and have fun just like everyone else!

The kids enjoying the new games.

The new favourite game - Dodgeball.

The crows enjoying the show on Heritage Day - the 24th of September.

The opening dance - MC Thalente and ICDM team member Nappah.

Singing and playing the guitar.

The big event to happen this month was of course Heritage Day on the 24th. It is a day that people celebrate all around the country, celebrating what it means to be South African. Everyone goes wild this day, as the following day is a public holiday. We had a very large turn out this year - bigger than last year in fact, with more than 200 people coming to see the event as well as participate. Our very cool MC, Thalente Msomi, kicked off the show at 11 am with a bit of dancing himself, followed by a talented young man on the guitar. We had poetry readings, traditional singing and dancing as well as a big of modern Rap music. There were some great dances, including the traditional Zulu dance, and also the Sarafina dance to close the show. Children came in traditional outfits and clothing and really made the day something special. Although there were no prizes this year for winning any event, so many groups turn up and participated that the event ran until 5pm, the DJ having to turn off the music to make everyone stop dancing!

Another energetic, upbeat and very entertaining Zulu dance.

Traditional Zulu dancing.

Everybody got involved!

Wow!

Singing along to the songs.

Clapping along to the music.

Enjoying the day.

Something different this year was the catering. The ICDM team provided food for 150 people - hotdogs, juice and some snacks. Everything ran smoothly and we had enough food for everyone. A big thank you to the extra volunteers we had to help us prepare and serve the lunch is needed - thank you Ndu, Slie, Thobekile, Xolisiswa and Karabo. We even had a previous volunteer come back and visit for a week, Phillip from Germany. He came and watched the Heritage Day event and had a great day, as he'd never seen an event like this before - it's not something you get every day either! Although there was mostly traditional music, a little bit of rap was sung and it was quite popular with the crowd. The traditional dances were the favourites however, and one group, singing the Sarafina, came back on as the last act for an encore. A raffle was held at the end of the day, and some lucky kids walked away with t-shirts and even a few won brand new basketballs and rugby balls - congratulations! A wonderful day, made possible by the great team at ICDM and of course the community of Isithumba!

The amazing 'stamping' of the Zulu dance.

The sound crew and DJ - great job guys!

A very lively poetry recital.

Our catering staff - thank you again for a great job!

Just some of the staff who helped make this day great - Matt, Nah, Thobekile, Karabo and Thalente.

 ICDM We are the future!!