Basic education is often taken for granted in Canada. But it is not something taken lightly by one Victoria-based grassroots organization.
As a project of the Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA), Ukulapha Community Outreach is raising money for and building education-related infrastructures in the small township of Slangspruit in South Africa.
Ukulapha founder, Carolyn Burns, said many of the students are orphans who have lost parents to diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a very improvised area,B次元官网网址� Burns said but programs like theirB次元官网网址檚 are helping to improve resources in the area. B次元官网网址淲e have a much further reach at the school. We not only touch the children but also the community.B次元官网网址�
To help fund all of this work, Ukulapha is hosting its fourth annual I See Hope fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 16, at the Royal Colwood Golf Club.
The evening will kick off around 6:30 p.m. with a silent auction while guests mingle and sip wine from an Okanagan vineyard. A gala buffet will be served just after 7 p.m., followed by desserts and a live auction.
Victoria resident Burns said there are a number of fabulous items in both auctions, including a seven-night cruse for two to Tahiti.
The night will end with a performance by The Legends, playing rock and roll favourites from the 1950s to the 1990s.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e hoping to raise as much as possible,B次元官网网址� she said, promising the night to be a memorable one. B次元官网网址淭his is for the children.B次元官网网址�
Ukulapha, named for the Zulu word for B次元官网网址渉ealing,B次元官网网址� has been building relationships in the Slangspruit township by focusing its work around the areaB次元官网网址檚 school, which supports more than 1,000 students.
It also partnered with another Canadian group to introduce a nutrition program at the school which provides younger students with a glass of milk in the morning and includes a protein for all children with their midday meal.
B次元官网网址淔or a lot of the children, it could be be the only meal they get in the day,B次元官网网址� Burns said.
Besides working with the schoolB次元官网网址檚 committed teachers and principal, she said, Ukulapha is also developing a computer centre to engage the community, part of a bigger plan for the building.
But Ukulapha isnB次元官网网址檛 just providing opportunities for students overseas. They also host Canadian interns for six months at a time to work in the Slangspruit township, through VIDEA, and are currently accepting applications from anyone under the age of 30.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really cool. It makes a huge difference at the school,B次元官网网址� Burns said.
Tickets for the gala are still available and cost $95 per person. For more information go to or email
tickets@siskin.ca.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com
