nikk_dolittle
13-06-11, 12:02
Dear all,
I have spoken to Nic and she has said I can post this on here.
I am writing regarding an Orphanage in South Africa and I would like to ask if people would be a help and send a letter of support to me via PM or Email or Post.
The reason why I am asking is because; Project Primrose is a community group of individuals who have come together from across the world to personally help and support a deprived small Aids Orphanage situated in East London, South Africa. We aim to help the children and give them a secure quality of life for now and the future. Many children are suffering from Aids, Cancer, Child abuse, Homelessness, Starvation and poverty.
The children are cared for by an 80 year old Grandmother and her daughter in their own shack. Over the last few years, building work has taken place to replace the old shack nursery to a bespoke brick building to enable them to care for some more children from a few months old to 16 years and also support them past this age. The house is small with a lounge, 1 bedroom, an office and a small kitchen of which they prepare and feed about 150 children daily, seven days a week which Violet uses her pension for. At night the floors are covered in sleeping mats and the child sleeps on with a blanket. The older children attend school in hoping to secure a future through education. Violet and Pamela make sure the children are all happy and well cared for despite suffering from the effects of HIV and other illnesses.
The main reason I am writing is because we have a birthday bubby system where people can send a gift to their choose child a little something for their birthday to ensure they know they are loved and people are trying to help them proceed in life.
The only problem we have is that the South African Post Office WILL NOT deliver parcels to the Orphanage. They want Pamela and Violet to go to the Post Office every day to see if there is anything for them – Of which they cannot afford to do. People are paying a lot of postage to be sent just for them to be returned as unclaimed although we ask people to put the NGO/NPO registered number, as well as one the customs declaration to state “gift for Orphan” We had to pay money for duty, wanted by The South African Government. At times the duty has been more than the value of the original costs of the gift??? This is meaning that the children are going without and it does make them feel they are not wanted. People who are helping are kind hearted volunteers who want to help these children out. It’s as if the post office doesn’t want anything to do with the Orphanage. Not only has this happened recently but it’s been going on for years, when they return the parcel to the person who sent them, it feels devastating to know they didn’t get a special something.
There is a petition happening here in the UK and people are supporting this by signing and supporting that this needs to be sorted out ASAP to give help out every child. Some people are going out the Orphanage in July to try to sort this out but we are looking to get as much support as possible beforehand to give to the SA Government about this issue.
They get no support financially from the SA Government despite promises from the Dept of Social Welfare.
If I can be of any further help on this please let me know.
An example can be
I feel that what the Post office is doing is wrong and depriving these children of a special present. Not only do we pay to have them delivered they are just returned with nothing. Why let people down. How would you feel if this was your Child not being allowed anything at all? Why should the people who live near the Orphanage be able to get things and these poor children cant? What’s the difference to them? Just because they are suffering with some illness they miss out on life.
Many thanks
Nikk
I have spoken to Nic and she has said I can post this on here.
I am writing regarding an Orphanage in South Africa and I would like to ask if people would be a help and send a letter of support to me via PM or Email or Post.
The reason why I am asking is because; Project Primrose is a community group of individuals who have come together from across the world to personally help and support a deprived small Aids Orphanage situated in East London, South Africa. We aim to help the children and give them a secure quality of life for now and the future. Many children are suffering from Aids, Cancer, Child abuse, Homelessness, Starvation and poverty.
The children are cared for by an 80 year old Grandmother and her daughter in their own shack. Over the last few years, building work has taken place to replace the old shack nursery to a bespoke brick building to enable them to care for some more children from a few months old to 16 years and also support them past this age. The house is small with a lounge, 1 bedroom, an office and a small kitchen of which they prepare and feed about 150 children daily, seven days a week which Violet uses her pension for. At night the floors are covered in sleeping mats and the child sleeps on with a blanket. The older children attend school in hoping to secure a future through education. Violet and Pamela make sure the children are all happy and well cared for despite suffering from the effects of HIV and other illnesses.
The main reason I am writing is because we have a birthday bubby system where people can send a gift to their choose child a little something for their birthday to ensure they know they are loved and people are trying to help them proceed in life.
The only problem we have is that the South African Post Office WILL NOT deliver parcels to the Orphanage. They want Pamela and Violet to go to the Post Office every day to see if there is anything for them – Of which they cannot afford to do. People are paying a lot of postage to be sent just for them to be returned as unclaimed although we ask people to put the NGO/NPO registered number, as well as one the customs declaration to state “gift for Orphan” We had to pay money for duty, wanted by The South African Government. At times the duty has been more than the value of the original costs of the gift??? This is meaning that the children are going without and it does make them feel they are not wanted. People who are helping are kind hearted volunteers who want to help these children out. It’s as if the post office doesn’t want anything to do with the Orphanage. Not only has this happened recently but it’s been going on for years, when they return the parcel to the person who sent them, it feels devastating to know they didn’t get a special something.
There is a petition happening here in the UK and people are supporting this by signing and supporting that this needs to be sorted out ASAP to give help out every child. Some people are going out the Orphanage in July to try to sort this out but we are looking to get as much support as possible beforehand to give to the SA Government about this issue.
They get no support financially from the SA Government despite promises from the Dept of Social Welfare.
If I can be of any further help on this please let me know.
An example can be
I feel that what the Post office is doing is wrong and depriving these children of a special present. Not only do we pay to have them delivered they are just returned with nothing. Why let people down. How would you feel if this was your Child not being allowed anything at all? Why should the people who live near the Orphanage be able to get things and these poor children cant? What’s the difference to them? Just because they are suffering with some illness they miss out on life.
Many thanks
Nikk