Ian Swindale, a generous sponsor for the SOS Africa charity, has just returned from a trip to the Western Cape in South Africa. He spent a few days with the charity staff and children, sharing his experiences and witnessing the impact of their work.
After an overnight flight from London, Swindale arrived at Cape Town airport in the early morning. He was greeted by Sive, a SOS Africa driver, who took him to his hotel in the hills above Gordon’s Bay. This was Swindale’s first visit to sub-Saharan Africa and he was eager to see the work being done by SOS Africa in person.
On the second day of his trip, Swindale met with Matt, the CEO of SOS Africa. They visited the newly completed Gordon’s Bay centre, where Matt lives with his wife Claudia and their young son Ted. The centre was equipped with rooms for various activities, a kitchen for cookery lessons, a balcony for judo, a swimming pool, and a manual skills training centre. Swindale even joined a group of teenagers in a trivia quiz, but struggled with questions about popular youth culture.
The following day, Swindale had the opportunity to meet six of the eight care worker trainees he was supporting financially. These women were currently undergoing practical training and Swindale was pleased to learn that they would have guaranteed jobs upon completion of their course. He also met with dedicated staff members who were committed to ensuring the success of the trainees.
Swindale then visited Somerset West Methodist Primary School, where he witnessed the dedicated work of Eden, a teacher who runs a reading programme for first graders. He was impressed by her passion and commitment to making the programme culturally suitable for the children. Swindale also had the chance to speak with Marja, an educational psychologist who works with children at SOS Africa.
At St Michael’s Primary School in Elgin Orchards, Swindale was introduced to staff members and was touched by their quiet dedication to the children in their care. He then visited the Mondeor School of Skills, a partnering school of SOS Africa, where he met Principal Charne who has been with the school for fifteen years. The school aims to train children who are less academically inclined in a skill or skills that will prepare them for full-time employment.
The final stop on Swindale’s trip was the SOS Africa Grabouw Education Centre. Here, he met the team led by Sharnice and her two assistants, Sinazo and Ilenthea. He was particularly impressed by Sinazo and Ilenthea, who he is personally sponsoring for a couple of years while Matt works on bringing their salaries into the general SOS Africa budget.
On the last day of his visit, Swindale met a first-year high school student and her parents, who he is also sponsoring. Both Matt and Swindale were impressed by the family’s dedication to the student’s academic success.
As Swindale said goodbye to Matt and made his way to his hotel in Cape Town, he reflected on his visit and was struck by two things: the happiness of the children in the educational centres and the dedication of the staff. He also commended Matt for his continued efforts to increase support for the children in need.
As Swindale departed, Matt predicted that he would return, and Swindale agreed that he may well be back to support the inspiring work of SOS Africa.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.