The Coffee Shack has been a great supporter of the greater Coffee Bay area and it’s community since its beginnings in 2000 and we are encouraged by the fact that each year, despite many challenges, our existing projects are evolving and exciting new ones emerging. AND we have a blog, so we can get all our supporters’ inputs…. things are looking great for the future.
Education is definitely one of our chief objectives , however, our organization aims to empower the whole community, encourage self determination and self worth throughout and thus, sustainability for the future.
There are great prospects for other constructive and sustainable projects in the area, but for now, here is a short introduction to what we have put into motion so far.
Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori
Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori indoors
This is our newest and most exciting project under Sustainable Coffee Bay. After working on this project for 3 years, we opened the red and pink stripey door of our 5m rondawel on the 15th of February 2010 with our first 13 children. Our indoor environment has allowed the children to develop wonderfully, and our outdoor environment has a super veggie garden which has provided us with a healthy lunch daily. To ensure that we are able to maintain our standards with this project, we are currently seeking sponsorship for 4 of our young children.
Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori - Coffee Bay
For R300 per month, you will be changing the life of a rural child during their most important foundation years. We have started this project with minimal resources but with a great team with huge aspirations. Our mission is to build a collaborative space to facilitate education, social, health, environmental and economical development for the whole community…starting with the children. Click on “the heading to read the full Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori Early Learning Centre story or follow our blog for the latest updates and goings on.
“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first period from birth to age six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed” – Maria Montessori
Sonwabise Cwithi - age 5
Chulumanco in orange pants - age 4
Scholarship Fund
This is a fund which sponsors local students to complete their grades 10 to 12 at St Johns College, an academic high school in Mthatha, a city 100km west of Coffee Bay.
Due to our rural education system not being on par with the education offered in the cities, we are trying to increase the number of students from our area to have the opportunity of gaining a good grade 12 (matric) result and attending university. We currently have 8 students sponsored at St Johns College. Click on the heading to read the history of the Scholarship fund and follow our blog for the latest updates and goings on.
School Furniture & Support Fund
Xonyeni JSS hosting Inter Schools Sports Day February 2010
“Are you sitting comfortably? Because the kids at our local schools aren’t – they have no desks or chairs”.
This fund was originally called the Pato Desk and Chair Fund, but since we furnished the whole of Pato JS School and 2 classrooms at Coffee Bay JS School, we have assisted various other local schools with burglar bars for their computer classrooms, donations towards student excursions etc. There are still schools in our area where children are being taught outsides, as there are not enough classrooms. In the classrooms, there are still children sitting on the floor and we are working towards eradicating that. We believe that a desk and chair should not be a privilege for a scholar, but a right. Click on the heading to read the full School Furniture and Support fund story and follow our blog for the latest updates and happenings.
Marhenene Boys
Thobile Marhenene
Lukholo Marhenene
Mbulelo
Thobile “Noguarda’ and Lukholo Marhenene are 2 brothers, aged 16 and 14, who are part of a child-run household, in Mawotsheni lalli (village), 8km north of Coffee Bay. Mawotsheni is one of the poorest lalli’s in the region, with an incredibly high unemployment rate. Thobile and Lukholo live with their 18 year-old brother, Ninti, and their 15 year old cousin, Mbulelo. Click on the heading to read about a day in the lives of these young boys and follow our blog for the latest happenings in their lives.
Fanekhaya Lili
Fanekhaya
Fanekhaya Lili is a 25-year old guy from Mount Packard, a rural lalli (village) about 15km west of Coffee Bay. He is a very academically minded guy, who got a C for maths in grade 12 and 3 distinctions in his 1st semester at university – WOW! He is self-motivated with a definite hunger for further education, especially in the Mechanical Engineering field. Due to no support or sustenance, he had to leave university in 2007. He is exceptionally keen to complete his National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. Click on the heading to read Fanekhaya Lili’s full story and follow our blog to keep an eye on his progress.
Coffee Shack Community Basket
This is a basket in the lounge area of Coffee Shack, where guests are able to leave behind items that they no longer require, or that can’t fit into their backpacks. Once the basket is full, we decant the items until we have about 20 black bags. We fill boxes with equal amounts of items and when we have between 70 – 100 boxes, we plan a lalli (village) drop-off. Due to the extreme poverty in our region, these drop-off days are real highlights in the lives of our communities. Click on the heading to read more about the Community Basket and follow our blog to check out the most recent drop-off.
SACT hospitality students
Zikhona Nontathu Shukuma - SACT bursary student 2011
Young and aspirant students from our area are given the opportunity to study Hospitality Management with a one year bursary at the South African College of Tourism in Graaff Reinet. The first three recipients of the bursary – Yonela Gwangqa, Nompumelelo Rixi and Luleka Jokanisi finished their studies in 2010 and all passed well. Nompumelelo and Luleka have secured themselves jobs at Coffee Shack Backpackers in Coffee Bay and Yonela is working at the National Zebra Park in Graaff Reinet.
Hi Dawn
Don’t be so bussiness like you behaving just like a true city girl send me your cell number
Brian
It looks great. I’ll be telling people about this and hope that I can contribute from here or closer! I’m still in transition from student to working but the page is bookmarked to look at the updates of your projects and to donate! Good luck.
Hi Moran
Many thanks for your positive message. Much appreciated.
Dawn
to think what some people took frm me when i closed the shop.. i wouldve gladly given to this worthy cause. so sad